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DBI reports strong revenues but IT and staffing shortfalls delay permit-tracking rollout
Summary
DBI reported revenues exceeding prior projections and strong permit activity, but a nearly 50% loss of IT staff and space constraints on hiring are delaying the permit-tracking system go-live; commissioners asked for a detailed update in March on expected schedule impacts.
At the Feb. 19 Building Inspection Commission meeting, DBI officials told commissioners the department's revenue picture remains positive while some operational constraints threaten project timelines.
Gail Revels, acting chief financial officer, said revenues are running ahead of earlier projections by roughly $2 million and charges-for-services collections reached about 88% of expected receipts with more than half the fiscal year remaining. Revels said DBI expects some transfers from fund balance to operating in the budget but that high fee collections have reduced the need for immediate transfers.
Separately, DBI's permit-tracking project team described an aggressive training schedule (a "train-the-trainer" program followed by end-user training in March), ongoing data conversion and a plan to run the first full conversion in March to assess the quality of legacy-to-new-system data mapping. Staff warned that data conversion is the longest pole in the project and that the department has lost "almost 50%" of its IT resources in recent months, creating a strain on technical capacity that could push a planned summer go-live further out if additional resources are not obtained.
Commissioners sought an estimate of possible delay and asked that DBI report back in March with a more precise assessment of months of slip, staffing plans and whether temporary vendor resources could bridge the gap. Director Tom Hui said if hires and conversion go well the project could be ready by early summer but cautioned March would be a better milestone to judge progress.
DBI also reported an increase in major-project valuations from about $6.8 billion to $7.7 billion and noted intensified building activity in Bayview-Hunter's Point. Code-enforcement staff provided monthly statistics showing thousands of building inspections and incremental NOV and abatement activity; staff explained that some complaints are closed as "no action" when inspectors find no violation.
What happens next: Commissioners asked for a March update specifically on permit-tracking conversion results and timetable, and urged DBI to address office-space constraints that are limiting hiring for critical inspection and plan-check positions.
