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Building codes official warns RCI contract and staffing gaps complicate permit budgeting
Summary
Stephen Sobec told the committee that variable plan-review volume and reliance on RCI (outside plan-review/inspection contractor) make projecting professional costs difficult; he recommended examining whether RCI could be paid from permit/plan-review fees and requested additional permit technician and inspector hires to reduce contractor dependence.
Stephen Sobec, a building codes official for Oconee County, told the Budget, Finance and Administration Committee on March 3 that uncertainty in plan-review volume and reliance on outside firm RCI complicate the department's budget.
Sobec said the county has historically budgeted a projected professional-services number for RCI that is frequently exceeded because a single commercial project can change plan-review costs substantially. "One of the things that we have... asked that may be an option is to change the way that we budget for this," he said, suggesting the county consider paying RCI out of the permit/plan-review line rather than carrying a large projected professional expense.
The fiscal implication: permit and plan-review fees are volatile. Sobec cited recent submittals that produced a combined plan-review payout near $25,000 and said a single commercial permit can swing the department's professional costs. Finance staff cautioned the committee about generally accepted accounting principles and advised that revenues and expenditures be kept appropriately documented and separate; staff said transfers can be used but will require correct accounting treatment.
Staffing and retention were central to the discussion. Sobec said the department relies on provisional inspectors who require extensive training and certification and that recruiting certified plan reviewers has been difficult. "I feel like it would be cheaper by far in the long run to get rid of RCI and hire our own plan reviewer," he said, while acknowledging that building in-house capacity depends on hiring and retaining certified staff.
Sobec requested an additional permit technician to ensure daily counter coverage and to prevent single-person staffing gaps when employees take leave, and he asked for a vehicle for an anticipated new hire. Committee members asked staff to provide clearer accounting options and to return with staffing and budget recommendations.
The committee scheduled a follow-up full-day budget workshop for March 11 for further review of these issues.
