The White County Commission approved a motion Monday night allotting some $28,000 to hire a full-time building codes inspector through the rest of the fiscal year.
The Commission has considered the move at least twice this year. Commission Chair Derrick Hutchings told the commission that the codes department is in need of a third employee who can do inspections in the field in addition to Codes Director Brett Nash.
“He’s been way behind for a while and it’s impeding the contractors,” Hutchings said. “He’s not timely getting inspections done. He needs some help. When he doesn’t get there, then the contractors are held up, they’re delayed on getting funding and their pay and so forth.”
Commissioner Becky Golden asked why the second codes employee currently working in the office has not been certified to also work in the field as originally planned. County Executive Denny Wayne Robinson said the department has been so busy that someone is always needed in the office.
The motion passed with a vote of nine in favor, four opposed, and one absence.
“We anticipated it being busy, but it’s a lot busier than what we thought,” Robinson said.
Commissioner Cain Rogers asked if the item should be taken back to the budget committee since certain details for next year’s budget are unknown and currently being worked out. Hutchings said the codes department has gotten busy enough that the local community is currently seeing a negative impact which will remain if the department stays understaffed.
“They’re so busy they have to have someone in the office all the time to answer the phones and they’re not able to leave the office,” Hutchings said.
Hutchings said the recent change to the county’s building permit fee structure should cover the cost of the new employee.
In other business, the commission approved a motion to apply for a Tennessee Recreation Initiative Program grant that would help pay for a full-time parks and recreation director. Commissioners also approved a budget amendment for some $40,000 to purchase equipment for the highway department.
