03/24/1994 Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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, .. ,.. and if there would be a charge fox each iuispection. Mr. Conway responded that tlus is what he intended along with them completing a forin along with their report. If there is a permit fee involved, it will have to be approved by Council and they miglit reject it. W. Burk believed that tlus procedure would protect a home ovvuer. N1r. Piar advised that an inspection usually costs about $200. Nh-. Burk believed that the cost of the permit should be minimal, but Mr. Conway would have to detemliue what had to be charged in order to break even. He had previously stated that lus departinent would ouly follow up ou eveiy 4 or 5 iuspections so he would not have to charge on the basis of each inspection. Mr. Burk believed that a resume form should be made aud questions fonnulated for the interview, and asked if Mr_ Piar had an idea of the questious to be asked. Mr. Piar beiieved that A.S.H.I. might be able to give thein some standards. Mr. Conway advised that Castle inspections were going to send soine informatiou, and the clerk did call oue of the officers but they never did send auytluug. Mr. Burk Uelieved that someone should call lum agaui. Nh-. Conway stated that he does have the A.S.H.I. standards which they could use: He noted that he has seen three advertisements for traiuing courses for home inspectors ui magazuies, aud tlus concerns lum He asked the board if the members would prepare about 10 questious each that they would like to see on the resuine and for the interview and he would put together a package. Nh-. Burk asked that a letter be sent to Nh-. Spoerke explainuig wliat was to be done.. Nh-. Conway asked if tlus should Ue a puUlic hearing. Mr. Burk believed that tlus should be awork sessiou especially since noue of the piivate inspectors want it. He does uot believe that the city is asking for soinething that is wnreasonable, it is a case of making sure that the people douig the work are capable. In the case of the house wluch caught on fire after it had been inspected, N1r. Conway advised that there was a zip cord installed permauently to feed the lights in the baseinent with counections riglit on the joists wluch was obvious. There were multiple problems in the other house, the panels were bad, there were open splices, there was also problems with a roof on detached garage, a waste pipe had uever been glued and fell apart when the city uispectors touched it, and the ceiling in the additiou was falling in because it was uot supported properly. These were ouly a few of the problems noue of wluch were in the report. Mr. Burk believed that the questious that are asked at the iuterview should be consistent for all iuspectors. Mr. Conway suggested that they probably should be subinitted to the Law Departmeut to make sure that there would be no probleins with disciiMination. It was suggested that the B.Z.D. Comnittee be invited to a meeting along with the Law Duector. N1r. Piar pointed out that, as a private home inspector, he cannot make people correct tluugs, frequently ]us report is used ouly for negotiations. He would still like to see a po'vit of purchase inspectiou doue by the city. He has seen hon-ible conditions but he does not have the authority to make owners conect them. 1VIr. Couway stated that, if soinetlung conforined to code at one time, the city cannot make a home ovvuer conect it wnless he is redoing that itein. If a private inspector notes actual violations on the check list that is subinitted to the city, the city cau follow up with a code inspectiou with an inspector who is the specialist for that area. He believed that he could utilize the private iuspectors in the field without having a city iuspector makiug a tliree hour uispection on every house that is going to be sold. Mr. Conway repeated what was said at the previous iueeting about a holneomier had an inspection made on a house he bouglit, tried to sell it a yeai- later and another uispector found various problems wluch he maintained were not on the origuial report. But when the two reports were compared the.y were practically identical, but no conectious had ever been Lnade. Mr. Couway stated that, uuder lus system, if the code violations were noted on the check list, the city could inake the hoine owner coi7-ect them.. Nh-. Cojiway