HomeMy WebLinkAboutIncrease - Bldg-Sfty Dept Budget - Inspection SvcsCITY OF PALM DESERT
BUILDING & SAFETY DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
REQUEST: BUDGET INCREASE TO PROFESSIONAL
ARCHITECTURAL/ENGINEERING SERVICES LINE ITEM
SUBMITTED BY: Russell A. Grance, Director of Building and Safety
DATE: December 8, 2016
CONTENTS: N/A
Recommendation:
By Minute Motion,
1. Authorize an additional $60,000 to Account No. 1104420-4301000 related to
Professional Architectural/Engineering to cover unanticipated contract
inspection services.
2. Appropriate $60,000 from the unobligated general fund reserve to FY 16/17
Account 1104420-4301000.
Strateqic Plan Obiective:
Economic Development Priority 4: Expand and raise awareness of business -
friendly services in order to retain and attract business. This action supports
business friendly services by maintaining timely commercial development
inspection schedules. If this action is not approved, there will be delays to
commercial development building inspections and a negative impact to the timeline
of key commercial projects.
Background or Discussion:
On November 10, 2016, the Department of Building and Safety learned that a staff
member would require an extended period of time off for a family emergency, and that
the time requested is covered by legally protected leave under the provisions of Family
Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This will reduce the current number of field inspection staff
from five (5) inspectors to four (4) field inspectors for a period of up to four months.
The workload for the month of October with five (5) inspectors was an average of 19
inspections per day per inspector; that same workload applied to four (4) inspectors
would be 24 inspections per day per inspector. That type of workload is not self
sustainable for an extended period and could jeopardize public safety. The Insurance
Services Offices (ISO) has established benchmarks to calculate staffing levels,
including the average number of inspections that can be performed daily by an
inspector.
Staff Report
INCREASE ARCHITECTURAL/ENGINEERING
December 8, 2016
Page 2
ISO is an independent statistical, rating advisory organization that serves the
property/casualty insurance industry. ISO collects information on a community's building
code adoption and enforcement services, analyzes the data, and then assigns a
Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule (BCEGSTM) from 1 to 10. Class 1
represents exemplary commitment to building -code enforcement.
The benchmark established by ISO is ten (10) inspections per day per full time
inspector. Currently the City of Palm Desert holds a BECGSTm rating of 3. The City
Manager and executive staff have concluded that the City will be best served if the
Building Department utilizes the services of a contract building inspector during this
period. The contract inspector can be selected from one of the City's three current
consultants, and will alleviate the strain of the current construction activity on inspection
services.
The addition of the contract inspector, at 40 hours per week, will result in a more
manageable workload and will allow the department to provide next day inspections in
most cases.
The potential cost was determined by using an example of an inspector from Willdan at
a rate of $95 per hour, 40 hours per week to maintain the current inspection load. The
City would only utilize the contract inspector while the full time employee is out on
FMLA, which could be up to ninety (90) days or more. At this rate the City would incur
costs of approximately $60,000 for contract inspection services through February/March
2017.
Fiscal Analvsis
The cost for Contract Services is normally recoupable through plan check fees collected
for projects; however this was an unanticipated cost which will result in the need for an
appropriation from unobligated general fund reserves.
Submitted By:
Russell A. Grance, Director of Building & Safety
De
oval:t Moore Director of Finance
Lauri Aylaian, City Manager