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Workload Leads Town to Considers Adding Staff, Equipment to Building Department

The town is considering adding new staff members to the building department and also budgeting for new tools and equipment, after a steady increase in the amount of permitting and inspections over the last couple years, First Selectman Matt Hoey told the Courier.

At a budget meeting in January, Building Official Kim Norman-Rosedam told members of the Board of Selectmen (BOS) and Board of Finance (BOF) that she could use another part-time worker in the department, where she said she is the only one currently handling the workload of inspections and permitting in Guilford.

Currently, one other employee works part-time along with Norman-Rosedam as an administrative assistant. Hoey said it was possible that the town might add a full-time staff member based on other possible staff changes.

George Gdovin, a former building official in Guilford, has been working part-time for the town, according to Hoey. If Gdovin “fully retires,” Hoey said the town could add a full time employee instead of replacing him with another part-timer.

At the budget meeting, Norman-Rosedam spoke about being fully booked-up for new inspections for close to three weeks, with an extensive backlog of permits that were never closed out to follow up on. Hoey and other town officials at the meeting expressed concern at this, and Hoey said he had heard from frustrated residents about these issues.

Norman-Rosedam also listed a handful of other equipment that she said was needed for her work, including devices to test electrical outlets and propane tanks.

“The fact that you’re asking for those [items] suggest that we haven’t been doing some of those inspections to the degree you feel [is] expected,” Hoey said at the meeting.

“Yes,” Norman-Rosedam answered.

Hoey told the Courier that this year, the town would also be budgeting for that equipment.

“That definitely ought to be provided by the town,” he said.

It is not uncommon, according to Hoey, for town building inspectors to use some of their own tools as a matter of personal preference. He said he was unsure how long the town had gone without having some of the equipment available for its employees.

“It’s traditionally been they bring their own tools...It may have been the previous building official took his with him when he left,” Hoey said.

Norman-Rosedam also requested books that detail residential and commercial building codes as set by the state, saying she has also been using her own copies of those documents. The code books are updated and supplemented regularly, Norman-Rosedam said, and at least some require a subscription.

Hoey told the Courier the code books will also be provided by the town going forward.

The increased number of building permits and new construction Hoey attributed to a resurgence in the economy.

“Just the general building activity has been on the rise for quite some time,” he said.

Hoey said that Norman-Rosedam’s predecessor had brought this increase to the attention of town officials previously, and with no sign that building activity will slow, he said it is likely the town will approve increases in this year’s budget.

As far as outstanding permits, some of which have sat open for close to a decade, Norman-Rosedam said that she spends “quite a bit” of time simply working through this extensive backlog.

Some of these issues are due to the town updating the software that it uses for permits, as well as a recent update to how it charges building fees, according to Hoey.

“We’re in the middle of some changes on the technology side that probably has created some delays in addition to the workload,” Hoey said.

Building Department staff was unable to provide a count or estimate as far as how many old, open permits the department was currently working through. Norman-Rosedam did not return requests for comment from the Courier at press time.