The Office of Central Inspection monitors and regulates compliance with City codes on building construction, housing maintenance, zoning, licensing, signage, and other activities. This office also administers the Neighborhood Improvement Program and is the coordinating unit for neighborhood nuisance abatement and enforcement activities. No user fee increases are anticipated during the current budget cycle.
Funding remains in Central Inspection.
The Office of Central Inspection is funded entirely from licenses, permits, and other related construction fees. It is anticipated that OCI will accrue a certain amount of overtime every year, and while this is not necessarily a problem, the incidence is often connected to employee turnover and management staffing decisions. It is felt that overtime is something which can be managed prudently by OCI, but should not be budgeted so as to encourage its possible abuse. The proposal has merit, but fails to meet criterion 1 or 2 of the City's guidelines under which the City will provide uniforms for employees. Proposal to move to the in-house use of digital photography and film processing for use in housing violation cases.