Clinton to receive new building department

By Steven Martens | Saturday, May 03, 2008

CLINTON, Iowa — According to an Iowa law approved last year, the City of Clinton must be ready to enforce its new building code on July 1, but city officials say they should be ready as early as mid-May.

Last spring, the Iowa Legislature approved a bill that would require towns with more than 15,000 residents to adopt a municipal building code or enforce the state code no later than July 1 of this year. Clinton was the only Iowa town to fit into that

category.

In March, the City Council approved the purchase of a building at 110 5th Ave. S. that is being renovated for use as the office for the new building and neighborhood services department, as well as the city planning and engineering departments.

Mike Harmon, who served as the city’s housing inspector before being promoted to assistant director of the building and neighborhood services department, said he expects a director for the department to be named within the next couple of weeks and that another inspector needs to be hired.

“I feel confident that once we get them on board, we’ll be able to get this thing up and running pretty quickly,” Harmon said.

City Administrator Gary Boden said the city already is contracting with building code inspectors for local projects that receive state or federal funding because Iowa statue requires that such projects meet state building code standards. He said some of the inspection work will continue to be done by contractors after the new department is open.

Boden said he expects the director of the building and neighborhood services department to be hired soon.