Towns aren’t using county’s codes department

NORWICH – Paying out $40 each time a Chenango County Code Enforcement officer is asked to conduct fire and building inspections or enforce codes is proving to be too much for municipal governments.

Public Health Director Marcas Flindt told members of the Safety & Rules Committee last week that he will be forced to cut staff if more towns don’t start utilizing the county’s codes department. Chargeback revenues for the year are so far only 1 percent, or $300, of the $30,000 in revenues that were budgeted.

Permit fees, not taxes, have traditionally covered the department’s personnel and operating expenses since 2000, mostly with hefty fees paid out by the construction of the Wal-Mart Superstore and Lowe’s, both in the Town of Norwich. However, lacking any big development projects in the foreseeable future and finding the department in the red by $100,000 last year, lawmakers voted to make codes part of the general levy. After considerable debate, they also instituted a chargeback policy for towns.

All but four municipalities in Chenango County had relied on the county for inspections, permitting and enforcement.

Public Health Administrative Services Officer Eric Depperman said the Town of Norwich’s decision last month to hire its own codes officer had further weakened the department’s profitability. While the town won’t officially abandon the county’s codes department until June 2, Depperman said it had already lost $9,000 that was budgeted for Norwich for the year.