ThisWeek CW 09/11/2014
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2014/09/08/webb-retiring-city-eyes-changes-to-job-duties.html
With the impending retirement of Canal Winchester Building Official Gary Webb, the city is looking to expand the position and hire someone to fill it before the end of the year.
Development Director Lucas Haire said that Webb, who has been with the city for the past 15 years, is licensed to review residential building projects, a bulk of the city’s work over the previous decade, but that has leveled out. Meanwhile, the city has had to hire others to do commercial and plumbing reviews.
“I think we’ll be close to 900 (inspections) this year for development, and I think we need to start looking at bringing on a chief building official,” Haire said. “Current costs are about $95,000 annually for inspections and the company we’ve been using said they’re likely to increase their rates next year, maybe 10 percent.”
Besides hiring outside contractors for commercial and electrical reviews, the city contracts with Franklin County Public Health for all plumbing inspections, a practice which would continue, Haire said.
“We’ve looked at the cost of contracting out completely and estimate a cost of about $90,000 per year, with the inspector in-house for office hours about 10 hours a week,” he said.
“Currently, we have someone available full time, and that would continue with a new official.”
Haire said the cost projections were based on what Obetz currently pays a contractor under a similar agreement.
“To put together a range for someone with this skill level, certified as a chief building official, building inspector, mechanical inspector and electrical safety inspector, there are very few people with those certifications,” Haire said. “So we projected a salary of $55,000 to $76,000, which is similar to our IT staff.”
Even with salary and benefits, which Haire estimates to be less than $90,000, he said the city would still save about $5,000 over contracting out, as well as maintain availability and increase services to the public.
City Council members heard a first reading of an ordinance to approve the new position at their Sept. 2 meeting.
Haire said he hopes to post the position in October, if the ordinance is approved after its third reading. He said he expects this position will replace the current full-time job held by Webb.