Allen County to add two Building Department positions, update fees and pursue market pay review

Allen County leaders moved to reshape the Building Department on Jan. 7 to reduce inspection backlogs and shorten permit turnaround times; the county approved two new positions and committed to a market-based pay review to retain inspectors.

Commissioner Ron Turpin and Building Commissioner Joe Hutter presented a multi-part plan including a bifurcated supervisory structure, revised fee schedules effective Jan. 1, a forthcoming NFP market study for reclassifications and a rewrite of the building manual intended to clarify requirements for contractors. Turpin said the proposed changes are paid for by permit fees and aim to make Allen County "easy to do business with."

Council approved two new positions: an Operations Manager (A08-1) and a Certification of Occupancy specialist (BO21), a temporary training salary ordinance for the department, and funding of $132,820 from the general fund for the new hires. Hutter said the Operations Manager will also help deploy technology and training to speed customer-facing services: "This person will actually handle a lot of that technology... and developing a lot of the new technology stuff we want to get implemented into this."

Tom Harris and other council members emphasized that staffing should scale down if a construction downturn occurs; Hutter and commissioners committed to adjusting staff levels should demand fall. The commissioners and council said they would return to Personnel Committee in February with finalized reclassification and salary details after union wage scales and the NFP study are incorporated.