CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Conduct the first reading of an ordinance amending Title 1 (Administration) Chapter 9 (Municipal Finances) Article H (Fees for Construction and New Development) of the Municipal Code related to elevator inspection fees
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Leann Kanan, Administrative Assistant
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
None
BACKGROUND:
The City of Naperville is committed to finding efficiencies in the permitting and inspection processes. In 2019, the City entered into a co-op agreement with several other Illinois communities to receive more competitive pricing for third-party inspections and reviews. To date, staff has been satisfied with the performance of the current elevator contractor, Elevator Inspection Service (EIS).
In 2020, the pandemic complicated efforts for conducting in-person inspections primarily due to delayed access to buildings. It also exacerbated an industry-wide labor shortage of qualified elevator inspectors. For these reasons, EIS is only performing one annual inspection per elevator this year. Prior to 2020, semi-annual inspections had been conducted. The State of Illinois requires only one inspection per year.
DISCUSSION:
Based on the experience of annual inspections of elevators in 2020, the proposed amendment recommends a permanent change from a semi-annual to annual elevator inspection requirement. This change:
1. Is complaint with State of Illinois statutes requiring a single annual inspection;
2. Will reduce customer costs and the inconvenience of inspection scheduling;
3. Will align with other communities who have moved to annual inspections, including some within the co-op that the City joined in 2019;
4. Is a preferred approach by the contractor and assists in the workload management; and
5. Will continue to maintain public health, safety and welfare through detailed annual elevator inspections. Any failed inspections will still require timely action and reinspection.
Proposed Fee
By ordinance, customers are charged $50 for semi-annual inspections ($100 per year). Communities in the region charge between $100 and $250 annually for similar services. The proposed fee for annual inspections is $81. Due to savings through the co-op, this lower rate will reduce customer costs by $19 and be revenue neutral to the City. Similarly, it has no impact on the City’s participation in the elevator inspection co-op contract.
Staff is recommending this change take effect on January 1, 2021 to align with the renewal of the Elevator Services Co-Op Agreement with EIS.
FISCAL IMPACT:
N/A
Naperville’s single annual inspection expenditure per location is offset with the proposed $81 annual inspection fee.