Kalispell mulls takeover of electrical inspections

The city of Kalispell's building department wants to take over electrical permits and inspections on residential construction, rolling them into the building inspections it already does.

But Kalispell electrical contractor Eugene Thomas showed up at Monday's City Council work session to object, saying it will slow down the work he and his fellow electricians do and confuse matters unnecessarily.

State inspectors now verify that homes comply with Montana code.

Thomas said it's a smooth system, one in which he can go online and get an electrical permit within 15 minutes. And, since all work now done in the city and county is permitted by the state, there's no question of jurisdiction regardless of where the home is located. State inspectors, he added, are prompt about showing up when needed.

Under the city's proposal, he said, he would have to disrupt his work to visit the city building department when obtaining a permit and wait longer for a city inspector to show up on the job site. Different stages of work are completed at different times, meaning an electrical inspection couldn't always be completed at the same time as other inspections.

But Building Official Jeff Clawson and Planning Director Tom Jentz made the case that the move would provide a higher level of service to Kalispell citizens who would get a one-stop permitting and inspection program.

And, they said, the process would be just as smooth under the city as it is under the state. City building inspectors already perform an average of 10 inspections per single-family home, and would be able to combine the two additional inspections usually required for electrical work with those existing trips.

Questions of jurisdiction could be cleared up easily, Jentz said. If it's in city limits, a new home under construction already would have a Kalispell building permit.

The proposal would bring in about $10,000 a year for the city, Clawson said, based on numbers from the 2008-2009 construction year.

There would be no change in fees for the contractors or homeowners.

The city would adopt the state fee schedule already in use throughout the county.

Mayor Pam Kennedy asked for a cost analysis for the overall proposal, including not only the estimated $300 for code books, testing equipment and printing costs, but also the cost to train staff as inspectors and other expenses. Currently Clawson is the building department's only certified electrical inspector.

The proposal will come back for discussion at another council work session.

Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com