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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.