Building code changes coming
Nick Johansen
The Red Oak Express
The City of Red Oak has agreed to contract services with the Southwest Iowa Planning Council for regulating property maintenance and new construction building codes within the city limits.
At the regular meeting of the Red Oak City Council on May 20, the council met with SWIPCO executive director John McCurdy to discuss details of the contract, which covers one-third of the rental properties and new construction inspections. McCurdy said the fees are mostly the same, except for one change.
“The re-inspection fee in the past was $25. That wasn’t really cutting it on the costs and the time involved in re-inspections. We’re making a request to change that to $40,” McCurdy said.
City administrator Brad Wright said the city was also making changes to city ordinances, including the city’s fees for scheduled re-inspections.
“It covers failure to show up for re-inspections and the re-inspection costs. Their fee is going to $40, and our fee was initially $40, but will increase to $50. Typically whatever we pay SWIPCO, we have a little bit of a buffer to cover our administrative costs, so that’s why the increase is being put in place,” Wright said.
Wright added he felt SWIPCO’s program was great, and had been a great benefit to the city.
“I don’t like additional codes and regulations, but some of the things that the inspections have found and corrected have proven to be very valuable to us. I also think it increases the safety of some of the homes and apartments they are inspecting. It’s a good program and I hope to see it continue,” commented Wright.
The council approved the contract for services between the City of Red Oak and SWIPCO.
The council then discussed an ordinance for the City of Red Oak adopting building codes to regulate and govern the conditions and maintenance of all property, buildings, and structures; to provide the standards for supplied utilities and facilities and other physical things and conditions essential to ensure that structures are safe, sanitary and fit for occupation and use; and the condemnation of buildings and structures unfit for human occupancy and use and the demolition of such structures in the City of Red Oak; providing for the issuance of permits and collection of fees therefor; repealing all other ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith.
“These are from the International Building Code, updating it from what our current reference is in 2009, to the current code of 2015. This change is at the recommendation of SWIPCO,” said Wright.
The council approved the first reading of the ordinance, waived the second and third readings, and approved a motion to adopt, effective upon publication.
The council then discussed a second ordinance of the City of Red Oak adopting the 2015 edition of the International Property Maintenance Code, regulating and governing the conditions and maintenance of property, buildings and structures; by providing the standards for supplied utilities and facilities and other physical things and conditions essential to ensure that structures are safe, sanitary and fit for occupation and use; and the condemnation of buildings and structures unfit for human occupancy and use and the demolition of such structures in the City of Red Oak; providing for the issuance of permits and collection of fees therefore; repealing all other ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith.
The council approved the first reading of the second ordinance, waived the second and third readings, and approved a motion to adopt, effective upon publication.
The council then took action on a resolution establishing fees for inspections of residential rental property with the City of Red Oak.
“The primary things under this that we’ve set, single-family units at $90 and multi-family units at $50, we’re not changing. The only thing we’ve changed is the failure to show and the re-inspection to $50,” Wright said.
The council approved the resolution.
In other business, the council:
• Held a public hearing on an amendment to the city’s budget for 2019. No oral or written comments were received. The budget amendment was approved.
• Approved a resolution authorizing bids for a water main replacement on 4th Street. The bid letting is June 13, and will come before the council for action on June 17.
• Approved a contract for for library services for Montgomery County for July 1, 2019.