Collingwood’s building department is requesting backup in the form of an additional full time staffer to help handle a boom in permit applications and building inspections.
Chief Building Official Greg Miller brought a report to the Development and Operations services Standing Committee last night requesting permission to recruit and hire a plans examiner for the town’s building department.
The Building Code Act requires councils to appoint a chief building official and as many inspectors as are necessary to enforce the Building Code Act.
“This report attempts to clarify how many inspectors are necessary,” said Miller.
The number of building permit applications coming in to Collingwood’s building department has increased from an average around 500 Building Code permit applications between the years 2009 and 2015 to 753 last year and a projected 900 this year, according to Miller’s report.
There are also rules of timing set out in the Building Code Act that limit the number of days a municipality can take to process an application.
Permits for houses and other small projects are to be issued or refused within 10 business days. For large buildings, the town has 20 business days, and for “complex buildings” the town has 30 business days.
The number of inspections required has also increased. From 2014 to 2016, the town completed about 1,800 to 2,200 inspections in any given 12-month period. That total has jumped to 4,072 per 12-month period since 2017.
Additionally, there are other permits not related to the Ontario Building Code, including sign, heritage, and pool enclosure permits also issued by the town’s building department. Miller states in his report those permits remain steady at about 300 to 350 per year.
Staff in the building department are also required to enforce the Building Code Act, which includes finding situations where construction has proceeded without a permit or contrary to the permit issued. There would also be some matters related to public complaints and unsafe buildings.
Miller’s report estimates the time required for permit administration, plans examination, building inspections, and building code act enforcement total more than 6,500 hours of staff time just for the requirements of the Ontario Building Code act, and not including the hours spent on items outside of the building code.
Currently there are five full-time staff in Collingwood’s building department including a chief building official, a deputy chief building official, two building inspectors and a building services assistant.
“With our compliment, the available hours are 4,800,” said Miller, adding the department would have to operate at 137 per cent capacity to make up the difference.
The proposed plans examiner position would be funded entirely through building permit fees and would not impact the municipal tax levy.
Last year’s the revenue for the building department’s administration of the Building Code Act requirements was $669,550 and the total expenses were $645,273. Miller’s report states this year’s projections put the revenue at $744,135 and the expenses around $671,566.
He estimates the new position would mean a $30,000 expense coming from the towns Building Code Act related revenue, which must be spent exclusively on the administration and enforcement of the act.
“If the status quo is maintained, there would be a high-level risk to the municipality in not meeting minimum legislated services levels,” stated Miller in his report.
Councillor Deb Doherty and standing committee chair Councillor Kathy Jeffery both asked if a contract position had been considered just in case the building boom dropped off and the workload on the town’s building department was also reduced.
Miller said based on the developments currently approved in Collingwood, there will be a lot of work for the building department for more than the next year.
CAO Fareed Amin said offering a contract position makes it harder to recruit the right staff person.
“It’s hard to get the same calibre of candidate,” said Amin, adding the new plans examiner could also support the town’s bylaw department in the event the building department experienced a slow-down.
The committee passed the request unanimously. Miller’s report will go on to full council on May 27 for final approval.
