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Personnel committee approves adding three building codes officers to backfill Glens Falls inspections
Summary
The Warren County Personnel Committee voted to amend its table of organization to add three building codes officers to implement an intermunicipal agreement with the City of Glens Falls; the county projects initial shortfalls before breaking even around year four.
Warren County's Personnel Committee voted to amend the county's table of organization to add three fire prevention and building code enforcement officer positions to support an intermunicipal agreement with the City of Glens Falls.
John, a county representative who presented the business case to the committee, said the five-year shared-services agreement is structured to be no-cost to the county initially, with the city reimbursing county expenses over time. "These three positions...they'll be hired at the same salary that our current building codes officers were hired at, which is around $61,000," John said, adding that union rules prevent an immediate increase to starting pay.
The county's revenue projections apply Glens Falls' inspection fee schedule to work performed in that city, John said, and officials expect to reach breakeven by about the fourth year of implementation. He told the committee the plan assumes purchasing three vehicles — "that'll be $90,000" — and forecasted a first-year shortfall of approximately $276,000, dropping to about $180,000 in year two and roughly $50,000 in year three.
Committee members asked how the new hires would be deployed. Supervisor Driscoll asked whether the inspectors could be assigned outside Glens Falls when business was slow; John said the hires are county employees who could be deployed by the department head, but the department prefers to dedicate them to Glens Falls to leverage local familiarity.
John also said the city plans to apply for a state shared-services grant to help offset costs, but he cautioned there are no guarantees. "We're optimistic," he said, noting the county previously secured a $1,300,000 shared-services grant when it assumed communications responsibilities for the city.
After discussion, the committee voted in favor of the referral to amend the table of organization; the motion passed by voice vote. The agreement's implementation, John said, is contingent on hiring the three inspectors and completing the intermunicipal agreement process.
