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Building inspector outlines faster permit turnaround and stronger enforcement
Summary
Building Inspector Scott Ransomware told trustees the updated 2025 code and staffing changes have cut permit turnaround to days or a week, resolved a backlog and expanded code‑enforcement capacity; he asked neighbors to provide affidavits when suspected overcrowding requires court access.
Scott Ransomware, the village’s building inspector, told the Board of Trustees that updates to the New York State code and internal process changes have substantially reduced permit backlogs and shortened average review times.
Ransomware said the Secretary of State’s implementing regulation (19 NYCRR) and the state Executive Law require municipalities to enforce the building code, and the village last received a code update in 2025. “Our job is to make sure that buildings don't fall down and buildings don't burn,” he said, summarizing the department’s public‑safety focus on structural, fire and means‑of‑egress standards.
The inspector described the permit workflow: an initial screen for zoning and land‑use triggers (setbacks, height, FAR, wetlands and floodplain), a determination letter directing applicants to land‑use boards when required, followed by code‑compliance review and inspection. He said roughly 20% of applications are referred to land‑use boards and that routine renovations that do not trigger those reviews are typically completed in days; larger projects can take longer.
Ransomware credited staff and software improvements with clearing the prior backlog and moving applications out of what he called the “in‑review drawer.” He also described expanded enforcement capacity: the department now has a full‑time code enforcement officer (Louis) and is pursuing proactive observation and evidence collection when neighbors report suspected overcrowding. “If you're the neighbor, we're saying, can you give us an affidavit, a sworn affidavit that attests to what you've observed?” he said, explaining the department’s practice of using affidavits and circumstantial evidence (garbage accumulation, patterns of occupancy) before seeking a warrant from a judge for inspection access.
Trustees asked about permit timing, FOIL/property file requests and electronic plan submission. Ransomware said most plan sets are now scanned and managed through the village document system and that the department requests electronic PDFs from architects and engineers when needed to streamline reviews. He also noted some lingering staffing and scan‑through constraints for large, archival files.
The board thanked Ransomware for the overview; no formal action was taken at the meeting. The village will consider any line‑item adjustments at a future budget adoption meeting.
