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<br />Councilmember McGlone stated he did not want to hear about the costs of letting people <br />go - he wants to right a wrong. He told Mr. Kaehler that he wanted to see that seven <br />county metro deal to which Mr. Kaehler stated he would oblige. Councilmember <br />McGlone continued that he wanted to see minutes from 2008 where staff and Council <br />talked about this and what was presented to the Council at that time. As far as enforcing <br />the Code - there is a lot to enforce. Where are we legally able to draw that line - it's <br />difficult to enforce a Code that thick. He asked why we selectively enforce what we feel <br />like - whether to go with the rulebook or do not. Why can't we enforce that and make a <br />phone call or are we more worried about making money on rental licensing. <br /> <br />Councilmember Elvig stated you may not want to make another mistake. We fought this <br />hard to hire people on. Building was different then - twelve new homes now - 1,600 <br />back then. <br /> <br />Discussion ensued regarding the firms and the costs. Ms. Nelson stated that if we <br />contract for building inspections, we would keep the Building Official and the Permit <br />Technician and if we move to a contract relationship, we would not be keeping an <br />inspector on staff. <br /> <br />Mayor Ramsey asked if there. was an option to go with a part-time inspector instead to <br />which Ms. Nelson responded there is more flexibility with contracting. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen stated that he thought what we really want to see is, if there is <br />downtime, that the building department is doing something else. <br /> <br />Mr. Kaehler replied that the reality is we are down to a staff level where there is no <br />downtime. A full schedule is 10 to 12 inspections a day - we are averaging about 20 <br />inspections daily. The problem with having one of these people gone is that he (Kaehler) <br />will be doing all these 20 inspections himself. He noted that the problem with being out <br />in the field all that time is that there is still plan review to be done and people needing <br />help at the building counter. <br /> <br />Councilmember McGlone stated that the answer to that is if you go to a city like St. Louis <br />Park - you have a literature rack with the most asked questions. He felt having the <br />Building Official in all the time is not necessary. <br /> <br />Councilmember Jeffrey stated that, with regard to window service, he felt that many <br />people will be looking for reassurance that what they are building, like a deck for <br />example, they want to make sure they are building it the right way. People expect <br />window service to be able to ask questions - he felt that the value of that is incredible. <br /> <br />Councilmember Elvig stated that he appreciates trying to cut costs but we need to have <br />service too. He reiterated that staff is making a recommendation Council go outside for <br />building inspections - probably with the lowest bidder - and that the Building Official <br />and Permit Technician would stay in-house. <br /> <br />City Council Work Session - December 1, 2009 <br />Page 12 of 16 <br />