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2022-08-16 Minutes New Hanover County Inspections Department Advisory Council (IDAC) Meeting Notice and Proposed Agenda Regular Meeting of 2022 th Tuesday, August 16, 2022, at 2:05 PM New Hanover County Government Center, 230 Government Center HR Training Rooms A & B August Report Attending: Hans Schult, Nicholas Gadzekpo, JD Limberger, Teresa McCormick, Jeff Theberge, Pete Avery, John Rock, Adam Sisk, Greg Uhl, Steve Caudill, Sean Sweeley, Brianna Grella, Bert Billings, Rob Zapple. I. WELCOME COMMENTS & ESTABLISHMENT OF QUORUM 1) Hans Schult welcomes everyone and commented that all members are present for the Quorum to be established. II.INTRODUCTIONS (FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC) 1) Hans Schult initiated the introductions. 2) Members of the IDAC team were introduced in the room. 3) Hans Schult asked the Quorum to vote for the residing chairperson, due to an opening being available. All were in favor of Pete Avery being chairperson. III.UPDATES ON DSC IMPROVEMENTS – JD LIMBERGER 1) JD discusses that most of the 73 customer items that needed improvement were either completed or still in the process of being fully finished. He mentioned that there were only seven items that have not been started but commented on the possibility of in-progress items needing to be completed before moving forward. 2) He goes over the ongoing issues involving COAST and reassures that they are monitoring any updates that will correct the issues. 3) JD Limberger comments on the improvement of the processing time of permits during the last five months. There was a 70-75% increase, stating that the average number of unprocessed permits has decreased to 78 while the processing time dropped to around 2 days since their last meeting. 4) Discussions of the rebranded website began. JD briefly mentions the complaints regarding accessibility, stating how customers felt the site wasn’t user-friendly. He demonstrates how the customer would go to apply for a permit, calculate a fee, or find answers to their questions. There were revisions made where the list of forms was edited down to be easier to locate. i. Hans Schult chimes in and implores the members to let the team know if any more changes are needed to the county website. 5) JD Limberger states that the website is now mobile-friendly, showing where to save it on their phone. i. Hans asked if clicking on any link on the county website would redirect them to COAST. JD Limberger confirms this while mentioning how Google would automatically save the username and password of the customer’s account. IV.LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS & CODES – BERT BILLINGS 1) Bert Billings goes over the intended purpose of building codes and their role in building safety. He states that code compliance officials are there to work with the public and ensure that they’re in compliance. 2) He reminds the members to stay updated with the current codes. Bert goes over a few sections including Session Law 2021-192 from the handbook. The members are suggested to visit the Department of Insurance website to review Section 160-D as it would help them with any projects. i. Bert Billings emphasizes that the building inspectors are only going by the codes and regulations they’re aware of. He adds that they are enforced by general statutes. ii. Greg Uhl asks if these changes would apply to certain applications based on size and money. Bert suggests that visiting Article One, Section C11 may apply to any application under $3,000. iii. Hans Schult states that contractors should familiarize themselves with the building safety codes to prevent any errors in their cost estimates. iv. Bert Billings welcomes any questions or concerns to be called into their offices. V.ECONOMIC REPORT– GREG UHL & JOHN ROCK 1) Greg Uhl acknowledges the current situation regarding inflation and supply chain issues, stating that it’s part of a cycle. As a result of the pandemic, the economy started to stagger, affecting commercial prices, and creating inflation. Because of this, the workforce suffered a slight decline from 63.3 % to 60% and participation has dropped. 2) Greg discusses the Consumer Price Index briefly, shedding light on the peak of inflation in the coming months. While comparing the statistics from this year and before, he notes that there was an 8.5% increase. However, referring to the New York Federal Reserve survey, inflation was predicted to decline around the next year. 3) With companies reducing costs and jobs, labor shortages are expected to continue into 2023. Greg Uhl mentions the decline in the real sales and small business index, stating that 50% of owners are having difficulty with job openings. He clarifies that these are statistics for the national economy, not for Wilmington’s local economy. i. Hans Schult asks him if there was a possibility of a downturn. Greg Uhl believes there is a small chance but states it is something to not worry about. From prior events, they should be wiser with their economic decisions. 4) On a positive note, Greg mentions that gas prices have started to decline recently. 5) John Rock explains that the cause of inflation can trace back to owners earning previously lost income and catching up on prices. He acknowledges the influx of sales and demands. Interest rates looked good but mentioned that there are ways to counteract inflation. i. Hans asked John if he can predict the housing or rental prices decreasing. John Rock tells him that the prices would not be any time soon. Hans Schult follows up by questioning the purpose of people needing to purchase more. John Rock explains that they’re just waiting for things to level out, despite the recent uptick. VI. ACTION ITEMS 1) Dates were discussed between Hans and Pete. While not specified, they estimated the next meeting would occur between November and early December. i. Hans Schult would reach out once a date is finalized. 2) Pete Avery favored that future meetings should be held in the morning instead of the afternoon, preferably at 10:00 am. VII.ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 1) CFPUA Updates? - Jeff Theberge i. He shares that they are now fully staffed while currently training a new commercial reviewer for permit reviews. Jeff gives a heads-up to Teresa on the reviewer being added in the upcoming weeks. ii. Jeff Theberge reminds builders to utilize the fast-track process, explaining that once fees are paid, and the receipt is shown or attached, CFPUA would be removed from the queue. 1. The issue of unpaid fees is brought up. He states that a delay would occur if the fees were not paid, preventing them from releasing their part of the permit. iii. Meter sizing forms are only needed if the residential property is more than a half-bath edition. Jeff clarifies it’s needed to make sure the meter can support what’s shown in the documents. If it’s commercial, they would set up a commercial plan review and ask for a utility sheet. 1. Pete Avery asks if they are required to pay additional SDC fees. Jeff confirms that they are required as it’s based on every meter size but offers flexibility in certain circumstances. iv. He comments on the shortage in domestic water meters, due to supply chain issues. They are holding off on installing irrigation meters to prevent additional fee charges. For now, they’re prioritizing their domestic meter demands. 1. John Rock questions if they’re allowed to splice an irrigation flow from a backflow, acknowledging the additional costs. Jeff initially says that since it’s on the engagement line, they wouldn’t need it. a. John clarifies his question and asks if they can run the irrigation line, due to a leader issue. Jeff explains that it wouldn’t be allowed, due to the ordinance, as it’s designed to protect the homeowner from additional charges based on the irrigation fees. 2. John asks how soon the capacity-related issues will be resolved. Jeff responds that depending on certain areas, they are experiencing challenges but are improving. Currently, they are looking for alternatives. a. Jeff suggests using the portal on their website to check the capacity and keep up to date with the information. 3. Greg Uhl poses a question regarding the acceptance of an engineer’s analysis to open a meter sizing form. Jeff states that the meters have a specific demand. Although they can work around it, they will advise customers if they need to upsize. 4. Bert Billings asked if residential sprinklers would cause an increase in the meter size. Jeff was unsure and would have to look into it but asserts that it’s required from the builder and/or engineer. 2) ENERGOV Updates? - Teresa McCormick i. Teresa McCormick goes over the upcoming update patch for the issues with the apps, mentioning the user error messages and file delays. She hoped it would improve their productivity rate. 1. John Rock asked if these errors happened on the mobile apps as well. Teresa clarifies that these errors affected the back office, but Coast does experience slowness. ii. The update will happen on Wednesday at 11:00 pm. 3) Ad Hoc and Building Code Council Meeting Updates? i. Pete Avery has no updates to share. ii. Rob Zapple briefly introduces himself and commented on the information shared at the meeting, thanking Teresa for her hard work with Energov and Tyler Technologies. He encourages the members to contact him or any of the directors if they have an issue with the building code. VIII.ADJOURNMENT 1) Pete motioned to adjourn. 2)John seconded. 3) All were in favor.