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Item 4.2. <br /> <br />City ~ <br /> River <br /> <br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />TO: <br /> <br />Mayor and City Council <br /> <br />FROM: <br />DATE: <br /> <br />Stephen Rohlf, Building and Zoning Administrator <br />January 28, 2002 <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Consider Pay Ranges for Building Inspector Positions <br /> <br />As the Council is aware, the Building Department recently lost our Building Official after 14 <br />years of service. The Department is in serious jeopardy of losing two more of its more <br />experienced inspectors in the immediate future. The City of St. Michael is hiring two <br />additional inspectors with a maximum pay of $53,019 per year. The City of Elk River <br />currently pays a maximum of $48,984 for this same position, a difference of nearly 8%. <br />Additionally, St Michael's employees' out of pocket expense for family health insurance <br />coverage is approximately $1,800 per year less than Elk River's. ~ <br /> <br />This situation prompted a look at wages for building inspectors in general. I updated the <br />data for the group 6 cities (population between 10,000 and 25,000), from the Twin Cities <br />Metropolitan Area Compensation Survey, which is the group Elk River is typically compared <br />to. My survey is attached. Throwing out the highest paying city (Prior Lake) and the lowest <br />paying city (White Bear Lake), the average pay for a building inspector is $51,882. Elk River <br />is 5.6% lower than average. Elk River is over 11% below the highest paying community in <br />this group and is currently only pa~ying higher than the lowest paying city in the group. Total <br />valuation of construction was al~o reviewed to determine if there is correlation between <br />workload and pay. No direct correlation is obvious. <br /> <br />Our recent attempt to fill the city's vacant inspector position has heightened concern over <br />the potential lose of additional seasoned building inspector. On January 23, 2002, six of the <br />sixty-six applicants for this position were interviewed. All three staff members setting in on <br />that interview agreed on a top candidate. That candidate appeared to have a compatible <br />personality and the ability to learn, but admitted to needing training before he could do <br />inspections. Having one out of six inspector that needs intensive training is a difficult <br />situation as far as workload, but we have done it before. Having three or four in this <br />situation with the volume of construction activity taking place in Elk River is an impossible <br />situation. ' <br /> <br />Without an adjustment to their wages, I anticipate the city will lose 50% of its building <br />inspection force in a little over a month's time. Other inspectors in the Department have <br /> <br /> <br />