HomeMy Public PortalAbout110_043_Kiawah Case Study ii
//j/ti r
,pf ,l ,, (
i
8,10,-14111140*
, _.
SAFEbuI1t ®
AN ALTERNATE APPROACH TO DELIVERING
BUILDING DEPARTMENT SERVICES TO RESIDENTS
TOWN OF KIAWAH ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA
Leveraging regional relationships is a nationally tailored to meet their specific
recognized, cost-savings mechanism for needs.
municipalities. From procurement of goods So Kiawah Island
to delivery of services, many communities began looking
have seen decreased costs as well as for options. One SOUTH
improved service levels stemming from possibility was to \ROLINA
partnerships around specific service areas. venture out and provide
MAKING A One area where this benefit is seen is with the same services on their
community development solutions building, own using an in-house model. Kiawah Island
DIFFERENCE planning, and engineering departments lend They would likely gain back their
WHERE YOU themselves particularly well to this approach. sense of localism and put control back in
NEED U S Building departments across the country are experiencing benefits by switching to a properly the hands of Kiawah Island officials and citizens.
This approach would have given them more
executed shared-services approach. financial control and ensured they were able to
One community that has recently embraced cover all related costs of providing the service.
SAFEbuilt's services and the possibility of a However, for a small town like Kiawah Island,
regional hub model is the Town of Kiawah their primary concern with this approach was
Island, South Carolina. Let's take a closer look that they would have limited resources to deal
at why Kiawah Island decided to partner with with the fluctuation in construction activity and
SAFEbuilt to provide customized full building complexity.
departments services. During the due diligence process, Kiawah
Kiawah Island, "The Happiest Seaside Town in Island found that they had limited in-house
America,"according to Coastal Living is a small experience and expertise in the Building
island on the Atlantic Coast with a population Department realm as a result of never having
of roughly 1,660. Prior to partnering with run the business themselves before.To avoid
SAFEbuilt, Kiawah Island relied on Charleston creating a learning curve burden and slowing
County for their building department needs. down the process, it made great sense to
Like other small communities receiving service leverage the SAFEbuilt partnership and rely on
from their County, Kiawah Island had lost their the experience and expertise that SAFEbuilt
local identity and had very limited local control. brings to the table.
They wanted flexibility and the opportunity to After weighing their options and becoming
have their community development services educated on SAFEbuilt's self-performing model,
Prior to partnering with SAFEbuilt, Kiawah Island relied on Charleston County for
their building department needs.
Kiawah Island realized making the switch to
privatized service was the best route to take for
several reasons:
0
FINANCIAL SENSE AP
While Kiawah Island was receiving service from
Charleston County, there was very little revenue �" -
sharing.The County retained 90%of the fees,
whereas SAFEbuilt invoices annually at a fixed --
cost. SAFEbuilt's monthly billing is weighted
to compensate for seasonal activity. Since the
start of operations at the beginning of July _— _ z
2013, Kiawah Island has retained over$201,691
allowing them to easily off set the associated
costs they have with the building department
activity. •o
ACTIVITY LEVEL NUMBERS II( . I
Another compelling reason why the Town made �� r
the switch came from looking at the activity
level numbers. At the end of October 2013,
after the first four months of operations, there . - , - - -
were 423 inspections performed, 294 plan
reviews received, and 512 permits issued. As is
the nature of the business, if one were to look The County retained 90% of the fees,
at these same categories after the next three whereas SAFEbuilt invoices annually at
months, the numbers are likely to be noticeably a fixed cost. SAFEbuilt's monthly billing
different as a result of seasonal oscillation. is weighted to compensate for seasonal
With the County, Kiawah Island never saw the
assigned staffing level clearly defined, often activity.
leaving them under staffed as activity fluctuated.
SAFEbuilt hired a Building Official and a full- EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE LEVELS
time Building Inspector to handle the day-to- Comparing service levels is also a clear indicator
day operations.The department still takes on as to why Kiawah Island made the switch.
a regionalized feel but their staffing needs are SAFEbuilt always performs all inspections next
no longer stressed as SAFEbuilt consistently day so long as they are called in the day before
ensures that staffing levels match the activity by 4 pm. With the County, inspections would
levels.Together, SAFEbuilt and Kiawah Island vary from being carried out next day to three
can hire different professional backgrounds or four days out. Plan review with the County
and skill sets to meet more diverse community was a process that took anywhere from two
needs and temporarily relocate inspectors and weeks to one month. With SAFEbuilt, the
other resources as needed, to ensure safe and turnaround time for residential plan reviews
efficient progress of the largest commercial is five days, and ten days for commercial plan
projects or smallest recovery efforts. reviews. "The partnership allows for a more
expedient response for contractors, engineers
The department still takes on a regionalized feel but their staffing needs are no
longer stressed as SAFEbuilt consistently ensures that staffing levels match the
activity levels.
877-230-5019 I www.SAFEbuilt.com SAFEbuilt.
and architects. It will streamline the permitting `' -
process, accelerate the plan review turnaround
time, and provide thorough inspections and = s
create additional revenue for the Town," said
Tumiko Rucker, the Town Administrator. -
° -WMLDING' FI�E1AL_.
EXTRA BENEFITS ,„.,,,
•With an in-house staff that is co-located
within the Town Hall, SAFEbuilt is conveniently t o� o ze
able to provide one-stop shopping for
the customer. No longer do Kiawah Island
residents and builders have to travel
approximately 28 miles to submit plans to the
Charleston County Building Department.
• Kiawah Island also opted to bring on the importantly, citizens benefit from best-practices
Meritage Systems software to automate their in building code compliance that helps ensure
building department. With this new software, that their community is a safe place to live,
the Town has better access to information and work and play.
is better aware of the permit and inspection LEARN MORE
activity. Since 1992, SAFEbuilt has offered customized
• Customer service is being improved with community development solutions and
updated building guides and forms to help programs and supplemental services in
educate and make the process easier for short- and long-term engagements for public
residents and customers. agencies. Communities rely on SAFEbuilt to
• SAFEbuilt provides vehicles equipped with understand their unique needs and ensure their
matching Kiawah Island logos as well as built environments are constructed in a timely
matching staff uniforms to ensure full manner with safety at the forefront.
integration with the Town If you would like to learn more about the
The SAFEbuilt shared-services model for SAFEbuilt shared-services hub model, we
building department services in Kiawah Island welcome the opportunity to discuss how we
and elsewhere can provide significant benefits can make a difference where you need us. Visit
to participating communities.The governments www.SAFEbuilt.com or call 877-230-5019.
of these communities recognize fiscal benefits We also welcome your subscription to our
and have access to greater resources and e-news. We discuss a wide variety of topics
services. Builders and contractors benefit from related to community development solutions
standard practices and identified performance and other challenges municipal governments
measures that save time and money. Most face.
877-230-5019 I www.SAFEbuilt.com SAFE built.