Hamilton County Department of Building
Inspections Business Plan
I. Department Overview
Department of Building Inspections is responsible for issuing Building Permits within the unincorporated townships of Hamilton County and eight contract jurisdictions. For the building permit process, the department coordinates the approvals required for the issuance of the building permit and the inspections that are required by the various agencies before the Certificate of Occupancy or a Certificate of Completion can be issued. The Department has responsibility for condemnation of structures, but the department does not have an existing building code enforcement program.
II. Performance Measures
Department of Building Inspections performs plan reveiw to determine compliance with the 2007 Hamilton County Building Code, 2006 Residential Code of Ohio, and the 2007 Ohio Building Code. The department has a goal of performing the first review of residential applications in four working days and commercial applications in twelve working days on 97% of the applications submitted. For requested building inspections, the goal is to perform the inspections as requested 99% of the time.
III. Organizational Staffing Levels
Department of Building Inspections has 28 F.T.E.'s.
Tonia F. Edwards, AIA, CBO, Building Commissioner
- Joy Peak, Administrative Assistant
- Dee Barrett, Business Services Officer
Dennis Dickard, PE, Plan Examiner Supervisor
- Jack Derr, RA, Plan Examiner
- Janet Gruenwald, RA, Plan Examiner
- Maryetta Rhude, RA, Plan Examiner
- Matin Simon, RA, Plan Examiner
- 1 Vacant Plan Examiner Positions
Verlin "Bud" Haynes, Building Inspector Supervisor
- Robert Eifert, Building Inspector II
- Rick Faulkner, Building Inspector II
- Lynn Johnson, Building Inspector II
- Albert "Butch" Kammer, Building Inspector II
- William Lattarulo, Building Inspector II
- Patrick Casey McNamara, Building Inspector II
David Tensi, Building Inspector Supervisor
- Mike Inman, Building Inspector II
- Steve Kosztala, Building Inspector II
- Tim Kranbuhl, Building Inspector II
- Mike Kueffner, Mechanical Inspector
- Brian McElroy, Building Inspector II
- Darren Mills, Building Inspector II
Cindy Reatherford, Permit Coordinator
- Lisa Gerde, Permit Specialist
- Michelle Gibson, Permit Specialist
- Madeleine Holland, Permit Specialist
- Susan Muench, Permit Specialist
IV. Financial Plan
Department of Building Inspections has an operating budget of $2,162,503.00 for 2008.
General Fund Budgeted Expenditures
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| Vehicle Expenses (fuel, maintenance, and Capital Replacement) |
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| Training (required certifications, subscriptions, memberships and travel) |
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| Administrative Costs (technology, licenses, maintenance agreements and capital) |
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V. Critical Issues Facing Department in 2008 & Beyond
Sufficient funding for personnel (including attracting and keeping qualified personal), training and capital are critical issues for the Department. The department also has significant office space issues, and many of the 1986 furnishings need to be replaced, including worn through ripped carpeting. Five of the building inspector trucks have over 95,000 miles and need to be replaced. Several computers in the department are five years or older and need to be replaced. The national and local economic outlook affects building, building permits and revenue. Depending on the cost of funding, materials, and labor, permit activity could be stagnated in terms of volume of work that impacts the department. While the new permit workload has lessened gradually in the last few years, the actual workload for staff has not, because of the opportunity this has presented to focus on special areas of work and refining work processes.
VI. Key Initiatives For 2008
In 2008, the department's permit tracking software and IVR (interactive voice response system) will be converted to a web-based software system. The department staff is reviewing and evaluating new revenue sources and new service initiatives, the results of which will be available for the 2009 budget process, and department staff is participating in the continuous improvement efforts of the building and development processes. Following the 2007 department-wide project to close out residential pool permits, in 2008, the focus is on sign permits. The department continues to work on coordination with other jurisdictions and agencies, including the implementation of a county-wide complaint tracking system and property maintenance initiatives, and it is part of multi-departmental review of codes to encourage the use of sustainablility and enviornmental initiatives for the county and region. The department was evaluated by the Insurance Services, Inc., receiving a continued rating of 2 (out of 10, with 1 as the highest).
Attached Documents
