CCP 09-20-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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September 15, 2004 Memo to City Council Building Position Page 2 of 4 - the next) makes analysis difficult. In addition, Arden Hills is a unique small City. Most communities of our size do not have major universities, corporate campuses like Guidant or Land O'Lakes and construction of new institutional buildings (City Hall, Ramsey County Facility and schools). In addition, what does not show up in these numbers is the time necessary for code enforcement activities. - What Are the Current Senice GaDS After extensive internal discussions and observations of the inspection function, it seems clear that we are mceting the goals of timely permit processing, adequate response time (based on no public complaints regarding inspection time) and the ability to meet basic needs. What is not being met are final inspections for lower priority permits (roofing, replacement mechanical, decks, some residential additions.) A system is in place where both the resident and the contractor receive a notice at the timc a permit is issued that a final inspection is required. However, a great majority of the time there is no call for a final inspcction and the permits are then left "open" until the time is fonnd to proactively review unfinished permits and complete the inspections. At this time there is an estimated I, 200 permits that has not been completed. The issucs of finalizing permits is a time consuming process, if a contractor does not call, since thc resident needs to be contacted, an inspection time arranged, etc. The upgrading of the building inspector position will assist greatly in having the bnilding inspection division complete the pemlit process. Althongh we have not explored the issue of liability in detail, it appears that . the City could have a liability issuc if permitted work fails in somc capacity and causes harm. What Ha ens If Workload Is Not Sufficient In A Given Year Staff recognizes that building inspection/code inspection can be cyclical and an important question is what happens if this position is upgraded and in a given year the workload does not equate to a full time position? Staff views that if this happens thc number of shortfall hours would be minimal, but in any case, a solution would be to hire with the understanding that the position would occasionally perform Operations and Maintenance duties. The Director of Operations and Maintenance has supplied a list of these functions which could include: I) Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) - stencils -cleaning grit chambers -cleaning storm water bonds 2) Snow Plow/Winter Work -City Hall -Arden Hills Library -Ice Rink (flooding) 3) Streets -Fall/Spring street sweeping -Stencils-crosswalks -Crack sealing .