Oshkosh staff outline inspection performance, permit fund and code review as part of 2025 Community Development budget

City staff presented the Community Development division’s 2025 operating budgets on the council’s consent and highlighted inspection services as a focus for process improvement and fee analysis.

Kelly, the department director, said the inspections fund carried a healthy balance of $2,800,000 as of Aug. 16, 2024, but under current assumptions will show a deficit “of just over a hundred and $80,000” for 2025 if permit fees remain unchanged. She said the last permit fee increase was in 2013 and that staff will complete a code audit and process‑improvement request‑for‑proposals before recommending fee changes.

Jerry Fabish, the chief building official, gave performance metrics that staff are using to evaluate service needs and efficiency. “So far this year, we've had a total of 2,142 complaints with 41 percent of those coming from c click fix,” Fabish said, and reported 4,934 inspections this year with 88% completed within one day.

Council members urged patience on fee changes and emphasized relying on the code review’s findings. One member noted cyclical patterns in permit revenue and recommended monitoring trends before changing rates. Staff told council they will return with consultant proposals and any recommended fee adjustments once the audit and process review are complete.

The council took no formal vote during the presentation; staff said any fee changes would be brought back for council action.