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DBI budget hearing spotlights permit cancellations, staffing and vehicle plans
Summary
At a Jan. 18 Building Inspection Commission hearing, DBI presented its FY2012–14 budget request including new inspectors and a proposed fleet-replacement plan; residents asked the commission to fix permit cancellation notices, high extension fees and repeated reprinting requirements.
The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection presented its proposed two-year budget for fiscal years 2012–13 and 2013–14 at the commissionmeeting on Jan. 18, while residents urged immediate fixes to the department's permit cancellation procedures.
Architect Gabriel Ng told commissioners the department's "permanent application cancellation procedure" had sent certified mail to his old address despite an updated filing, resulting in canceled permits and expensive rework. "The procedure is very bad, from what I can see," he said, and called $2,000-a-year extension fees for large projects excessive.
Jeremy Schaub of Gabriel + Architects described inconsistent extension requests that forced his firm to deliver multiple additional sets of plans during repeated phone calls from DBI staff. "It's just a huge waste of paper," he said, and asked the department for an administrative marking or simpler fix so legally valid plans need not be reprinted.
Director Pamela Levin presented budget highlights including a projected 2% revenue increase in 2012 nd 3% the following year (excluding interagency agreements), a request for 23 new full-time equivalents for 2012—, reinstituting a vehicle replacement program (proposing to replace 10 vehicles a year), additional community outreach funding and a digitization project. She tied part of the personnel cost growth to likely contract outcomes with city unions and the possible removal of furlough days.
Commissioners pressed for details on the vehicle plan, alternatives such as smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, and whether surplus vehicles are auctioned. Levin said vehicles are turned into central shops and auctioned; she pledged to provide a list of vehicle assignments. Commissioners also urged that code-enforcement outreach address senior tenants' needs and recommended more neighborhood-focused town-hall events.
On staffing, Levin said hiring has been slowed by delays in requisitions and that some certifications and tests are now available for clerks. She noted limits on hiring retirees under Prop F and said the department would continue discussions with the mayor's office and DHR to expedite vacancies. Commissioners asked for a special session on the budget later this month and for a follow-up report at the February meeting.
Residents and commissioners pushed DBI to change the permit-expiration notification rules. Director Day acknowledged the department had recently canceled long-unclaimed permits after certified-mail notices were returned and said staff would bring the issue to the Public Advisory Committee to consider extending notification timelines and other safeguards. "We did reinstate them because we considered it a clerical error," Day said when describing the department's response in a high-profile cancellation case.
Next steps: the commission will hold a special meeting on the budget before the end of the month and will revisit permit-expiration and extension timelines at the Public Advisory Committee and the next regular commission meeting on Feb. 15.
