Orlando Construction Inc. Blog

Portland Development Services…The City That Works…On Occassion!

June 3rd, 2010

To our loyal clients and colleagues:

Upon a visit to the City of Portland Development Services this afternoon, I learned there were further staff and service level cuts as of Tuesday, June 1^st.  The Development Services office hours have been cut in half following reduced hours being implemented last November.  The office is now only open from Tues-Fri from 8 am to 12 Noon.  Further cuts have been made in the past four weeks in Inspection Field Staff as well.

Welcome to the NEW City of Portland…The City That Works…On Occasion!  Permit fees have increased 30% since November 2009 and Service Levels have been cut by 60%.  Do the math…it doesn’t calculate!

How will this affect your project schedule if you live in the City of Portland?

Permits will be more difficult to obtain immediately over the counter.  It has recently taken me up to three hours to obtain a single permit prior to the service level cut.  It can now take up to two trips to complete a single transaction.  I was told by the counter attendant that people will be kicked out at 12 Noon until the next business day if they have not completed their processing.  This is a terrible impact on our ability to continue to provide immediate high levels of service interacting with the City.  I will continue to do my best and anticipate any forthcoming challenges to mitigate any impacts to current and future projects.  Projects requiring “plan review” beyond an over the counter permit can take up to 8 weeks to process (additions, new construction, dormers, etc.)

Inspections are now taking 2-4 days to be completed.  For example, an inspection called in on Monday might be performed any time between Wednesday and Friday.  This means that once we reach a milestone in construction that requires an inspection prior to moving forward, your project may sit quiet for up to four days.  To the inspector’s credit, some are sympathetic to our time and doing a good job of calling us to let us know an approximate time on the day they come.  We may occasionally miss an inspection due to this uncertainty.  Unfortunately we can’t pay someone to sit around the house on a daily basis waiting for an inspector, so again…we are doing our absolute best to communicate with City staff to mitigate any impacts.  Please be aware that this will likely delay your project completion date, but we’ll try to make up for lost time if possible.

Call to Action: The City is now approving some inspections over the phone by asking questions.  In my opinion this is a Public Safety issue that should be addressed with the City Council and Mayor.  A few weeks ago, I had a Rough Plumbing and Shower Pan Test Inspection scheduled on my own home.  I received a phone call from the inspector asking, “Is anything leaking”.  I told him “no” and he said that they didn’t have anyone to send out to the house, so he would approve it over the phone.  This is extremely unfortunate because our permit fees pay for this “insurance policy” to have a second set of eyes to Quality Control check the work performed in our homes and to hold us accountable as Construction Professionals.  Face it…We’re all human and we make mistakes!  Without this accountability, you must be CERTAIN that you hire a contractor who knows the Building Codes and has your safety in mind.  I assure you that our team always makes sure to do our best!

Please contact the Mayor and City Council to express any concerns you have over your safety as a tax paying citizen.  You can find contact information for your Elected Officials at www.portlandonline.com

Our team commits to continue to provide an excellent level of Client Service and I promise to do my best to stay on top of things.  Your patience and understanding is greatly appreciated!

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