After reported difficulties hiring building inspectors to fill its two vacancies, the city of Statesboro is contracting out the service for one year to a company called SAFEbuilt Georgia for fees not to exceed $100,000.
That is less than the $161,460 that Planning and Development Director Kathy Field cited as the cost of employing two building inspectors on regular city salaries plus their benefits for one year. SAFEbuilt is also to provide, free of additional charge, the use of a Community Core Solutions hardware and software package for processing building permits. Field said the free computing services would provide about a $20,000 savings to the city.
However, at least one City Council member and some local building and development professionals expressed skepticism about contracting out this service, and City Manager Charles Penny called it a “temporary solution.” Council approved on a 3-1 vote last week with one member absent.
In a July 8 memo that was forwarded to the mayor and council, Field noted that the city’s Planning and Development Department previously employed two staff members to perform building inspections, reviews of plans and related services.
“Both of these positions have been vacated, although one employee has continued in his role as building inspector, but has technically moved to another department,” Field wrote.
That employee is Greg Futch, previously the one city employee with the job title “building inspector.” Since about May 1 he has been officially the city’s facilities manager but is still doing building inspections when he can, Field said this week.
Sterling Starling, whose city title had been “building official,” was in effect an interpreter of building codes and an inspector, until he was hired away by the Bulloch County government last year in a similar role. The county also agreed to assist the city with inspections in the interim.
“The city has advertised extensively to fill these positions,” Field wrote. “However, due to the heavy activity within the construction industry, it has become difficult to find qualified candidates with the required certifications.”
In fact, one person certified as a building inspector was hired but remained with Statesboro’s city government for about three weeks before quitting for a job nearer that person’s home, Field and Penny have said. Another applicant sounded very promising but then insisted on a $120,000 salary, far more than the city was prepared to pay, Field said.
So, the city staff looked to contract with a consulting company “to provide these services on an as-needed basis,” and Field, in her previous job with the city of Milton, had worked with SAFEbuilt as a service provider, she noted.
SAFEbuilt Georgia LLC, with offices in Alpharetta and Tyrone, is part of a national SAFEbuilt organization whose website shows locations in 10 states, up and down both coasts and a few between. The company’s Georgia registration lists an address in Loveland, Colorado, as headquarters.
Of eight Georgia cities and counties Field listed for which the company provides services, the nearest was Garden City in Chatham County. Several had supplied positive references.
The apparent distance of the company’s current inspectors from Statesboro was one concern expressed by some council members and at least one local developer during a previous work session and council meeting. On June 21, with District 4 Councilman John Riggs absent, the council by a 4-0 vote tabled the contract until the July 19 meeting.
“Since that time we’ve met with some developers and builders in the community who have some concerns about us outsourcing this service,” Penny told the mayor and council last week. “And as we shared with them and as I share with you, obviously, we’d love to have a building code official that lives in Statesboro, we’d love to have a building inspector that lives in Statesboro, but at this point we just don’t have it.”
Noting that SAFEbuilt representatives were present, he added in front of them that the arrangement is not meant to be “forever.”
“This provides us a temporary solution during a most difficult time in the community and in this country for labor,” Penny told the council. “And so we do recommend this contract to you for approval.”
“I don’t see how this is a good thing for the citizens of Statesboro,” Riggs said.
He said Penny had made him feel somewhat better by suggesting that the contract “is not a permanent thing.” Noting that $100,000 is a “not to exceed amount” and the contract is for one year, Riggs asked for assurances that Penny will try to restore qualified building inspectors to staff.
Penny at first said the city will advertise for inspectors “before the end of this contract.” Then he spoke again to say he intends to recommend doing so six months into it. He also noted that the contract can be ended with 90 days notice, no cause required.
A “deliverables” chart in the contract’s “list of services” states that SAFEbuilt will perform inspections “received from” the city “prior to 4 p.m. next business day.” According to the city officials, this means that when an inspection is requested through the city by 4 p.m., it will be done the next business day.
The company is also to provide pre-submission meetings with applicants by appointment and conduct plan reviews. First comments on plan reviews are to be provided within five business days for single-family homes, within 10 business days for multi-family and small commercial structures and within 20 business days for large commercial structures.
District 3 Councilwoman Venus Mack made the motion to approve, seconded by District 1 Councilman Phil Boyum. District 5 Councilwoman Shari Barr, participating via Zoom, raised her hand to join the “yes” vote. Riggs voted “nay.” District 2 Councilwoman Paulette Chavers was absent.
Field’s July 8 memo gave Aug. 1 as the target date for starting the contract. She said she is communicating with the company to begin as soon as possible.