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Commission asks staff to review building-inspection contract and permit fees
Summary
Commissioners raised fairness concerns about the city's contracted building inspector, who operates a for-profit firm and charges percentage-based fees; the commission asked staff to compile permit-fee and payment data and consider recommending a council review of inspection services.
Several commissioners raised concerns about the city's current building-inspection arrangement and the fees paid to the contracted inspector.
One commissioner said the contracted inspector "owns a for profit business" and that every permit applicant must work with him, adding that charging a fee based on project value can be unfair to residents. Another commissioner said they would "a 100 times rather have Andy than any other inspector" because of responsiveness but acknowledged the trade-off between convenience and cost.
Commissioners asked staff to pull permit-fee and payment data (how much was paid to the contracted inspector and how much went to permit fees in total) and to evaluate alternatives, including an in-house inspector or different contract terms. They discussed the operational trade-offs: having a local inspector reduces delays (inspections within days rather than more than a week) while a dedicated in-house inspector could cost more in salary and benefits and might be harder to justify if permit volume is low.
No contract change was made at the meeting. Commissioners asked staff for a report that would allow the commission to consider making a formal recommendation to the city council.
