Ripples

Pioneer Press Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:43:29 -0600
East Metro / Inspectors' jobs at risk in some suburbs

The housing slump is claiming new victims â€" building inspectors. Lake Elmo has laid off two employees, and Woodbury has frozen four open positions in the wake of declining construction of homes and businesses. Fees for new construction pay city inspectors' wages â€" so when new housing stagnates, so does the demand for inspectors. "It boils down to budgets," Lake Elmo finance director Tom Bouthilet said. Suburbs accustomed to rapid growth have been hit the hardest, according to Tom Anderson, director of the construction codes and license division of the state Department of Labor and Industry. In 2007, the value of construction permits dropped 20 percent in areas covered by state building codes, affecting 80 percent of the Minnesota population, Anderson said. But suburbs such as Lake Elmo were hit much harder. That city suffered a 65 percent decline in the value of new construction, to $17 million. Other cities are not laying off inspectors because permits for remodeling or business construction are making up the difference. In Oakdale, which saw a 67 percent drop in new construction permits in 2007, city manager Craig Waldron said no layoffs are planned. That's because the city's inspectors have been busy with remodeling inspections as homeowners decide to remodel their existing homes rather than move.

[[keywords: Housing;Staff;PropertyTax;Metro;]]