Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutLaberge Tompkins County Building Code Community Stakeholders Forum ReportTOMPKINS COUNTY BUILDING CODE ADMINISTRATION AND OPERATIONS STUDY COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS FORUM JANUARY 30, 2024 Study Purpose PURPOSE: Identify potential opportunities to improve effectiveness and efficiencies through collaboration and sharing of services among the Tompkins County municipal building code operations. KEY CONSIDERATIONS:Study recommendations considered local perspectives and local context : Municipalities view locally delivered code enforcement services as a strength and expressed limited interest in exploring consolidation. Experienced CEOs knowledgeable about the community; easy access to CEO by residents. Integration with local zoning, planning and other land use local laws and codes. Strong willingness to share services among code enforcement operations. Fiscal Challenges and Limited Resources of all the municipalities including the County. RESULTING STUDY APPROACH: Shared service and collaboration solutions; not consolidation. Leveraged opportunities learned from consolidated operations. Focused on low cost solutions with high return on investment. Study Process ACTIVE STEERING COMMITTEE GUIDANCE AND OVERSIGHT •Membership •5 Meetings held to date DATA COLLECTION, RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS •Current Operations –Comparative and Aggregate Analysis •Lessons learned from Other Code Enforcement Operation including County-delivered Operations •Facilitated Technology Advancement Demonstrations with code enforcement officers & planners •Research Energy Conservation Construction In-Service Learning Supports STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT •Questionnaires:Chief Elected Officials, CEOs and Municipal Planners •Jan 2023 6 Roundtables:Chief Elected Officials; CEOs, Planners, County Department Representatives & Community Stakeholders •May 2023 Roundtable:Chief Elected Officials; CEO and Municipal Planners •Aug 2023 Roundtable: Code Enforcement Officers •2 Strategy Ranking Processes for Municipalities Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats Stakeholder Input -Challenges Staff Turnover, Inability for Succession Planning and Extended Vacancies •9 operations consist of only 1 code enforcement staff person. •Limited internal structures to support supervision, promotion and succession planning. •Decentralized recruitment. •Town / Village code enforcement experience concentrated in long term staff approaching retirement. •Timing and complexities of the CEO certification and civil service processes in small operations. Expanding Workloads –CEO Community –Stated Concerns •Inability to get all responsibilities completed and complete on a timely basis. •Afraid we will miss something important. •Increasing enforcement workload outpacing staff capacity. •Increased construction and development driving increased building permits. Stakeholder Input and Key Considerations Expanding and More Complex Uniform Code and Energy Codes •Multiple Updates and multiple versions -volumes of binders. •Energy Code: 2020 Update and anticipated future updates. •Competencies needed for the administration and enforcement of the Energy Code itself and in the emerging materials; designs and construction technologies. •Less hands-on certification training and in-service training for Code Enforcement Officers. Expansion of Local Laws and Other Programs to be Administered and Enforced •911 addressing, zoning, rental properties, flood plain, stormwater management & others. Inconsistencies across municipal operations •Permit Application Process •Level of Documentation •Fee Schedules •Technology Systems •Follow Timing on Actions •Inspection Scheduling •Communication Methods •Prosecution Development and Prioritization of Strategy Areas Initially Developed 13 Strategy Areas based on: •SWOT Analysis. •Stakeholder Input. •Key Considerations. Prioritization Process •Municipal Roundtable Process and 2 Strategy Ranking Tools Submitted by Municipalities. •Steering Committee Input. •County Staff Input. Strategy Areas Prioritized in the Following Manner: •Set of 6 Priority Strategy Areas Recommended for Development and Implementation. •Set of 3 Strategy Areas were identified for an Alternative Approach. •Set of 5 Strategy Areas were recommended for future re -consideration. STRATEGY 1 COUNTY ASSIGNMENT OF NEW 911 ADDRESSES •Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response (DoER) would be the addressing authority. •GIS assuming technical responsibility for the assignment of the street name, property number, unit number and point location for new addresses. •Target: All 9 Towns and 6 Villages •Benefits •Improved public safety and emergency response. •Eliminate duplication and increase efficiency. •Utilize ITS/GIS expertise and technology tools and data. •Approach •Engage with Municipal Leaders & CEOs to finalize process. •Develop, authorize and execute Inter-municipal Agreement. •DoER and ITS/GIS plan and host a Kick-Off. STRATEGY 2 SHARED SERVICES BUILDING PERMIT AND CODE ENFORCEMENT SOFTWARE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Current Operations Opportunities •Cloud based/vendor hosted systems. •Workflow automation features. •Document creation & distribution. •Workload management dashboard. •Fee calculators/online payment. •Inspection scheduling. •Automatic filing of documents. •Complete & send inspection report from the field. •Supports Inter-municipal back-up. Building Permit & Code Enforcement Software Total Municipalities Municipalities 1 OpenGov 3 City of Ithaca, Towns of Ithaca and Lansing Williamson 3 Towns of Enfield and Newfield, Village of Lansing BAS by IPS2 3 Town of Caroline Town and Village of Dryden CloudPermit 1 Town of Groton On-line electronic forms interfaced with Laserfiche 1 Village of Cayuga Heights Excel, Word, Paper 5 Towns of Danby and Ulysses, Villages of Freeville, Groton, Trumansburg and Tompkins County 1. The products used were as of 12/31/24. 2. IPS by BAS was bought by Edmunds. Edmunds now offers a cloud-based workflow building permit and code enforcement product called EGT Permit and Code Enforcement from their MCJS product line. STRATEGY 2 SHARED SERVICES BUILDING PERMIT AND CODE ENFORCEMENT SOFTWARE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Potential Partners: Interested Towns and Villages Benefits •Low investment and high return on investment. •Significant efficiency gains through workflow automation. •Standardization across municipalities. •Improved and efficient communication with residents & contractors. •User friendly; limited IT support needed; ability to tailor w/out writing code. Approach Develop Common RFP and collaborative evaluation process. Consider Contract Options: Umbrella contract or individual contracts. Factors Impacting Cost •Pricing of certain systems is now affordable and approachable for smaller municipalities. •Modules a municipality desires to utilize: codes, zoning, planning board, etc. •Size of municipal operations -Typical metrics: population, # of parcels, etc. •Shared Services Benefit: More communities participating; the greater the discounts. STRATEGY 3 CREATE A PIPELINE OF CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS & BUILDING SAFETY INSPECTORS Centralize Recruitment Efforts •Develop a Universal Recruitment Toolkit. •Work with County Civil Service: streamline job titles, specifications and qualifications. •Centralize recruitment and focus on targeted audiences. •Transitional Worker Initiative. •Retiring construction professionals. •Volunteer and career fire fighters. •Develop an Alternate Route Model and explore use of Incentives. •Create a Community College to Codes Pathway. Benefits •Pool of quality candidates. •Reduce gaps in coverage. •Increased efficiency. Resources Facilitator, Municipal Representatives and Minimal Cash Resources. STRATEGY 4 SHARED COURT PRESENTMENT/PROSECUTION Background 10 municipalities expressed interest in shared presentment/ prosecution. Volume of court cases is very low; typical range of 1 -5 per year per municipality. Difficult to gain & sustain expertise for CEOS, prosecutors and courts. Benefits of Shared Attorney(s) for Presentment/Prosecution Develop prosecutorial expertise in code enforcement non-compliance. Standardization of processes and forms across municipalities. Deliver consistent message to non-compliant contractors. Increase Level and Speed of Remediation. Avoid non-compliance in the first instance. Approach Municipal leadership, municipal attorney and CEOs finalize interest. Develop a collective Request for Proposals to be used on a fee for service basis. Resources No new cost and potential for cost savings. STRATEGY 5 SPECIALIZED CODE ENFORCEMENT SERVICES AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS Establish Specialized Technical Assistance and Training Programs •Focus on Energy Code and energy conservation construction, designs and technologies. •Code Enforcement Officers Technical Assistance. •Seek grant funds to pilot an 12 -18 month program. •Combination of hands on and virtual assistance for plan reviews and inspections. •Seek provider for pilot project and fee for service technical experts. •Pilot Third Party Support Program for residents, developers and contractors. Expand the Panel of Third Party Electrical and Other Specialty Inspectors •Most code enforcement operations utilize third party electrical inspectors. •Demand for certified electrical inspectors outpacing supply in the region. •Approach: Collaborate with community partners: inspection companies; electrical trade organizations. Resource Needs Facilitator and grant writing. STRATEGY 6 MUNICIPAL TO MUNICIPAL SHARED STAFFING 8 Municipalities Expressed Interest in Shared Staffing •Share Code Enforcement Officers/Electrical Code Enforcement Officer/Building Safety Inspector. Approach •Match municipal needs and develop inter-municipal partnerships based on: title, hours needed. •Code Enforcement Officers: Utilize Joint or Cooperative Agreement. •Building Safety Inspectors: Utilize Joint/Cooperative Agreement or Inter -municipal agreement. Benefits •Cost effective means to address workload issues and staffing needs. •Shared building safety inspector(s) creates economy of scale increasing efficiency. •Potential to establish a pool of part -time building safety inspectors. •Develops of pipeline of future code enforcement officers. •Joint/cooperative agreement for code enforcement officers presents opportunities for: •Built in inter-municipal cross coverage. •Potential to create a Senior Code Enforcement Officer. •Strengthens succession planning. •Improve compliance with inspection timelines. PROJECT FACILITATION & SUPPORTING INITIATIVES Facilitation Based on the nature of 6 priority strategies, temporary part-time facilitation services are recommended to enhance success of project implementation. Initiative #1 Development of a uniform 1) permit application and documentation list and 2) fee schedule that can be utilized by municipalities. Initiative #2 Address cross-agency data exchange needs and establish cross -system protocols for information flow. Initiative #3 Facilitate communication and establish interagency processes between code enforcement officers and county departments and/or between county departments that support compliance with all agency codes. STRATEGY 1 COUNTY ASSIGNMENT OF NEW 911 ADDRESSES DISCUSSION Discussion DISCUSSION AND FOLLOW-UP Contact Information Ben Syden, AICP Vice President bsyden@labergegroup.com Robert Roeckle Subject Matter Specialist Robert.Roeckle@outlook.com THANK YOU! Kathleen Rooney Local Government Specialist krooney@labergegroup.com