Lynne Godfrey Writes Council

Hello Concerned Citizens,

Although the attached letter was not on the agenda last night, it is now considered a public document and I'm sure will appear on the next one.

I asked for an update on the building permit process issue last night at the Council meeting and was told that if there is no response to the survey, they will have no reason to respond to the request.

As a result, I would like to encourage people to fill out the survey on the Town of Kearney website (www.townofkearney.com or direct link https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KearneyBuildingPermitProcess) and provide information - good or bad - in order to keep this topic on the agenda. (Paper copies are available at the office I'm told)  The only question that HAS to be answered is #2.  Survey ends on May 8th, so time is of the essence.

I believe this is an important issue because...

1) There were 765 building permits issued between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2011.  As at April 25, 2012, over 350 of those building permits were still open.  That's about half of the total number of permits issued.  Almost 70% of the ones issued in Proudfoot are still open.  Since the Town is going back even further to continue building the list, the number of open permits is only going to get higher.

2) This topic affects every single person in Kearney, as well as the contractors and other businesses here and the reputation of this Town.

Thanks in advance if you decide to publish this email and the attached letter.

Lynne Godfrey

April 29, 2012

Dear Mayor Tomlinson and Members of Council,

Thank you for acknowledging my letter dated March 23^rd and my presentation to Council on April 13^thby directing staff to draft a survey which is available on the Town of Kearney website.

Given the limited number of people that know about the survey and the short time frame to complete it (May 8^thdeadline), I’m concerned that you will not get the response that you require to make informed decisions regarding open building permits and the building permit process.

The first question in the survey asks for the respondent’s name.  The reason I brought these concerns to Council in the first place was because people feared coming forward themselves in case of retribution on future projects.  With the first question asking for names, these same people are telling me that they will not be filling in the survey.

I’m not sure why my knowledge of the building code was one of the questions.  That shouldn’t have any relevance on my building permit process experience.  As an accountant, I have to educate people all the time on CRA’s rules and regulations.  I would hope the CBO is willing to do the same with respect to the Building Code.

As I mentioned in my presentation, I think the majority will agree that the new CBO’s availability and the turnaround time on permit applications has greatly improved.

Again, my concern is not with the application portion of the building permit process, but with the implementation of the Building Code itself and the concern that Mr. Hess is adhering to a different set of building regulations than the building inspectors in neighbouring communities.  This results in $1000s of extra expenditures for new builds and retrofits. 

Why are some things acceptable in other communities, but not here? 

Why are people hiring someone to act as a liaison between the homeowner and the building inspector? 

Why do the people of Kearney have to build for the 100-year storm, but neighbouring communities do not? 

Kearney is becoming unattractive to those who want to build a new home or cottage, expand, renovate, reside or purchase property in this area and it’s stunting the growth of Kearney as a result.

I’m concerned that a lack of response to the survey will be interpreted as this issue being either non-existent or non-important.  I reiterate my April 13^thpresentation when I say that people are not building this year as a result of the experiences that fellow residents are having with the current building inspector.

I ask that you address these concerns immediately as the livelihood of both taxpayers and contractors hangs in the balance.

I look forward to the next Council meeting on May 4^that 6:00pm and to your response to the concerns that I have brought forward.

Thank you again for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Lynne Godfrey