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County reports: building permits flat year-over-year; fire department wins $36,000 grant and orders rescue truck
Summary
Codes staff reported 121 new-home permits so far this fiscal year versus 128 last year and said new software changes report formatting and permit-tracking; IT announced cybersecurity awareness training and audits; the fire department reported a $36,000 state fire marshal grant (funding appears next fiscal year) and that a rescue truck has been ordered with a 14-month lead time.
At the Bedford County Courthouse and Property Committee meeting, department representatives provided routine updates on permitting, IT, emergency services and building projects.
Amy presented the codes report and said new permit-reporting software implemented about 18 months ago now auto-generates reports and tracks items the department issues as permits (described in the packet as a "schools tax" tracked as permits), which can create a false appearance of a big increase in permit counts. Amy said revenue totals show steady growth over the last five years and reported 121 new-home permits issued so far this fiscal year compared with 128 in the prior fiscal year.
Josh gave the IT report, saying the department is working on IT needs related to construction projects, running several audits, and rolling out cybersecurity awareness and digital-hygiene training across the organization. He said staff and committee members may receive a link to training materials and encouraged participation.
Mark presented the fire department report, saying the department received a $36,000 grant from the state fire marshal’s office; the contract is signed but the allocation will appear in next year’s budget because the program distributes funds in January. He also said a rescue truck that has been under procurement for roughly 18 months now has a build number and is on a roughly 14-month production/delivery timeline.
Other routine items — an E911 report, a GIS/media report (John provided a report but had stepped out), and a county building-projects update (Mr. Sweeney was not present) — were acknowledged and approved as part of the packet. The committee approved the assembled reports by voice vote ('All in favor').
