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DBI reports $22M in fund‑balance for capital, March 2014 permit portal go‑live and a pipeline of thousands of units
Summary
DBI’s acting CFO reported roughly $22 million in ‘other’ revenue (fund balance) allocated for capital projects; IT staff said user‑acceptance testing for the permit tracking/citizen portal will occur Nov. 5 with a March 2014 go‑live; acting director highlighted 14,000 permitted units (~$6.2 billion construction value) and a pipeline that could total about 20,000 units.
DBI’s director and finance staff briefed the Building Inspection Commission on Sept. 18 on departmental finances, information‑technology progress and the major‑projects pipeline.
Finance: Acting CFO Gail Bridal said the department’s budget shift reflects recognition of fund balance to support capital projects and a capital reserve. "Other is really capital projects at this year's budget," Bridal said, and staff told commissioners the packet shows about $22,000,000 in other revenue mostly drawn from fund balance to fund HVAC, elevator and tenant‑improvement projects. Charges for services were budgeted higher than last year but actuals are currently lower than an unusually busy prior summer.
IT and permit portal schedule: IS Project Director Emma Nacanti said the project will enter user‑acceptance testing round 2 on Nov. 5 for four weeks, with a citizen‑portal review in December and a planned go‑live in March 2014 after final testing through January and February. Staff will invite subject‑matter experts and stakeholders to participate in the testing and a citizen advisory group will review the online permitting and enforcement records.
Major projects: Acting Director Tom Huey summarized the major projects attachment: about 14,000 units with roughly $6.2 billion in construction costs were reported as having building permits in hand; with additional pipeline projects the total could reach ~20,000 units. Staff clarified the 14,000 figure counts projects with permits rather than conceptual planning stages.
Legislative items and enforcement: Huey also summarized items under legislative review — multilingual outreach brochures, an ordinance on condo conversions (packet cited "120669"), and a proposed construction‑equipment emissions/noise ordinance being coordinated with the health department. Staff cautioned that the emissions ordinance raises enforcement and measurement challenges and will require interagency work.
Next steps: DBI will proceed with permit‑system testing and stakeholder outreach, monitor revenue and staffing impacts on operations, and return to the Commission with implementation updates.
