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Danbury ad hoc committee probes staffing levels for illegal-apartment enforcement
Summary
At its fourth meeting, the Danbury ad hoc committee on illegal apartments pressed city officials about inspector staffing across health, zoning, building and fire-marshal offices; officials said health has two dedicated inspectors, zoning three inspectors, building seven staff and the fire marshal six deputies.
Danbury’s ad hoc committee on illegal apartments pressed city officials on how many inspectors are available to enforce rules at a meeting where committee chairman Peter Bizaid emphasized interdepartmental overlap and enforcement capacity.
"So for health, we have 2 dedicated inspectors," an agency official said when asked how many staff the health department can assign to investigations. The official added there are additional health staff who could assist if needed.
On zoning enforcement, the official said the city’s director of permit coordination, Sean Herrity, is the zoning enforcement officer and that the office has two assistant zoning enforcement officers added last year, for three staff able to carry out inspections with the necessary qualifications.
When the committee asked about the building department, a speaker reported there are six inspectors plus the speaker themself. The fire marshal confirmed his office has six deputies and that he is on call to support inspections.
The unit coordinator for zoning reported the unit currently has three staff, including the coordinator, and noted a part-time position is expected to be added soon. Chair Peter Bizaid summarized that multiple departments and personnel are available to conduct inspections related to illegal apartments.
The committee did not take any formal vote during the portion of the meeting in the transcript. Members said they planned further questions for corporation counsel and additional follow-ups, and the discussion appeared set to continue beyond the provided transcript.
