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Home My Public Portal AboutBuilding DepartmentGENERAL FUND FY2017 DEPT HEAD TOWN ADMINISTRATOR % CHANGE YR / YR $ CHANGE YR / YR EXPENDED EXPENDED APPROPRIATED REQUEST #1 RECOMMENDED WAGES: Full-time 250,758$ 259,833.08 $ 267,795 $ 278,083 3.8% $ 10,288 Part-time 111,456$ 116,660.00 $ 130,000 $ 130,000 0.0% $ - Longevity 3,000$ 3,300.00 $ 3,600 $ 3,900 8.3% $ 300 Clothing Reimbursement 1,273$ 1,081.34 $ - $ - $ - $ - SUB TOTAL 366,487.00 380,874.42 401,395$ 411,983$ -$ 2.6% $ 10,588 GENERAL EXPENSES; Safety Clothing / Boots -$ 0.00 $ 1,600 $ 1,600 0.0% $ - Printing 1,090$ 1,030.00 $ 900 $ 900 0.0% $ - Supplies 2,927$ 2,060.84 $ 1,200 $ 1,200 0.0% $ - Lodging 466$ 479.58 $ 700 $ 700 0.0% $ - Mileage 349$ 245.08 $ 650 $ 650 0.0% $ - Education 1,650$ 1,250.00 $ 2,250 $ 2,250 0.0% $ - Dues/Subscriptions 410$ 324.95 $ 325 $ 325 0.0% $ - SUB TOTAL 6,892.00 5,390.45 7,625$ 7,625$ -$ 0.0% $ - GRAND TOTAL 373,379.00 386,264.87 409,020$ 419,608$ -$ 2.6% $ 10,588 FY2020 BUILDING / INSPECTIONS FY2018 FY2019 Building Dept 2/22/2019 Building Department FY20 Budget Narrative Differential between FY19 and proposed FY20 Budget -The only changes in the proposed budget are as follows: * Full Time wages are controlled by contractual obligations. * Part Time wages are based upon estimated number of electrical, gas and plumbing Inspections for the upcoming fiscal year. * Longevity payments are controlled by contractual obligations. Top budgeting priorities for FY20  Continue to apply for scholarships towards required continuing education credits. Are there expenses that could be deferred and what would be the impacts?  Part Time wages could be adjusted but the possibility of increased demand for inspections may trigger an Emergency Transfer. In the past the Finance Committee has made it perfectly clear that the Building Department shall not request an emergency transfer short of an unforeseen catastrophic event.  Education. All Inspectors are required to have a minimum of continuing education credits relative to their Code. More importantly the building and design community depend upon Brewster Inspectors to have full knowledge of aspects of their ever changing Codes. Any proposed fee changes?  No fee adjustments considered at this time.  The Building Department Fee Schedule was adjusted in 2018 based upon the schedule proposed by the Finance Committee which became effective July 1, 2018. Challenges to a level funded budget  Even wiping out the entire General Expense budget would not meet a level funded budget.  Adjusting the Part Time wage line item is discussed above. Town of Brewster Building Department 2198 Main Street Brewster, Massachusetts 02631-1898 (508) 896-3701 FAX (508) 896-8089 OFFICE OF Building Commissioner TEL: (508) 896-3701 ext. 1125 TOWN OF BREWSTER BUILDING DEPARTMENT’S PROPOSED FY20 BUDGET PREAMBLE The Building Department budget includes both the Building Department and Historic District Department. Personnel include: 1. Building Commissioner with regulatory responsibilities for the State Building Code, specific Massachusetts General Laws, Brewster Zoning Bylaws, Brewster General Bylaws and the Old King’s Regional Highway Historic District Act, 2. Local Building Inspectors (1 full time), (3 on call) 3. Plumbing and Gas Inspectors (3) 4. Electrical Inspectors (3) 5. Senior Department Assistant, who is also the Clerk for the Historic District Committee and 6. Department Assistant. I would venture to say that our duties as a regulating authority are more varied and cover a broader spectrum than any other governmental agency be it Local, State or Federal.  On a regular basis we have consultations and must be able to address at an equal level with property owners, trades people, realtors, engineers, architects, attorneys, and other governmental agencies.  The most apparent duty, and what many people mistakenly view as our only duty, includes performing inspections at strategic points during a construction process.  What is not readily apparent is the amount of plan reviews, pre-construction discussion, education of Building Code technicalities and investigations that take place regarding a construction project.  We also respond to concerns raised by townspeople, neighbors, visitors, other governmental agencies and the like which typically involves both site visits and record investigations and a follow through to address these raised concerns.  Building Officials are also required by law to perform periodic inspections on certain types of buildings, regardless of whether any work is being performed, in accordance with the General Laws and State Building Code to ensure that safe environments exist and the general welfare of the public is assured.  We also regulate the Brewster Zoning Bylaws and several General Bylaws. While the Brewster Zoning Bylaws are not based primarily on public safety like the State Building Code, it is no less important. Zoning Bylaws give direction and effect the development within the Town of Brewster. Zoning Bylaws are unique 2 in that the townspeople, with a minimum 2/3 majority, vote to regulate themselves, which demands a high amount of respect and obligation from the Building Commissioner and the Building Department with the regulating approach. Though the incidents can be quite varied the approach for regulating what people can and cannot do on their property stays constant. Introducing a property owner to use restrictions on their own property often takes a considerable amount of time, diplomacy and resources. Another facet of regulating the Brewster Zoning Bylaws entails assuring that applicants remain true to all conditions stipulated in Variances and Special Permits that have been granted by the Board of Appeals and/or the Planning Board. This type of oversight often requires constant vigilance by the Building Department for the life of the property. The Building Department continues to be challenged with the scope of administrative responsibilities and performance standards that are required and expected although with limited personnel. We employ whatever means that is offered including volunteer workers and people working for the annual real estate tax rebate program to help with maintaining even the basics of filing. As identified in past narratives the administrative duties for the Building Department personnel are constantly increasing due in part to new legislative rules and ever changing and increasingly technical complexities to the ever evolving body of construction regulations and municipal bylaws. Additionally the complexity of the clerical duties have increased due to the demands placed upon the Building Department not only from new legislative and regulatory requirements but also in relationship to the Building Departments role in the development of projects. Being that the Building Department is typically the final municipal destination in obtaining a permit for a project, we play the role of a shepherd in gathering of evidence ensuring that all other applicable municipal reviews have occurred and have been finalized. This role is further complicated as boards and committees may not be fully aware of each others decisions and the Building Department is left to reconcile all of the municipal reviews. Interestingly enough the Building Department assumes the “shepherds” role again at the end of a project in that an occupancy permit cannot be released until it is verified that all applicable laws and regulations have been met including other Municipal and State Agency’s agreements with the applicant. A good portion of these necessary validating services are performed by the Building Department administrative staff. Please note that we not only accept this role in this process but we take pride in performing this service quite well to better serve the community. Since August 2013 the Building Department has had the new Building Permit tracking software package on board. This software system has, among other things, created some efficiencies with administrative resources regarding inter office communications and have helped reduce the time involved in “shepherding” information as discussed above. Though these potential time savings are offset somewhat as the Building Department is personnel resource responsible for archiving retrievable information. We also regulate the Old King’s Highway Regional Historic District which can also be challenging and testing of office personnel and resources. My philosophy with regard to maintaining the integrity of both the Building and Historic District Departments is to 3 encourage the development of a professional, competent, and accommodating manner of personnel thereby ensuring that the townspeople of Brewster and visitors are serviced at the highest level. It is my opinion that the Building Department is predominantly self funding for all non-municipal duties (State laws and Regulations). Conversely the Town of Brewster generally funds all necessary resources in the Building Department for all municipal regulatory duties (Zoning Bylaws, General Bylaws, Historic District…). It has been my experience that construction permit activity is not solely related to the amount of work expended by the Building Department personnel. Anecdotally as construction activity drops there tends to be increases with non-compliant land use issues and as Codes become more complicated the inspection personnel are increasingly sought for technical counsel. FY20 Projected Revenue from the Building Department $378,565.00 The average revenue generated by the Building Department over the last three fiscal years ending in FY18 was $315,471.00. A new Building Department fee schedule that became effective July 1, 2018 for FY19 witnessed an average increase in fees of approximately 20+%. Combine these new fees with the evidence that the number of Permits are flat to a small increase would guide me to estimate a potential revenue for FY20 to be in the range of $378,565.00. This estimate is supported by the fact that as of January 1, 2019 the revenues generated by the Building Department were $188,349.00 which is approximately half of the FY20 projected revenue of $378,565.00. Respectfully submitted January 15, 2019 Victor Staley Building Commissioner Town of Brewster Building Department 2198 Main Street Brewster, Massachusetts 02631-1898 (508) 896-3701 FAX (508) 896-8089 OFFICE OF Building Commissioner TEL: (508) 896-3701 ext. 1125