City Council Meeting Date: February 21, 2017
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: Chris Heineman, Community Development Director
Jim Kessler, Building Official
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Cooperative Agreement with Rice County for Building Inspection Services
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Action Requested: The Northfield City Council approves a cooperative agreement with Rice County for building inspection services.
Summary Report: The Community Development Department was contacted by Rice County and asked to enter into a cooperative agreement for building inspection services to cover building inspections while the Rice County Building Official is out on medical leave. The Rice County Building Official is currently the only staff member certified to do inspections in Rice County following the recent resignation of a building inspector.
The City of Northfield has been asked to cover inspections for the five townships closest to the City of Northfield, including Forest, Erin, Webster, Wheatland and Northfield Townships. The City of Faribault building inspections division will cover inspections for the remainder of the County. The City of Northfield will cover inspections on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, with coverage anticipated for a two week period ending the first week of March. The building inspections division believes that this supports positive intergovernmental relationships, and more importantly provides excellent customer service to Northfield area contractors.
Due to the limited number of inspections anticipated, this cooperative agreement will not impact the availability of building inspection staff for inspections within the City of Northfield. The agreement has been reviewed by City Attorney Chris Hood, and since this intergovernmental agreement is considered a contract, he has recommended that it be assessed by the City Council. A copy of the Building Inspection Cooperative Agreement is attached for your review.
Financial Impacts: The Building Inspection Cooperative Agreement will cover all personnel, insurance, and equipment costs incurred by the Building Inspections Division of the Community Development Department and will have no financial impact on the City of Northfield.
Tentative Timelines: If approved, it is anticipated that the Building Inspection Cooperative Agreement will be in effect from February 22nd through March 8th, 2017.