Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Permits And Inspections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Building permits and inspections fall; contractor raises concern about county takeover of electrical inspections
Summary
Rutherford County's Building and Codes Department reported a monthly revenue of $164,383.10 and a fiscal-year school-facilities tax total of $10,538,935.17, while single-family dwelling permits are down roughly 30% year-over-year; a local electrical inspector urged commissioners not to shift inspection work to the county.
Tanya Bell, director of Building and Codes, told the Public Works and Planning Committee on July 7 that the department issued 358 permits in June (35 single-family) with revenues of $164,383.10 and completed 1,265 inspections. She reported school facilities tax receipts of $1,361,493 for June and a fiscal-year total of $10,538,935.17.
Bell said single-family dwelling permits totaled 659 so far in the current fiscal year compared with 950 in the prior fiscal year, a decline of about 30 percent, and that she will provide an administrative report within 30–60 days outlining the rationale for any proposed changes and the benefits to Rutherford County if the county moves forward with new programs tied to permitting or inspections.
During public comment before the formal roll call, an electrical inspector who identified himself as Mike Floyd asked commissioners to stop any effort to transfer inspection work to the county. "We don't want that to happen," Floyd said, adding he and a colleague had sent emails to commissioners and hoped the committee had received them.
Bell acknowledged the inspector's comment during her report and said the department will continue to monitor permit volumes and report back to commissioners before pursuing programs that could create new costs for taxpayers.
The committee voted to approve the Building & Codes report after discussion. Bell said she will return within 30–60 days with more detailed analysis of permit trends and the department's recommendations.
