DBI reports year‑over‑year revenue drop; permit valuations down about 60%

Deputy Director Tyrus Madison presented the October 2020 monthly financial report for the Department of Building Inspection, covering revenues and expenditures for July through October. He said DBI is projecting a surplus under conservative assumptions but that year‑over‑year revenues show a marked decline. "Last year we collected about $25,700,000 in revenues from July through October, and now we're at about $13,200,000," Madison said.

Madison said the reduction is driven by declines in major revenue sources such as plan‑checking and building‑permit fees, which track to lower permit valuations. He told the commission that the number of permits and total valuation are down across the board: the transcript reported roughly 14,000 permits in the comparable prior period versus about 7,100 this year and a valuation decline near 60%.

Commissioners discussed whether the trend reflects a shift toward smaller projects continuing through the pandemic; Madison agreed that larger projects have curtailed while over‑the‑counter and smaller permits continue to arrive. He said the department will update expenditure projections after December and continue monitoring revenue trends.

No budget actions were taken at the meeting; commissioners asked to review the numbers again at a future meeting.