City of Williams Lake and CRD work together to provide Building Inspection Services

Joint Press Release from City of WL/CRD:

Williams Lake City Council has signed a contract with the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) to provide building inspection services for Williams Lake. The City has been without a dedicated Building Inspector since January, 2011 and has encountered difficulty in recruiting personnel for this position due to the level of certification required for the City’s building inspection function.

This agreement will increase efficiency and cost savings to ensure an adequate level of service for the City.

The benefits of the contract with the Regional District include:

• The Regional District has three building inspectors, all of which the City can draw on to complete services in a timely fashion;
• The CRD has building inspector oversight. Inspectors are being managed and reviewed by a qualified Level 3 inspector. This ensures that services are provided consistently and within the limits of the City and CRD Bylaws;
• The City will pay for services rendered. If no inspection services are required, the City incurs no cost;
• The number of inspectors the CRD has ensures that even during heavy demand times there are people available to respond. In addition, if new inspectors are required, the Level 3 oversight allows flexibility to hire Level 1 and Level 2 inspectors.

The contract is on an interim, temporary basis and will cost the City approximately $40,000 annually, compared to approximately $104,000 the City had spent previously. Either party can opt out of the contract with 90 days’ notice. The City will also conduct a service review of building inspection services.

“The City has had four different building inspectors between 2006 and 2011, and recruitment is a challenge,” says Councillor Sue Zacharias, Chair of the City's Planning and Operations Committee. “By signing this contract, the City can still provide a high level of building inspection services, while keeping costs to the City taxpayer low. The City wants to make it clear that we are open for business and encourage new development.”

“This is another great example of our commitment to building communities together with our municipal partners,” stated CRD Central Cariboo Joint Committee Co-Chair (and Area 'F' Director) Joan Sorley. “By realizing opportunities to provide shared services, residents of the Cariboo Chilcotin will be able to receive the best in possible service delivery, in a cost-effective and efficient manner.”