Commission approves hiring an additional codes inspector

 The White County Commission March 17 and once again voted on a pair of issues that had been brought before them more than once before.

One of those decisions was the approval of approximately $28,000 to hire a full-time building codes inspector. The move aims to alleviate significant delays currently impacting local contractors because of an understaffed codes department.

Commission Chairman Derrick Hutchings emphasized the necessity of the new position, stating that Codes Director Brett Nash has been overwhelmed with inspections, which has hindered contractors from completing their projects.

“He’s been way behind for a while, and it’s impeding the contractors,” Hutchings explained the operational challenges faced by the department.

The decision to hire a third inspector comes after multiple discussions throughout the year about the increasing workload with the commission voting down the added personnel twice before due to concerns about costs of paying a third person in the codes department. Commissioner Becky Golden raised concerns about the qualifications of the second codes employee, who has yet to be certified for field inspections but whom commissioners were told would do so.

County Executive Denny Wayne Robinson explained to the court that the high demand for in-office support has kept that staff member from pursuing additional certifications. Robinson stated there was a need for one person in the office full time, and that the best thing would be the addition of a second codes inspector.

“We anticipated it being busy, but it’s a lot busier than what we thought,” Robinson said adding that the revised building permit fee structure, which the board passed last month, would help fund the new hire.

The motion to create the new position passed with a vote of nine to four with one absence. Those commissioners voting against the motion were Becky Golden, Kyle Goff, Larry Daniels, and Chris Brewington.

On a different note, the commission voted against a proposal to provide a $600 stipend to each commissioner who completes state-required continuing education. Chairman Hutchings argued that the stipend would serve as motivation for commissioners to finish their training and enhance their effectiveness while commissioner Roger Mason pointed out ongoing issues with the state’s training monitoring system, complicating the educational process for many commissioners and commissioner Cain Rogers raised concerns about the timing of the proposal in the current budget cycle.

The resolution failed with a vote of 4 to 8 with one commissioner abstaining and one absent.

The commission also approved an application for a grant from the Tennessee Recreation Initiative Program, which would support the hiring of a full-time parks and recreation director. Additionally, a budget amendment of $40,000 was sanctioned for purchasing equipment for the highway department, signaling ongoing investments in county infrastructure.

The next meeting for White County Board of Commissioners will be 6 p.m., April 21, in the third-floor courtroom, at the courthouse.