Adopt Resolution #19-135 Approving Temporary Contracted Inspection Assistance with Rum River Construction Consultants

The purpose of this case is to authorize a professional services contract with Rum River Construction Consultants as a secondary contract to supplement our current professional services contract with Inspectron, Inc. The Council may recall a similar case in the Fall of 2019. In 2019, the direction was a single temporary authorization. Staff is seeking this as an ongoing authorization so long as it remains within budget constraints. 

Staff seeks activity peaks in approximately April/May and September/October for Building Permits. Similar to other departments, Community Development would like to create a pool of contract inspections to quickly react to seasonal variations of activity. This would not have an impact on the budget as professional services for these dollars are already available. Additionally, revenue for this activity is created by permit fees for services rendered. This action is to simply provide a broader pool for Staff to choose from and react quickly to market conditions. 

These professional services are utilized for plan review and inspections for Building Permits. This is a budget neutral activity. The activity is funded by fees charged for services on Building Permits. If workload does not dictate need, hours will not be scheduled.

For this activity, the City sets the following metrics.

• Respond to phone and email inquiries same day (at least to acknowledge receipt of inquiry)
• Residential Permits issued within 2 weeks
• Commercial Permits issued within 4 weeks
• Inspections available within 48 hours of request

For a variety of reasons, Staff has been slightly past these metrics. The Stay at Home Orders related to the COVID-19 Pandemic had some implications. Not only did this result in elevated levels of home improvement projects, the transition to a telecommuting environment created some delays that have since stabilized. 

Notification is not required.

Staff recently re-evaluated permit forecasts. Single-Family Residential remains strong and on pace with levels forecasted in the 2020 Budget. Commercial/Industrial construction is tracking to be lower than 2019, but that was already accounted for in the 2020 Budget. There is some carryover construction still occurring from 2019 permits. 

Additionally, by entering into a professional services contract with Rum River Construction Consultants, Staff will be able to react more quickly in the future with these needs. The contract with Rum River Construction Consultants would remain secondary to Inspectron, Inc., the City's primary contracted inspection service.

Rum River Construction Consultants is based in Princeton, MN and provides similar services in multiple communities, including Nowthen, MN. The Owner of this firm, Andy Schreder, is a former Inspector with the City of Ramsey and is familiar with our processes and procedures. The firm also offers Saturday service for customers, if the City so desires.

This expense is funded through fees for service collected with the Building Permit. Expenses would not exceed revenue collected for the service. Based on Staff Review of similar service providers, $75 is an average charge per hour.

Staff recommends approval of a professional services contract with Rum River Construction Consultants to supplement existing contracted inspections with Inspectron, Inc.

Motion to adopt Resolution #19-135 approving professional services contract with Rum River Construction Consultants.