By TIFFANY RAZZANO
The board voted unanimously in September to conduct the audit, which will "focus on streamlining and clarifying Building Department procedures, to increase turnaround time and reduce errors in the building permit process," Trustee Jeanne Mulry said. According to Mulry, the audit will ensure that residents applying for building permits are given all Building Department requirements at the beginning of the process, so there are "no delays or unpleasant surprises for homeowners looking to renovate their homes," she said.
After the village receives the results of the audit, the department's policies and procedures will be re-evaluated and possibly redeveloped.
The audit will be conducted by the International Code Council, a not-for-profit organization that develops the codes governing the construction of residential and commercial buildings in many U.S. cities. The audit will cost the village $15,000, and will be completed in 10 to 12 weeks. The ICC will issue a written report, which may include proposed changes to the department.
"The board is not looking to 'discover' anything, but is looking to improve the building application process for all residents," Mulry said, adding that she first considered an audit of the department after learning that its former superintendent, Steve DeClue, who retired at the end of December, had not maintained its code certification for more than four years.
Trustee Suzanne Sullivan said that many residents expressed their concerns about the Building Department while she was campaigning for trustee last spring. "Many of the residents were confused by some of the department's procedures and questioned others," she said. One such procedure was the department's requirement that applicants leave blank checks made out to the village when applying for permits, which the department later filled out when they determined the fees. The board has since directed the department to end this practice.
"Right or wrong, there is a perception among many of the residents of Rockville Centre that the Building Department did not treat all applications and applicants equally, and the board believed that this was a serious issue and needed to be addressed," Sullivan said. "The board [wants] to ensure that the residents of Rockville Centre get the level of service they expect and deserve."
Though Deputy Mayor Wayne Lipton voted in favor of the audit, he is not entirely certain it is necessary. He says the Building Department is one of the best in the country, and has received a high ranking on the ICC's scale. "I think we'll find that we have a really good Building Department.," Lipton said.
Lipton is concerned that many of the ICC's experts are not from the area. "I'm hesitant that people from ... other parts of the country will be reviewing [our department], as we have unique regional characteristics," he said.
Lipton is also worried that some board members proposed the audit for political reasons. Still, he says, there's no harm in getting additional input. "If because of political motivations come recommendations and ways to improve what's being done at our Building Department, then I'm all for it.," he said. "We'll see what comes out of the consulting work once it's completed. ... I'm cautiously optimistic." Comments on this story?
Contact TRAZZANO@liherald.com or call (516)569-4000 ext. 221.
