Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Vendor Fee Model topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Councilors press city officials on $27 per-submittal fee and who will pay
Summary
Council members questioned whether the vendor's $27 per-submittal charge on contractors could be passed through to property owners and asked about alternatives such as city subscription or contractor-created forms.
Council members raised concerns that the vendor’s per-submittal charge, which staff clarified as $27, could be passed from contractors to property owners and increase building owners’ costs.
An agency official explained the vendor’s business model: contractors submit inspection reports through the compliance engine and incur a per-submittal fee. At one point officials clarified the number after brief verbal confusion: "It's $27 per submittal." (agency official). Council members noted that if thousands of inspections used the service the aggregated fee revenue could be sizable.
One council member asked whether the city could subscribe to the service so vendors would not charge contractors; staff replied the vendor's model is contractor-funded and that some alternative models may exist but were not recommended for this agreement. Officials also said contractors could theoretically create and submit their own forms directly to the fire department, but they did not expect many contractors to do so.
Council debate centered on balancing compliance and public-safety benefits with the potential that contractors would add the vendor fee to invoices for property owners. The record does not include contractor or property-owner testimony; the council approved the authorization despite those concerns.
