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GOOD MORNING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.
[ Roll Call ]
THE TIME IS NOW 9 0 5, NOVEMBER 15TH, 2024.MY NAME IS JACK UP MOORE AND I AM THE CHAIR OF THE BUILDING RELATED FIRE CODES APPEALS ADVISORY BOARD OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
AND I HEREBY CALL THIS MEETING INTO SESSION.
CAN WE HAVE OUR INTERPRETERS READ THE INTERPRETATION SERVICES AVAILABLE FOR THIS MEETING? THANK YOU.
UH, STAFF, COULD YOU PLEASE CONDUCT THE ROLL CALL? LOUIS OLIS.
AND WANNA REMIND EVERYBODY TO USE THE MICROPHONE WHEN SPEAKING FOR THOSE WATCHING LIVE OR AT HOME OR THE RECORDING AT A LATER TIME? HAS EVERYONE HAD
[ Approval of Minutes ]
A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE MEETING MINUTES FOR THE BUILDING RELATED FIRE CODES APPEALS ADVISORY BOARD MEETING ON NOVEMBER 8TH, 2024.CHAIRMAN, THIS IS ROBERT HAN LAND MOVE OF APPROVAL UNLESS SOMEBODY HAS ANY CHANGES OR MODIFICATIONS.
ANY DISCUSSION? ALL OPPOSED? NO OPPOSED.
PRIOR TO MOVING TO THE INDIVIDUAL AGENDA ITEMS, IS THERE ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC THAT HAS SIGNED UP TO PROVIDE THE PUBLIC COMMENT? WE DID NOT HAVE ANYBODY SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.
[ Briefing and Possible Action on the following items ]
LET'S BEGIN WITH OUR INDIVIDUAL AGENDA ITEMS. PLEASE PREVENT THE FIRST ITEM.WE'RE JUST, WE WAITED FOR YOU AS LONG AS WE COULD, JEREMY.
OKAY, WE ARE FOLLOWING UP ON OUR ITEMS, UH, LEFTOVER ITEMS FROM LAST WEEK.
THE FIRST OF WHICH WAS THE PLUMBING ON SITE SUPERVISION DEFINITION.
SO THEREFORE, UH, PLUMBER'S APPRENTICE THAT READ UNDERLINED TEXT WAS MODIFIED TO SAY DIRECT SUPERVISION IS DEFINED AS ONSITE SUPERVISION.
AND THEN THE DEFINITION OF ONSITE WAS THE SAME.
UM, WE DID AFTER, AFTER SOME DISCUSSION AFTER OUR MEETING LAST WEEK, WE CHANGED PERMIT TO WORK.
UM, SO EVEN IF THAT WORK DOESN'T REQUIRE A, A PERMIT THAT IT STILL CAPTURED IN THE SUPERVISION REQUIREMENTS THAT FOR MULTI-FAMILY DWELLINGS, COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL STRUCTURES OR FACILITIES THAT ONSITE SHALL MEAN AT THE PREMISE OR STRUCTURE WHERE THE PERMIT'S BEEN ISSUED.
AND FOR ONE AND TWO FAMILY DWELLINGS, IT'S WITHIN AN UNIMPEDED PATH, NOT MORE THAN 500 FEET IN THE SAME SUBDIVISION WHERE THE PERMIT'S BEEN ISSUED.
SO REMOVED THAT TEXT TO SPECIFY THAT IT WAS ONLY FOR ELECTRICAL SUPERVISION REQUIREMENTS.
AND, UH, THIS LOCATION IN THE DEFINITIONS AND THE ELECTRICAL REQUIREMENT IS THE ONLY LOCATION IN THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER 10 DOCUMENT WHERE ON SITE IS MENTIONED.
SO IT DOESN'T CONFLICT WITH ANY OTHER LOCATION OF ONSITE, UH, GEORGE SALIVA.
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YOUR NUMBER ONE, YOU CONTINUE TO SAY PERMIT AT THE END OF THAT, THAT, UH, NUMBER ONE, AGAIN, IT'S GONNA BE INTERPRETED THAT ONLY PERMITTED WORK IS GONNA REQUIRE THAT SUPERVISION.WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT ANY REPAIRS, EVEN IN A COMMERCIAL SITUATION ARE GONNA BE LICENSED.
JUST SAY WHERE WORK IS BEING PERFORMED, BUT IT'S STILL SAYING THAT IT'S OKAY.
SO MODIFY THAT TO SAY FOR NON-RESIDENTIAL, THAT ON ON SITE SHALL MEAN AT THE PREMISES OR STRUCTURE WHERE THE WORK IS BEING PERFORMED.
AND FOR THAT ONE AND TWO FAMILY WITHIN AN UNIMPEDED PATH OF NOT MORE THAN 500 FEET IN THE SAME SUBDIVISION WHERE THE WORK IS BEING PERFORMED.
SO THE NEXT ITEM WAS FOR THE SWIMMING POOL SLIP RESISTANCE.
I'M GONNA TAKE THE HIGHLIGHTING OFF OF THIS.
I JUST HAD IT ON THERE, EASY TO FIND.
AND I'M ALSO GONNA TAKE THE MARKUP OFF.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THE UNDERLYING TEXT IS WHAT WE'RE ADDING AND THE TEXT THAT IS STRUCK THROUGH, UM, IS WHAT WE ARE REMOVING FROM THE 2024 PLUMBING OR, UM, SWIMMING POOL CODE.
SO THIS, THIS TEXT IS UTILIZED OTHER IN OTHER AREAS OF THE SWIMMING POOL CO CODE FOR OTHER THAN RESIDENTIAL POOLS.
AND THEN WE SAID FOR RESIDENTIAL POOLS AND SPAS AND WE TOOK OUT THE CO WE JUST, UH, REITERATED AND TOOK OUT THE COPING AND CROSSED OUT WHERE THE SURFACES ARE EVALUATED FOR SLIP RESISTANCE.
THAT'S THE NEW TEXT THAT WAS ADDED TO THE 2024.
ACTUALLY, I SEE AN ERROR IN THIS, THAT THIS SPECIAL FEATURES ON THE DECKS SHALL BE SLIP RESISTANCE.
THAT WAS PART OF THE 2021 CODE.
DO YOU GUYS AGREE THAT WE SHOULD LEAVE THAT IN OR, I MEAN WE KIND OF, WE CAN LEAVE THAT.
AND CRYSTAL RESIDENTIAL POOL IS DEFINED SOMEWHERE IN THE BEGINNING, CORRECT? YES, IT IS.
UM, AND LIKE I MENTIONED THIS, THAT THAT THE USE OF THAT TEXT FOR RESIDENTIAL AND OTHER THAN IS UTILIZED IN THIS CODE AS WELL.
ALL RIGHT, WE'RE GOOD WITH THAT ONE.
THE OTHER ITEM, THE NEXT ITEM I SEE IS THE CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION AND CERTIFICATION.
SO THERE WAS, UM, A MINOR CHANGE.
SO THAT HIGHLIGHTED TEXT WAS ADDED FOR THE HOME BUILDER REGISTRATION.
ONLY THAT ONE AGENT AFFILIATED WITH A CONTRACTOR MUST OBTAIN A RESIDENTIAL ICC CERTIFICATION OR OTHER CERTIFICATION AND OR PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS APPROVED BY THE BUILDING OFFICIAL CRYSTAL.
UM, SO WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE IN TERMS OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS? 'CAUSE A LOT OF WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WAS, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THAT ARE SKILLED, UM, THAT HAVE TROUBLE PASSING A A BOOK TEST, UM, MIGHT STILL BE ABLE TO REGISTER AND BE CERTIFIED.
UM, IS THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE? WE'RE JUST MAKING IT GRAY ENOUGH THAT WE CAN APPLY AND, AND TRY AND WORK SOMETHING, UH, JEREMY MCDONALD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES? CORRECT.
UH, BASED ON OUR CONVERSATION LAST WEEK, UH, WE KIND OF TABLED THE OVERALL REVIEW.
UH, MAYBE WE'LL COME BACK WITH A TASK FORCE SUBCOMMITTEE, BUT SOMETHING IN THE NEAR FUTURE TO KIND OF RE-REVIEW THIS AND SEE IF THERE'S OTHER OPTIONS OUT THERE.
UH, IN ORDER TO DO THAT WITHOUT HAVING TO GO BACK TO CITY COUNCIL, BECAUSE EVERYTHING WE SAID PRIOR WAS EITHER ICC CERTIFICATION OR A OTHER CERTIFICATION AND KINDA LIMITED US TO A FORM OF TEST AND CERTIFICATION PROCESS.
THIS KIND OF MAKES IT MORE GRAY TO WHERE THIS BODY AND THE BUILDING OFFICIAL CAN COME TO AN AGREEMENT OF, ALRIGHT,
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THIS MAKES SENSE, WE CAN USE THIS, WHATEVER THAT APPROACH CAN BE THAT IT JUST OPENS IT UP WITHOUT HAVING TO GO BACK TO CITY COUNCIL.SO THIS IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO FOLLOW UP ON.
UH, BUT DOES ALSO, WITHOUT EVEN FOLLOWING UP WITH THE ALL, IF THE VOTING OFFICIAL SEES SOMETHING LIKE, HEY, YOU KNOW WHAT, THIS, THIS MAKES SENSE, WE CAN DO THIS ON OUR OWN, WE CAN MAKE THAT ACTION AS WELL.
BUT WE CAN CONTINUE THAT, THAT ADVISORY SIDE OF THE BOARD AND, AND PROVIDE SOME MORE FEEDBACK AND CONVERSATION ON THAT AS WELL.
CAN I MAKE A SUGGESTION THAT WE DITCH THE WORD PROFESSIONAL OUT OF THERE BECAUSE THAT THAT REALLY DENOTES SOME LIKE DEGREE OR SOMETHING THAT THE ONES WE DID ACTUALLY ARE THEY'RE, THEY'RE CERTIFICATIONS.
BUT, BUT WHAT MIKE WAS TALKING ABOUT, IF THE CITY HAD THEIR OWN PROGRAM AND SAID, OKAY, IF YOU PASS THIS COURSE, YOU NOW ARE ELIGIBLE TO GET A LICENSE.
AND THAT'S WHAT THE COMMITTEE, THIS WOULD NOT ALLOW THEM TO DO THAT BECAUSE IT'S NOT, AT LEAST IF YOU DO SIMPLE LANGUAGE HAS PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATES AN ENGINEER OR SOME OTHER DEGREE, AND I JUST THINK IT NEEDS TO BE IT, IT'S JUST, OR OTHER CREDENTIALS APPROVED BY THE BUILDING OFFICIAL.
SO BRIAN SMITH, UM, SO WHAT, WHAT THEY ARE THERE WERE FROM PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, NAHB, UH, NARI, IN THE BUILDING INDUSTRY, THERE HAVE CERTAIN CERTIFICATIONS AND TESTS, UM, AND CLASSES.
UH, YOU HAVE TO MEET CERTAIN LEVELS TO MEET CERTAIN THINGS.
THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WE'VE TALKED WITH THE BUILDING OFFICIALS THAT THEY WERE ACCEPTING.
UM, SO THEY ACTUALLY ARE PROFESSIONAL CRED.
THEY'RE NOT IN THE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GETTING A PE TYPE OF THING, UH, OR A MASTER'S LICENSE.
BUT IN THE BUILDING INDUSTRY IT'S ONE OF THEIR, UH, PROFESSIONAL CRED CREDENTIALS.
AND, AND WITH THAT, THAT BY TAKING OUT THE WORD PROFESSIONAL, IT STILL WOULD ALLOW THAT, BUT IT WOULD ALLOW FOR OTHER STUFF AS WE MOVE FORWARD TO ALLOW PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, DON'T SPEAK THE LANGUAGE.
HOW ABOUT, HOW ABOUT JUST APPROVED CREDENTIALS? THAT'S WHAT I SAID.
AND OR APPROVE CREDENTIALS APPROVED BY THE BUILDING OFFICIALS.
OUR ORIGINAL THOUGHT ON THE PROFESSIONAL AND, YOU KNOW, NOT BEHOLDEN TO PROFESSIONAL, BUT MOSTLY WE JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THERE WAS STILL SOME LEVEL CREDENTIALS COULD JUST BE, HEY, I HAVE FIVE RECOMMENDATION LETTERS FROM FRIENDS OF MINE.
THOSE ARE A LEVEL OF CREDENTIALS.
WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S SOMETHING TO THAT THAT HIDES.
SO WHETHER IT BE PROFESSIONAL OR IF YOU MIGHT HAVE SOME OTHER WORDING THAT WOULD MAKE THAT, I JUST THINK YOU TAKE THE WORD OUT PROFESSIONAL OUT, IT'S, IT'S CREDENTIALS APPROVED AND IT HAS TO BE APPROVED BY THE BUILDING OFFICIAL.
SO IT ALLOWS YOU TO HAVE MUCH MORE LEEWAY TO APPROVE THINGS THAN, THAN PROFE BECAUSE PROFESSIONAL DE IS A HOME BUILDER PROGRAM OR AN APARTMENT ASSOCIATION CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM OR, YOU KNOW, IT, IT DENOTES SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
AND I THINK WE NEED TO BE IN THIS AREA WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE IT THAT BARRIER TO ENTRY NOT, YOU KNOW, SUCH A HIGH BAR THAT IT, IT REGULATES THE, THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE YOU CAN HAVE IN JUST TO GET RID OF THE WORD PROFESSIONAL.
IT STILL HAS TO BE APPROVED BY THE BUILDING OFFICIAL AND THAT WITHOUT HAVING TO GO BACK TO COUNCIL, I THINK I'M OKAY WITH THAT UNLESS, UM, I, I MEAN I WAS THE ONE THAT PUT THAT TOGETHER SO, UH, UH, ME AND GREG TALKED ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT, BUT CORRECT, IT STILL DOES NEED TO GO TO THE BUILDING OFFICIAL.
UM, WE'LL, WE'LL KINDA LOOK AT THIS SINCE WE KNOW WE'LL HAVE TO COME BACK IN A COUPLE YEARS ANYWAYS WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT 2027, IF WE FEEL LIKE NOT HAVING SOMETHING THERE AND JUST A BLANKETED CREDENTIALS AND WE'RE JUST GETTING INUNDATED WITH REQUESTS THAT ARE NOT EVEN, WE'RE CLOSE TO MEETING, UH, THAT INTENT, WE MIGHT LOOK AT SOME ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE, BUT, UH, I AGREE WITH WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO SAY OF TRYING TO MAKE IT AS OPEN AS POSSIBLE.
THAT'S THE GOAL HERE IS TO, TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT THE BOARD AND THE BUILDING OFFICIAL CAN BOTH LIVE WITH BRIAN SMITH.
SO WE STILL DO WANT TO LOOK AT THIS FURTHER OTHER THAN JUST FROM HERE HAVING SOME KIND OF SUBCOMMITTEE IN BETWEEN NOW AND 2027.
YEAH, WE CAN DEFINITELY SET SOMETHING UP FOR EARLY NEXT YEAR.
UH, KIND OF HAVE A PROCESS IN PLACE, WHETHER Y'ALL WANT DO A SUBCOMMITTEE NEXT WEEK IF YOU WANT TO, JEREMY, I DON'T KNOW
YEAH, RIGHT NOW IT'S, YOU KNOW, I DON'T HAVE IT ON THE AGENDA FOR US TO ACTUALLY CREATE A SUBCOMMITTEE.
SO PROBABLY WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THE NEXT TIME Y'ALL HAVE A BOARD MEETING FOR WHETHER IT TO BE AN APPEAL OR ANY OTHER ITEM THAT COMES UP, UH, Y'ALL CAN EITHER CREATE A SUBCOMMITTEE OR IT COULD BE A TASK TASK GROUP THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A SPECIFIC SUBCOMMITTEE OF THIS BOARD.
YOU KNOW, IF I KIND OF WANNA SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW WHAT, LET'S JUST GET A FEW OF Y'ALL, BUT WE WON'T MEET QUORUM.
LET'S GET SOMETHING TOGETHER, GET SOME OTHER, YOU KNOW, UH, TRADE ORGANIZATIONS IN HERE, OR, UH, HOME BUILDERS, UH, NARI AND ALL THOSE TYPES.
UM, THAT WAY YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE FULL MEETING MINUTES AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND ALL THAT TYPE OF STUFF AS A SUBCOMMITTEE WOULD REQUIRE IF Y'ALL JUST KINDA DID A TASK FORCE VERSUS THAT.
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PROVIDE THAT.SO WHATEVER RECOMMENDATION Y'ALL HAVE MOVING FORWARD, Y'ALL CAN PROVIDE THAT TO THE VOTING OFFICIAL.
UM, I HAD NOTES THAT SAID WE WERE GONNA FOLLOW UP ON THE ALLOWING HOMEOWNERS TO PULL BUILDING PERMITS IF THEY WERE UNDER AN LLC.
UH, AND I DID GET CONFIRMATION FROM OUR, UH, PERMIT RIDERS THAT THAT IS, UH, CURRENTLY, UH, PERMITTED.
YOU JUST VER JUST THE SAME AS VERIFYING YOU'RE THE HOMEOWNER.
YOU KNOW, WE WOULD LOOK AT B AD VERIFYING YOU'RE A PART OF THAT LLC.
UH, AND THAT'S ALL WE WOULD REQUIRE FOR THE, UM, ANY HOMEOWNER TO PULL A PERMIT, UM, BUILDING PERMIT.
CRYSTAL, THIS IS ROBERT HENLEY, BUT, BUT, UH, YOU SAY HOMEOWNER PULLING THE BUILDING PERMIT, WE STILL NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE ELECTRICAL, UH, PER UH, AREA.
AND I THINK VALERIE, THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THAT DOCUMENT TOGETHER.
IT WAS VERY INFORMATIVE AND GAVE ME A LOT OF INSIGHT INTO, UH, THE PROS AND CONS OF, OF SOME OF THAT WORK.
THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO CLARIFY BUILDING PERMIT THERE AT THE END.
'CAUSE THAT IS THE NEXT ITEM TO DISCUSS.
AND JUST TO, JUST TO CLARIFY ON THE OWNER POOLING PERMIT, SO A SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL HOME, UM, I CAN PULL THE PERMIT FOR IT.
YOU SAID, IF I CAN PROVE THAT I'M IN THE LLC.
SO IS THE CITY LIKE SAYING IT WANTS TO BE IN THE BUSINESS OF LOOKING THROUGH LLC FORMATION DOCUMENTS OR IS A LETTER, UM, WITH THE LETTERHEAD OF THAT LLC ADDRESS FROM THEM SAYING THIS PERSON'S AUTHORIZED? IS THAT YES, THAT WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE.
JUST SHOWING THAT YOU ARE A PART OF THAT LLC, EVEN IF IT'S JUST A LETTER LETTERHEAD? NO, WE DON'T WANNA BE IN THE BUSINESS OF VERIFYING THOSE FORMAL DOCUMENTS.
SO, SO I CAN PULL THE PERMIT AND THEN I CAN HIRE WHOEVER I WANT TO DO THE WORK.
YOU'RE NOT GONNA REQUIRE A SECONDARY, UH, REGISTER, LIKE IT HAS TO BE PERFORMED BY A CERTIFIED HOME BUILDING CONTRACT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
WE'RE ASSUMING THAT IF YOU'RE PULLING THE, UH, IF YOU'RE PULLING THE PERMIT, THAT YOU ARE DOING THE WORK PERSONALLY, YES.
THAT'S WHAT THE HOMEOWNER, UH, EXEMPTION ALLOWS.
SO IN REALITY, YOU'RE NOT DOING THAT.
AND SO WE HAD A FIRE, WE PULLED THE PERMIT AND THE NAME OF THE OWNER OF THE THING? NO, NOT IN ANY INDIVIDUAL PERSON'S NAME, IN THE NAME OF THE COMPANY.
AND WE DID ALL THE WORK AND THEY, I MEAN, THEY BASICALLY TREATED IT LIKE IT WAS BECAUSE YOU'RE DOING WORK IN YOUR OWN PROPERTY, YOU DON'T NEED TO BE LICENSED.
AND, AND WE DID NONE OF THE WORK.
IT IT'S OKAY BECAUSE YOU SUBCONTRACT AND THAT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.
AND SO I THINK IF, IF, IF THE POSITION IS WE HAVE TO PERSONALLY DO THE WORK THAT ISN'T GONNA FLY, NO, I DON'T THINK THAT'S THE POSITION.
UM, BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A HOME BILL CERTIFICATION, UNLIKE ELECTRICAL, MECHANICAL, PLUMBING, THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE TECHNICAL SKILL JOBS, THE, THE BUILDING CONTRACTOR'S ALWAYS HIRING SUBCONTRACTORS.
SO I AM HIRING MYSELF AS THE GENERAL CONTRACTOR AND I AM GOING TO BE THE GENERAL CONTRACTOR, AND THE HOMEOWNER IS GONNA BE THE GENERAL CONTRACTOR.
ANYBODY IS, AND YOU'RE GONNA HIRE SUBS JUST LIKE YOU WOULD ANY, AND MOST OF THOSE SUBS MIGHT ALSO BE LLCS.
AS LONG AS I CAN PULL THE PERMIT, I'M THE GC AT THAT POINT, AND I THINK, I THINK IT WORKS.
OKAY, THE NEXT ITEM I HAD ON THAT LIST WAS THE CONVERSATION.
UM, IF IT, IF WE ARE BRINGING THAT UP ABOUT TRADE PERMITS, OTHER TRADE PERMITS PULLED BY HOMEOWNERS.
YEAH, I JUST WANNA BRING THAT UP BECAUSE IS THIS WORKING AT ALL OR DID I GET THE BUM MIC AGAIN? NO.
IS IS IT, IS IT WORKING WORKS WHEN YOU GET YOUR MOUTH? HOW ABOUT THIS ONE? THIS ONE BETTER? MAYBE CLOSER.
I GUESS I REALLY HAVE TO GET THERE.
THERE GOES, UM, YOU, YOU CAN ALSO PICK IT UP IF THAT'S LIKE EASIER FOR YOU TO YEAH, FINE.
HOW ABOUT TRYING, OH, THERE'S, IT'LL GO.
UM, YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO BRING IT UP AND BRING US UP IN LINE WITH NOT JUST OTHER STATE, OTHER CITIES IN TEXAS, BUT YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE'VE GOTTA BE COST COMPETITIVE AGAINST OTHER STATES AND OTHER STUFF.
SO THAT'S WHY, AGAIN, MOST JURISDICTIONS THAT I'VE LIVED IN IN THE PAST, A HOMEOWNER WHO, AND I'LL AGREE, WHO OWNS AND RESIDES TO PULL A TRADE PERMIT.
AGAIN, I, I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE GOT THAT DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN A BUILDING PERMIT AND A TRADE PERMIT.
WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN ALLOWED TO PULL THOSE PERMITS.
UM, AGAIN, I KIND OF APPRECIATE THE WRITEUP ON THAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF HOMEOWNERS WHO ARE DOING STUFF UNDER THE TABLE.
YOU KNOW, EVERY TIME I'VE BOUGHT A HOUSE IN SAN ANTONIO OR IN BEXAR COUNTY, YOU KNOW, MY HOME INSPECTOR CATCHES ALL THE CRAP THAT'S BEEN DONE.
AND, AND AGAIN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TRYING TO KEEP HOME PRICES LOW IN OUR COMMUNITY IF WE ALLOW THE PREVIOUS HOMEOWNER THAT I'M BUYING A HOME FROM TO ACTUALLY GET A PERMIT AND GET WORK DONE CORRECTLY, INSTEAD OF ROMEX BEING STRUNG ACROSS THE CEILING OF A DECK EVERY HOUSE I SEEM TO BUY
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THESE DAYS.AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S JUST STUFF LIKE THAT.
WELL, IF WE ALLOW A HOMEOWNER TO, TO BUILD A PERMIT OR PULL A PERMIT, STUFF GETS DONE RIGHT.
IT LOWERS THE COST OF HOME OWNERSHIP BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY GO TO SELL, THEY DON'T HAVE TO PAY TO GET ALL THIS STUFF FIXED IF THEY'RE ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, LIVING IN THE HOME.
THEY DON'T HAVE TO PAY A CONTRACTOR TO DO, YOU KNOW, I'LL SAY MINOR WORK TYPICALLY THOUGH I'VE BUILT AN ENTIRE HOUSE TWICE AND PULLED THE PERMITS MYSELF AND OTHER, YOU KNOW, OTHER JURISDICTIONS.
UM, SO THAT'S JUST WHY I'M BRINGING IT UP TO THIS GROUP TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WILL EXPLICITLY ALLOW IS SOMEBODY WHO, YOU KNOW, LIVES AND OWNS, OR I MIGHT SAY AGAIN, IF THEY'RE GONNA TRY TO BUILD A HOUSE, WILL RESIDE IN THAT PROPERTY.
AND MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING WE HAVE TO SAY.
IF THEY'RE GONNA GO THAT DIRECTION AND BUILD A HOUSE, THEY HAVE TO RESIDE IN IT FOR ONE YEAR AFTER, AFTER, YOU KNOW, CONSTRUCTION IS COMPLETE, YOU KNOW, CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY.
UH, SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE THAT GAME.
BUT I JUST THINK, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ONE OF OUR THINGS THAT WE'RE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT.
AND I ALWAYS GO BACK TO THIS, YOU KNOW, IF WE EVEN NEED TO GO AND SAY THAT, UH, THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION FOR PROPERTY TAXES IS IN THEIR NAME AND IT RESIDES THERE.
I KNOW THAT WAS ONE OF THE OTHER ONES THAT BROUGHT UP, BECAUSE AGAIN, TO ME, THAT'S A PROPERTY, RIGHT? THAT I OWN THE PROPERTY.
THE FIFTH AMENDMENT SAYS YOU CAN'T ILLEGALLY TAKE SOMETHING WITHOUT COMPENSATION.
YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SAYING WE SHOULD ALLOW PEOPLE TO DO CRAPPY WORK, BUT AS A HOMEOWNER WHO RESIDES THERE, I THINK THAT'S A PROPERTY, RIGHT? AND WE NEED TO GIVE THAT BACK TO THE HOMEOWNERS, WHICH, YOU KNOW, CURRENTLY WE DON'T HAVE.
REAL QUICK, UH, JUST TO KIND OF SUMMARIZE, BECAUSE I WANT TO KIND OF STEP THROUGH THIS 'CAUSE IT'S, IT'S A BIG THING AND THERE'S A COUPLE OF AVENUES THAT WE WANT TO REVIEW AND, AND KIND OF CHECK OFF THE BOXES OF APPROACH.
SO YOU KINDA MENTIONED A FEW OF THEM.
SO FIRST THERE'S THE THREE TRADES.
SO PLUMBING IS ALREADY ADDRESSED AND IT'S WRITTEN INTO, UH, OUR CHAPTER 10 ALREADY OF WHAT'S ALLOWED.
UH, WE BASICALLY TOOK THE STATE STATE CODE AND PUT THAT INTO CHAPTER 10 THAT ALLOWS THE PROPERTY OWNERS TO, TO PERFORM THAT.
SO PLUMBING'S ALREADY ALLOWED.
SO I DON'T, I THINK WE CAN KIND OF LEAVE PLUMBING TO THE SIDE.
SO NOW WE'RE MOSTLY JUST FOCUSING ON ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL AS THE ONLY OTHER TRADE, UH, PERMITS THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT CURRENTLY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE PULLED BY A NON, UH, REGISTERED, LICENSED, UH, PROFESSIONAL.
AND THEN THE NEXT QUESTION I WOULD SAY WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS IS WHAT KIND OF GREG BROUGHT UP OF, IS IT HOME OWNER OR IS IT HOME OCCUPIED, UH, BY THE OWNER? UH, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE KIND OF DISTINCTION WE NEED TO KIND OF TALK ABOUT, UM, IF WE MAKE ANY CHANGES AND MOVE FORWARD THOSE.
SO, UH, WE PULLED UP WHAT, UH, CHIEF GLEASON PUT OUT AND I SUBMITTED TO EVERYBODY ON THE ELECTRICAL SIDE.
SO I THINK WE CAN KIND OF START WITH THAT ON, UH, WHAT DOES THE BOARD, UH, RECOMMEND FOR THE BUILDING OFFICIAL TO DO AND ON WHICH IS IT ANY HOME BY OWNER OR HOME BY OCCUPIED OWNER? UH, THE 12 MONTH THING, UH, THAT YOU MENTIONED, GREG, THAT'S KINDA WHAT WE HAVE FOR THE BUILDING REQUIREMENTS.
THEY DO HAVE TO, UH, CERTIFY THAT THEY WILL, UH, RESIDE AT THE HOME FOR, FOR 12 MONTHS AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE PERMIT.
UM, I THINK THAT WE CAN EASILY CARRY THAT OVER AS WELL, BUT I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF HELP LEAD THAT CONVERSATION A LITTLE BIT SO WE CAN START WITH ELECTRICAL AND THEN ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, WHICH HOMES, UH, WOULD BE CONSIDERED AS WELL.
JEREMY TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT, ON THE ELECTRICAL PART OF THE WORK, THERE IS A PERMIT FOR MAINTENANCE BY ANYBODY.
SO, SO THAT COULD BE THE OWNER'S EMPLOYEES OR EXEMPT FROM LICENSURE IF YOU HAVE THIS PERMIT.
SO THAT, THAT WAS PRETTY MUCH FOR EVERYTHING.
ON HVAC, THERE IS A STATE STATUTE THAT EXEMPTS HOMEOWNERS AND OWNERS OF, UH, EMPLOYEES OF THE OWNERS FROM HAVING TO BE LICENSED.
SO IF YOU DON'T ISSUE THE PERMIT, THEN YOU HAVE, YOU'RE IN THAT CATCH 22 ELECTRICAL IS A, WAS DRAFTED, THE STATE STATUTE WAS DRAFTED A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY AND IT BASICALLY, THE STATE STATUTE DOES NOT APPLY IF THE CITY HAS SPECIFIC REGULATIONS REGULATING THIS AND THAT WE DO WANT ELECTRICAL.
AND SO THE, THE BIG QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW, DO YOU WANT TO ALLOW, THERE IS A WAY FOR A HOMEOWNER TO PUT PERMIT CURRENTLY ON THEIR CURRENT HOUSE TO DO CERTAIN KIND OF WORK.
SO, AND THEN WE TALKED ABOUT THIS BACK IN THE, UH, ADOPTION OF THE 2020 ONES, THE MAINTENANCE PERMITS.
SO WE DO HAVE THE MAINTENANCE PERMITS, UH, FOR BOTH ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL, BUT THOSE ARE FOR MULTIFAMILY HOMES OR MULTIFAMILY DEVELOPMENTS.
UH, MOSTLY RESIDES ELECTRICAL IS FOR COMMERCIAL PROPERTY.
COMMERCIAL, THE PLUMBING AND THE MECHANICAL ARE FOR MULTIFAMILY ONLY.
BUT THE ELECTRICAL, I BELIEVE IS EVERYBODY.
IN OTHER WORDS, ANY PROPERTY CAN PULL AN ELECTRICAL
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MAINTENANCE PERMIT BECAUSE IT APPLIES TO OFFICE BUILDINGS AND RETAIL CENTERS.AND CHIEF UH, GLEASON, CAN YOU, DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ANY OTHER MAINTENANCE PERMITS THAT WE HAVE? BECAUSE THEY'RE TWO SEPARATE PERMITS.
THE MAINTENANCE AND THE, I MEAN THE PLUMBING AND THE MECHANICAL IS A COMBO.
THE ELECTRICAL IS A SEPARATE IN, UH, CHAPTER 10, SECTION 10 DASH SIX, UH, ANNUAL ELECTRICAL MAINTENANCE PERMIT IS ISSUED BY THE CITY TILL ALL PROPERTY OWNER, PROPERTY LESSEE MANAGEMENT COMPANY TO EMPLOY PERSONS QUALIFIED BY THIS CODE TO MAINTAIN AND MAKE MINOR REPAIRS TO EXISTING ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS ON A PROPERTY THAT IS REGISTERED WITH THE DEPARTMENT.
AN ANNUAL ELECTRICAL MAINTENANCE PERMIT IS NOT REQUIRED WHEN THE PROPERTY OWNER, PROPERTY LESSEE OR MANAGEMENT COMPANY IS REGISTERED WITH THE CITY AS AN ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR OR EMPLOYS A MASTER ELECTRICIAN OF REC RECORD REGISTERED WITH THE CITY AS AN ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR WHO OVERSEES AND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ELECTRICAL MAINTENANCE.
AND THEN GOES ON TO DESCRIBE WHO'S QUALIFIED TO PERFORM WORK, THE MINIMUM OF WHICH IS A MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN.
BUT, BUT A HOMEOWNER COULD GET THAT BY REG BEING A MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN BECAUSE IT, IT, IT DOESN'T LIMIT IN THIS PARTICULAR ONE, WHICH KIND OF PROPERTY IT'S ANY PROPERTY.
IT'S NOT SPECIFICALLY SAYING MULTI-FAMILY OR COMMERCIAL.
IT'S, SO IF THEY WERE TO SHOW THAT THEY WERE QUALIFIED, THEN THEY COULD DO MINOR MAINTENANCE IN THEIR HOUSE WITHOUT THEIR HOUSE, WITHOUT ANYTHING.
UH, MAYOR PU ROBERT HANLEY, THEY HAVE TO MEET THE CITY REQUIREMENTS.
THEY'RE THE, UH, ARBITRATOR OF WHETHER THEY'RE QUALIFIED.
AND THERE THAT PROGRAM EXISTS.
YOU CAN, IT, THEY HAVE COURSES THAT YOU GET CERTIFIED, THE CITY ISSUES THEM A MAINTENANCE LICENSE AND YOU CAN PERFORM THE WORK.
UH, VALERIE, WHAT IS THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAINTENANCE SIDE? SO WE, WE UNDERSTAND THE JOURNEYMEN AND THE MASTERS.
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE OTHER TWO? I'M, I'M SORRY, THIS IS VALERIE GLEASON.
UM, PERSONS PERFORM ELECTRICAL ON THIS SECTION SHALL BE LICENSED OR REGISTERED AS REQUIRED BY CITY OR STATE.
ALL ELECTRICAL WORK PERFORMED AS MUST BE PERFORMED.
MASTER ELECTRICIANS, JOURNEYMEN MAINTENANCE, ELECTRICIANS OR ELECTRICAL MAINTENANCE TECHNICIANS, MAINTENANCE TECHNICIANS WILL HAVE TO COMPLETE EIGHT HOURS OF TRAINING APPROVED BY THE CODE OFFICIAL.
BUT BEFORE WE GO TOO FAR DOWN THAT, THAT ROAD, I MEAN THAT SECTION'S ALL ABOUT RECE.
I MEAN IT'S MINOR REPAIRS, RECEPTACLES, LIGHT SWITCHES, YOU KNOW, UH, MAYBE A MOTOR HERE OR THERE.
I MEAN, NOBODY'S PULLING A PERMIT FOR THAT NO MATTER WHAT.
I MEAN, LET'S JUST BE HONEST, LIKE JOHNNY HOMEOWNER AND JANE HOMEOWNER IS NOT GONNA, OH, I'VE GOTTA REPLACE THIS SWITCH IN MY DINING ROOM.
I BETTER CALL THE CITY SO I CAN GET IT INSPECTED.
YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IT'S JUST NOT GONNA HAPPEN.
UM, IT'S NOT, I MEAN I THINK MOST OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS MAJOR INSTALLATIONS, MAJOR REWIRING, UM, THAT'S NOT COVERED BY BY THAT.
UM, SO BEFORE WE SLIP TOO FAR INTO THAT, I THINK, YEAH, BUT I'LL SAY IT'S STILL THE SAME THING.
I MEAN, WE DON'T WANT, I MEAN, LET'S BE HONEST, YOU, SOMEBODY GETS P****D OFF AT YOU AT THE CITY AND NOW THEY'RE LOOKING AT YOU AND YOU GO OUTSIDE AND YOU REPLACE AN EXTERIOR GFI BECAUSE IT WAS BROKEN.
AND NOW IN THEORY, THE CITY COULD COME HIT YOU 'CAUSE WELL, YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR MAINTENANCE PERMIT, YOU DIDN'T PULL AN ELECTRICAL PERMIT.
YOU KNOW, THERE, WE, WE ALL KNOW THIS IS BEING DONE.
SO AT LEAST LET'S MAKE IT EASIER FOR A HOMEOWNER TO, TO DO THIS AND NOT BE A CRIMINAL.
YEAH, NO, I THINK I UNDERSTAND WHERE MIKE'S COMING FROM THOUGH OF, WE'RE ASKING FOR MORE THAN WHAT THIS LIMITED WORK IS.
SO MAYBE WE CAN CONTINUE THAT CONVERSATION OF WHAT DOES THIS BOARD RECOMMEND AS FAR AS WHO SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO THAT EXTENDED WORK.
'CAUSE IF THE EXTENDED WORK IS ALLOWED, THEN ALL THIS OTHER STUFF WOULD FALL WITHIN THAT.
BUT IF, IF FOR SOME, YOU KNOW, IF WE DECIDE NOT TO DO THAT, THEN MAYBE WE CAN REEVALUATE THIS AS WELL.
UH, BUT I THINK START WITH MORE EXTENDED WORK OF RUNNING BRANCH LINES, UH, YOU KNOW, KINDA REVIEWING WHAT, UH, CHIEF LEAKS AND PROVIDED OF SOME, YOU KNOW, WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE RECOMMENDING OR IMPROVED.
BUT I, I, THIS IS MIKE RUSS AGAIN, I DO AGREE WITH GREG IN THAT, YOU KNOW, THE PULLING OF THE PERMIT TRIGGERS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART, WHICH IS THE CITY INSPECTION, RIGHT? THAT'S WHAT WE WANT.
AND I TOO HAVE SEEN, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE GO OUT AND WE'RE BUYING THESE OLD HOMES THAT HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, WE CALL 'EM FRANKENSTEIN HOMES THAT HAVE ADDITION AFTER EDITION AND IT'S ALL DONE, YOU KNOW, WILDLY, THE EASIER IT IS TO GET A PERMIT SO THAT SOMEBODY COMES OUT AND INSPECTS IT, THE BETTER OFF, YOU KNOW, WE ARE.
'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE WANT IS THE WORK TO BE INSPECTED.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT'S GREG GETTING AT, GREG IS GETTING AT, I DON'T WANNA PUT WORDS IN YOUR MOUTH.
UM, AND I, AND I TEND TO AGREE WITH THAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE HOMEOWNER IS, IS UM,
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MOTIVATED TO, TO DO THE REWIRING.I MEAN, AND TO ME, I I, YOU KNOW, I THINK LIKE MOST OF US WOULD DO A LOT OF WORK IN MY OWN HOME, BUT TRYING TO REWIRE SOMETHING THAT'S A LITTLE BEYOND MY, UH, APPETITE
BUT, UM, IF I DID WANNA DO THAT, I WOULD, I WOULD HOPE THAT IT WOULD BE, UM, INSPECTED.
NOW I DID WANT TO PUT ONE CAVEAT ON, ON THE PERMIT THING, THE REFRIGERATION.
UM, YOU'D STILL, THAT MIGHT BE THE THING, IF YOU'RE PUTTING IN A SPLIT DX SYSTEM AND YOU'RE DEALING WITH REFRIGERATION AND REFRIGERATION LINES, THAT'S A WHOLE DIFFERENT BALLGAME BECAUSE NOW YOU GOTTA HAVE, YOU KNOW, A UNIVERSAL REFRIGERATION LICENSE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO THAT, THAT OTHER PIECE, EPA PIECE I THINK IS WHO'S GONNA DICTATE THAT? YOU GOTTA HAVE A REFRIGERATION LICENSE AND THAT MAY PREVENT A HOMEOWNER FROM, FROM DOING DX WORK.
BUT IF THEY WANT TO DROP A NEW DIFFUSER OR A, A NEW NEW GRILL SOMEPLACE IN THEIR HOUSE OR ADD AN EXTRA RETURN, YOU KNOW THAT THAT'S WHAT A, AGAIN, LIKE YOU SAID, IF THEY'RE MOTIVATED ENOUGH TO DO IT, LET'S LET'S MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO THEM.
AND THAT'S KIND OF GOING BACK TO THE MECHANICAL SIDE AND WE DID DO A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH AND WE'LL UH, BE READY TO KIND OF TALK ABOUT THAT, UM, AFTER THE ELECTRICAL ONE.
BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT'S KINDA MORE STATE AND FEDERAL UH, GUIDELINES.
BUT WE HAVE REVIEWED THAT AS WELL AND CAN DISCUSS THAT.
ALRIGHT, I THINK RON YOU WANNA GO AHEAD AND SAY SOMETHING AL UM, RON KAMIS AF, AFTER READING THROUGH UH, VALERIE'S RECOMMENDATIONS AND LOOKING AT SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS AS WE'VE TOUCHED ON HERE THIS MORNING, HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO IN AND SEE SOME OF THE INTERESTING WIRING THAT TAKES PLACE IN HOMES AND AS A RESULT OF PEOPLE'S MISUNDERSTANDING OF WHAT A SAFE INSTALLATION LOOKS LIKE.
IF I'M A HOMEOWNER AND I'M ONE OF THE FEW THAT'S GONNA DO A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH GOING TO THE CITY'S WEBSITE AND SAY, OH MY GOODNESS, I NEED TO PULL A, PULL A PERMIT.
SO I COME DOWN TO THE CITY TO DO SO AND I'M INFORMED THAT I NEED TO DEMONSTRATE THAT I HAVE AT LEAST SOME RUDIMENTARY SKILLS AND UNDERSTANDING OF ELECTRICAL WORK TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT WORK MYSELF.
DOES THAT I CAN EITHER ONE OF TWO THINGS RAISE MY LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING IF IT DOESN'T ALREADY EXIST SO THAT I CAN PULL THAT PERMIT OR I CAN EVALUATE AND SAY, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE SOME REALLY GOOD POINTS.
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THIS SAFELY.
MAYBE I NEED TO HIRE SOMEBODY AND RAISE A LEVEL OF AWARENESS.
WHEN I'VE TALKED TO FOLKS AND I'VE ASKED THEM, WHY DID YOU DO THAT? WELL IT WORKS NOT EXACTLY, YOU KNOW, WELL, YOU KNOW, IF I TURN LIGHT A ON IT'S BRIGHT.
IF I TURN LIGHT B ON A AND B GO DIM.
BUT IF I TURN JUST B ON, THEN A GOES, THEN IT'S BRIGHTNESS 'CAUSE THEY'VE WIRED 'EM IN SERIES INSTEAD OF IN PARALLEL.
SILLY LITTLE THINGS LIKE THAT HAPPEN EVERY DAY OUT THERE.
AND WE'VE GOT TO RAISE THE LEVEL OF AWARENESS SO THAT PEOPLE AREN'T DOING THINGS AND PUTTING THEIR THEIR HOMES IN JEOPARDY RAISE THE LEVEL OF AWARENESS.
AGAIN, THE SAD PART ABOUT THIS IS A LOT OF FOLKS THAT ARE GONNA BE OUT THERE DOING THIS NEVER REACH OUT TO THE CITY TO EVEN ATTEMPT TO PULL THE PERMIT.
BUT IF THEY DO, LET'S MAKE THEM AWARE THAT HEY, WE CAN HELP YOU GET FROM A TO B BY BRINGING, RAISING YOUR LEVEL OF AWARENESS.
AND THE ONE THING I WOULD ADD TO THAT IS THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME KIND OF AFFIDAVIT THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY GONNA BE DOING THE WORK.
AND THIS DOES NOT BECOME A WORKAROUND FOR HIRING HOMEOWNER, PULLING THE PERMIT AND THEN OTHERS ARE DOING THE WORK BECAUSE THAT REALLY, YOU WANT AN ELECTRIC CONTRACTOR THAT HAS INSURANCE AND ALL THAT STUFF.
BUT BECAUSE I THINK THAT IS ONE OF THE TRAPS THAT THIS WILL GO INTO THAT, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY WILL COME OUT AND SAY, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT LICENSED, BUT I'LL DO IT FOR HALF OF THE PRICE AND YOU PULL THE PERMIT AND I'LL DO THE WORK.
AND I DON'T THINK WE WANT TO DO THAT.
AND SO I JUST THINK SOMEWHERE IN THAT PROCESS, WHATEVER WE DO, THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME KIND OF AFFIDAVIT UNDER THE PENALTY OF PERJURY THAT, YOU KNOW, OR, OR THE GUYS DOING THE WORK, YOU KNOW, LOSE THEIR LICENSE AND CAN'T WORK DOING THAT.
SOME STIFF PENALTY FOR THOSE CASES WHERE IT'S, YOU KNOW, NOT KOSHER.
YEAH, I BELIEVE IN THE OTHER JURISDICTIONS, THE STUFF I HAD TO SIGN, UH, IT WAS, YOU HAD TO BE A, UH, EITHER THE OWNER OR IMMEDIATE FAMILY.
SO LIKE I, I BELIEVE IN NEBRASKA WE DID IS MY DAD PULLED THE PERMIT BECAUSE HE WAS THE ONE WHO OWNED THE PROPERTY.
AND THEN HIM AND I DID EVERYTHING BECAUSE IT, IT WAS EITHER YOU AS THE INDIVIDUAL OR IMMEDIATE HAD TO BE.
AND THAT'S HOW THEY AVOIDED THAT THING OF I'VE GOT A 23RD COUSIN, 16 TIMES REMOVED THAT, THAT'S AN ELECTRIC, YOU KNOW, AN ELECTRICIAN.
AND SINCE I WAS, I WAS GONNA END UP EVEN RESIDING IN THE HOUSE 'CAUSE I WAS STILL IN COLLEGE AT THE TIME.
THAT'S HOW THEY GOT AROUND THAT.
BUT I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THAT THING THAT WE DON'T WANT TO ALLOW, YOU KNOW, 26 COUSIN ONCE REMOVED TO, TO COME IN AND THEN DO THE WORK AFTERWARDS.
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IS, YOU KNOW, UM, PEOPLE JUST LOOK AT THIS LIKE A EASY THING TO DO GOING ON ONLINE NOW IT'S ALL OUT ON THE INTERNET.OH, I COULD WIRE UP A SWITCH OR PLUG AND MAKE IT WORK.
YEAH, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS YOU CAN MAKE A LIGHT BULB TURN ON.
IT'S THE SAFETY, SAFETY BEHIND IT, THE HAZARDS BEHIND IT.
IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG, WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN? AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I DON'T THINK THAT A HOMEOWNER KNOWS BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T, THEY DON'T HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE, ELECTRICAL KNOWLEDGE, THE PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE NEC CODE, YOU KNOW, KNOW THE HAZARDS BEHIND WHAT IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG, WE WIRE EVERYTHING UP TO THAT POINT, YOU KNOW, TO WHERE IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG, EVERYTHING'S GONNA WORK PROPERLY TO MAKE IT A SAFE THING.
AND I DON'T THINK IT DOES A HOMEOWNER LOOKING ON YOUTUBE VIDEO TO LEARN HOW TO DO SOMETHING AND WIRE IT UP UNDERSTANDS THE AFTERWARDS HOW IT IS OR, OR HOW SOMEBODY COULD GET HURT.
A FIRE COULD HAPPEN OR SOMEBODY COULD GET KILLED.
AND I, THAT'S MY CONCERN WITH JUST ALLOWING A HOMEOWNER TO COME IN AND DO THE WORK.
BUT THEN YOU'VE GOT THE INSPECTION AFTER THE WORD THAT AFTERWARD THAT'S GONNA BASICALLY ACCOMPLISH THE SAME OPTION.
BUT WHAT, WHEN YOU DO SAFETY, UH, WITH THE INSPECTION, YOU KNOW, YOU GOT THE ROUGH END INSPECTION AND THE TRIM OUT INSPECTION, BUT IT'S THE DETAILS INSIDE THERE.
ONCE THE COVER, ONCE THEY INSTALL THE PLUG AND COVER IT, IT'S THE JOURNEYMAN AND ELECTRICIAN THAT LOOKS AT THE APPRENTICE AND MAKE SURE THAT HE TERMINATED IT CORRECTLY, MADE SURE IT TIGHT, MADE SURE HE GROUNDED THAT BOX CORRECTLY.
IT'S THAT JOURNEYMAN THAT LOOKS AT THAT, THOSE DETAILS WHERE THE, THE CITY LOOKS AT THE OVERALL, RIGHT.
IT'S THE DETAILS THAT PUTS THE RESPONSIBILITY ON THE JOURNEYMAN AND THE MASTER ELECTRICIAN TO MAKE SURE THAT NOTHING'S GONNA BURN DOWN AND NOBODY GETS HURT.
JUST TO ADD, UM, I I SEE IT AS KIND OF PROBLEMATIC FOR A, FOR A FEW AREAS TO ALLOW HOMEOWNERS TO, UH, GET A PERMIT.
I I DO LIKE WHAT RON SAID, UM, TO RAISE THE LEVEL OF AWARENESS, VERY IMPORTANT.
BUT IF WE'RE GOING TO TRAIN HOMEOWNERS TO DO WIRING PROPERLY, IT'S A, THERE'S A COST TO THAT.
I THINK THERE'S A COST TO THE ELECTRICAL INSPECTIONS DEPARTMENT TO WORK WITH MORE FOLKS WHO DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
UM, ALTHOUGH SOME OF, SOME HOMEOWNERS DO.
I TOTALLY KNOW THAT THE OTHER THING ABOUT A HOME, YOU'RE GONNA ENCOUNTER REALLY BIZARRE WIRING THAT SOMEBODY DID.
I, IT IT'S ACTUALLY ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE YOU'RE WAY BETTER OFF TO HAVE A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN BECAUSE IT'S HARD TO FIGURE OUT WHY IT'S WRONG, WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED IF YOU DON'T HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE.
UM, AND I THINK THERE'S ALSO THE ANOTHER POINT WOULD BE THAT THERE'S GONNA BE, AND CONTINUE TO BE A, A CERTAIN AMOUNT, CERTAIN VOLUME OF WORK THAT'S DONE WITHOUT PERMIT.
AND I, I THINK ALSO THE WORK AROUND THAT KIND OF OPENS THE DOOR WHERE, UM, A TRADES GUY COULD SAY, WELL, YOU PULL THE PERMIT, I'LL DO THE WORK.
AND I MEAN, IT JUST OPENS THAT DOOR WIDE ON THAT ONE.
SO I, I KIND OF CONCUR WITH EDWARD ON THIS.
THIS IS CRAIG MCFARLAND, BUT WE CAN CLOSE THAT DOOR FOR THE 23RD COUSIN DOING THE WORK.
AND, AND AGAIN, IF WE DON'T DO THIS AND ALLOW A HOMEOWNER TO GET THE PERMIT, YOU'RE GONNA GET THE SAME CRAP THAT'S THAT'S GOING ON NOW.
LET'S AT LEAST TRY TO ALLOW IT AND FIX IT.
AND, AND I'LL ASK THIS QUESTION IS, IS THE INSPECTION DEPARTMENT IN ESSENCE SELF-FUNDING BY INSPECTION PERMITS OR UH, INSPECTION FEE, UH, PERMIT FEES? OR ARE THEY, SOME ARE IS A BIG CHUNK OF YOUR GUYS' BUDGET COMING FROM THE GENERAL FUND? 'CAUSE IF IT'S, IF YOU'RE SELF-SUPPORTING AND WE END UP HAVING TO, TO GO OUT SIX TIMES TO HELP A HOMEOWNER, I, I, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, YOU GET WHAT, TWO OR THREE INSPECTIONS OR, OR OR FAILURES BEFORE THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL CHARGE.
THERE'S ZERO NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES.
UH, WE ARE ENTERPRISE FUNDS, SO ALL FUNDING FOR THE DEPARTMENT COMES THROUGH OUR PERMITTING PROCESS, UH, AND THE FEES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.
UM, AND THEN THE, UH, THE REINSPECTION FEE.
SO SAY YOU GET A A, AN ELECTRICAL PERMIT, YOU WOULD GET A ROUGH IN AND A FINAL INSPECTION ASSOCIATED WITH THAT PERMIT.
IF YOU FAIL EITHER ONE OF THOSE, THERE'S A FEE ASSOCIATED WITH US COMING BACK OUT TO, TO COMPLETE THE NEXT INSPECTION.
SO IF YOU'VE GOT A HOMEOWNER WHO TAKES SIX INSPECTIONS, YOU'RE, YOU'RE SELF-FUNDED NOW YOU'RE, YOU'RE THOSE THAT PERMITEE IS HAVING TO PAY MORE FOR THEIR INSPECTION INSPECTION.
SO EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO HIRE ADDITIONAL PEOPLE TO IN ESSENCE TRAIN A HOMEOWNER, SO BE IT.
I, I I, I, I THINK I DISAGREE WITH THAT.
I MEAN, UM, THEY PAID MONEY, BUT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY COST
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TO ANY EVERYTHING.AND, AND FRANKLY, I MEAN, I'M NOT GONNA SPEAK FOR ANYBODY IN THE WHITE SHIRTS OVER THERE, BUT I'VE NEVER
THEY'RE GONNA SAY, CALL ME BACK WHEN YOU'RE READY AND THEY'RE GONNA WALK AWAY.
I, I WOULD THINK, I WOULD HOPE.
UM, SO YOU'RE NOT, I, YOU KNOW, AND THEY'RE NOT A TRAINING DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT.
SO I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK I'M, I'M, I FIND THE LAKE RON AND, AND RON AND, AND EDWARD KIND OF COMPELLING THEIR, THEIR THING AND ABOUT MAYBE WE JUST, UM, YEAH, BUT TOOK IT AS IS LIKE THE STATUS QUO AND THIS IS PROBABLY GOOD.
BUT AGAIN, LIKE YOU SAID, YOU, YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET A CRAP SHOW FROM SOMEBODY WHO'S PULLING A PERMIT IF THEY'VE GOT THE GUMPTION TO PULL A PERMIT.
I, I USE IT A A, A WILD EXAMPLE OF SIX.
YEAH, YOU MAY GET A FAILED WITH, YOU KNOW, A DOZEN WRITE-UPS.
BUT I, AS I'VE BEEN IN AUTHORITY HAVING JURISDICTION BEFORE, AND I HAVE DONE EXACTLY LIKE YOU SAID, I'VE FLOWN IN, FLOWN IN TO REVIEW SOMETHING MECHANICALLY ONE TIME TURNED AROUND AND WALKED AWAY AND SAID, I'M NOT GONNA DO IT.
AND THAT WAS, THAT WAS WITH PROFESSIONAL CONTRACTORS WORKING ON A MILITARY BASE.
AND, YOU KNOW, SO IT'S, IT, IT'S NOT JUST HOMEOWNERS WHO DO THAT.
SO AGAIN, I USE SIX AS AS A WILD EXAMPLE.
AND YOU KNOW, I, I'VE WALKED, LIKE I SAID, I'VE WALKED IN ON, ON LICENSED CONTRACTORS AND HAD PAGES OF WRITEUPS WHEN THEY SAID THEY WERE DONE.
AND THAT INCLUDES ELECTRICAL, MECHANICAL, PLUMBING, ARCHITECTURAL.
SO I MEAN, IT'S, EVERYBODY THINKS THIS IS JUST HOMEOWNERS ARE GONNA DO A CRAP SHOW.
AND I'VE WALKED IN AND SEEN PROFESSIONALS DO IT ON NEW BUILDS.
I IF WE'RE GONNA DO SOMETHING, I LIKE THE ONE THAT GALVESTON HAD WHERE THEY HAVE, LIKE RON SAID, COME IN AND PROVE TO THE INSPECTOR THEY HAVE THE COMPETENCE TO DO THE JOB BEFORE THE PERMIT'S ISSUED, WHICH I DON'T, YOU KNOW, WOULD BE OKAY.
I THINK THERE'S OTHER PARTS THAT MIGHT BE ADDED TO TAKE SOME OF THE STUFF THAT'S IN THAT MAINTENANCE THING AND JUST EXEMPT THAT FROM PERMITTING IF IT'S DONE BY THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY SO THAT THEY DON'T COME IN AND HAVE TO PULL A PERMIT TO REPLACE A SWITCH BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT GONNA DO THAT REGARDLESS.
THEY GO TO HOME DEPOT AND JUST BUY THE SWITCH AND DO IT ON SATURDAY AND CALL IT A DAY.
BUT THE OTHER THING I THINK WE HAVE TO BE CONCERNED WITH THAT IF ALL THE INSPECTORS ARE OUT INSPECTING ALL THESE PROPERTIES THAT HOMEOWNERS APPLY FOR, THAT'S GONNA SLOW DOWN THE CONSTRUCTION TRADES PEOPLE ALSO.
AND THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY A GOOD THING EITHER.
AND I TOTALLY AGREE WITH BOTH RON AND LON, THAT, YOU KNOW, HAVING HOMEOWNERS DO WIRING OF NEW THINGS WHERE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS PROBABLY THE WORST OF ALL WORLDS.
SO I WOULD JUST SUGGEST, BUT IT'S GONNA GET DONE ANYWAY.
I MEAN, THAT'S THE THING WE'RE DEALING WITH IS THE HOMEOWNER IS GONNA DO IT ANYWAY, LET'S TRY TO GET IT RIGHT AND IF WE NEED TO HIRE MORE ELECTRICAL INSPECTORS, LET'S DO IT.
BUT I WOULD MAKE THE CASE THAT THAT HOMEOWNER ISN'T GONNA COME AND PULL A PERMIT NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS.
SO, SO I DON'T, BUT I, I JUST THINK WE LEAVE IT LIKE IT IS AND YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A PROBLEM NOW.
NOBODY'S COMPLAINING ABOUT IT AND THE PERSON WHO'S I'LL COMPLAINING ABOUT IT, BECAUSE I CAN'T DO IT ON MY OWN HOME AND I'M NOT GONNA JEOPARDIZE MY PROFESSIONAL LICENSES OVER SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
SO I'M TRYING TO GET THE, YOU KNOW, LET'S GIVE A PROPERTY OWNER BACK THEIR PROPERTY RIGHTS.
UM, UH, MARK, WHEN YOU SAID YOU LIKED THE PROVISIONS IN THE GALVESTON, I I REALLY THINK THAT IT, IT, YOU KNOW THAT VALERIE AND HER TEAM NEEDS TO LOOK AT THESE AND I APPRECIATED READING ALL THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS FOR THE DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES THAT WERE DOING THIS.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UH, THEIR RECOMMENDATION IF WE'RE NOT GONNA KEEP IT LIKE IT IS.
I MEAN THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT GOOD SORT OF, UH, AREAS LIKE WHAT, HOUSTON, DALLAS, AUSTIN, GALVESTON, CORPUS, UH, SO I JUST LIKE TO SEE IF WE KEEP IT LIKE IT IS FINE, I'M OKAY WITH THAT.
BUT IF WE CHANGE IT, I THINK THAT'S THE RECOMMENDATION WE SHOULD BE GETTING FROM THE CITY.
I'D LIKE TO CLARIFY THAT CITY OF HOUSTON DOES NOT ALLOW THIS, UH, AND I WON'T REPEAT WHAT HE SAID WHEN I ASKED HIM.
UM, THE CITY OF DALLAS, UH, AND I SPOKE AGAIN WITH THE CHIEF FROM THE CITY OF DALLAS YESTERDAY.
THEY REQUIRE EXAMS FOR THE HOMEOWNERS TO PASS EXAMS. NOW, I HAVEN'T HAD EVIDENCE OF WHAT'S INVOLVED WITH THOSE EXAMS, BUT THEY MAKE DARN SURE THAT THOSE PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
AND WHILE I HAVE COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING, THERE ARE PEOPLE HERE THAT HAVE VERY GOOD KNOWLEDGE AND ARE ABLE TO DO THAT.
BUT IF WE GO OUT THERE AND THEY'RE DOING A PARTIAL REWIRE IN A HOUSE, WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE REST OF THAT WIRING LOOKS LIKE THAT THEY'RE CONNECTING TO, WHICH IS WHY I ALSO LISTED IN, IN THIS WRITEUP THAT IF WE WENT WITH THIS, IF WE HAD TO PROCEED WITH THIS, THAT WE STAY WITH HOUSES THAT ONLY HAVE FOUR WIRE SERVICES, THAT WE DON'T
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TOUCH THE HOUSES THAT HAVE A THREE WIRE SERVICE OR WIRE IN OBA TUBE.THOSE THINGS ARE JUST THE FRANKENSTEIN HOUSES OR SOME OF THE REALLY OLD WIRING THAT STUFF NEEDS TO BE, WE NEED TO STAY AWAY FROM THAT.
AND I JUST NEED TO, I JUST REALLY WANNA MAKE THE POINT THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT LIFE SAFETY.
OKAY? FIRES, ONE OF THE PRICES YOU PAY FOR LIVING IN A MUNICIPALITY ARE STRICTER RULES AND LAWS BECAUSE OF HOW IT AFFECTS PROPERTIES AND PEOPLE AROUND YOU.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE DYING IN BEXAR COUNTY? HOW MANY FIRES DO ELECTRICAL FIRES DO WE HAVE IN BEXAR COUNTY VERSUS THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO? I BET THERE'S NOT A WHOLE LOT OF DIFFERENCE.
YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT'S THE SAME THING WHEN I LIVED IN BEXAR COUNTY, I COULD DO OUTSIDE OF THE METER, I COULD DO WHATEVER I WANT.
AND SO AGAIN, WE, WE SAY IT'S LIFE SAFETY.
SHOW ME THE FACTS WHERE EVERYBODY'S DYING IN BEXAR COUNTY WHERE IT'S NOT, NOT, NOT EVEN REGULATED AT ALL.
AND YOU KNOW THAT AGAIN, WE'RE, IF YOU WANNA MAKE A SAFER, SAFER CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, LET PEOPLE PULL PERMITS AND GET INSPECTED.
THAT'S HOW WE MAKE PEOPLE SAFER.
IF WE'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT SAFETY.
SO BRIAN SMITH, UH, JACK, I THINK WE EITHER NEED TO MAKE A MOTION OR WE WE NEED TO MOVE ON OR, OR GET SOME RESOLUTION.
SO EITHER WE VOTE ON SOMETHING HERE TO DO IT OR, YEAH, I THINK, UH, THIS HAS BEEN DISCUSSED, UH, AD NAUSEUM A LITTLE BIT.
UM, AND EVERYBODY'S GOT AN OPINION ON IT.
UH, YOU KNOW, YOU THINK ABOUT JUST THE COMMON EVERYDAY OCCURRENCE IN SOMEBODY'S HOME AND THAT'S SAY, HEY, I NEED SOME WORK DONE.
EVERYBODY CALLS A HANDYMAN AND THEY GET A HANDYMAN OVER THERE AND THEY DO ALL KIND OF THINGS AND THEY DON'T PULL ANY PERMITS ON ANYTHING.
AND YOU COULD SAY, WELL, I DID IT MYSELF.
OR ACTUALLY, YOU WATCH THE HANDYMAN, YOU GAVE 'EM A SCREWDRIVER OR A PAIR OF PLIERS AND THAT, THAT HAPPENS ALL DAY, EVERY DAY.
YOU SEE JOE'S HANDYMAN TRUCKS DRIVING ALL OVER THE CITY AND NONE OF THOSE ARE PULLING PERMITS AND THAT FALLS ON THE HOMEOWNER MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.
WELL, IT'S THE HOMEOWNER THAT HIRED THE GUY AND IT'S NOT THE CITY'S FAULT, YOU KNOW, THEY WENT AND HIRED SOMEBODY.
BUT I, I DO THINK IF, IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY, UH, A MOTION HERE OF SOME SORT THAT TIES THIS ALL TOGETHER, 'CAUSE WE'VE GOT FOUR DIFFERENT CITIES WITH FOUR DIFFERENT OPINIONS AND THEN WE HAVE OUR OWN OPINIONS IN HERE AND WE'RE JUST KIND OF GOING IN A CIRCLE.
I THINK THAT JUST LIKE THE REGISTRATION, I THINK THIS COULD BE, UH, HANDLED IN A TASK FORCE, SOMETHING THAT WE COULD LOOK FORWARD, DEEP DIVE INTO A LITTLE BIT, FIND SOME MORE INFORMATION, GET SOME OF THE DATA, WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
BUT FOR RIGHT NOW, WE'RE, WE'RE NEEDING TO MOVE FORWARD.
SO DO WE WANT TO TABLE THIS UNTIL WE GET ANOTHER, UH, I THINK YOU PUT A WORKING GROUP TOGETHER JUST LIKE THAT.
YOU ALRIGHT? JUST LIKE WE, I THINK THERE'S A POSSIBILITY ON THESE ISSUES THAT, THAT NEED FOLLOW UP AND A WHOLE LOT MORE STUDY.
AND I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE A COUPLE OF MORE BEFORE WE'RE DONE THAT WE JUST WORK ON IT.
AND JUST BECAUSE THE CODE CYCLES EVERY THREE YEARS, IF THE WORKING GROUP COMES UP WITH A RECOMMENDATION, WE CAN HAVE A BOARD MEETING AND FORWARD THAT AS JUST A ONE AMENDMENT THING TO THE CITY.
THAT SHOULD BE REAL EASY TO GO THROUGH RIGHT NOW.
SO RIGHT NOW WE JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE WHAT, WHAT ARE WE, ARE WE MODIFYING SOMETHING 'CAUSE THEY NEED SOMETHING TO BE ABLE TO HAVE WE VOTE AND BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD.
IS THAT CORRECT, JEREMY? CORRECT.
SO UNLIKE WHAT WE, WHAT WE DID ON THE CHANGE FOR THE CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION WAS TO BROADEN IT TO WHERE WE WOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS BOARD AND, AND RETROACTIVELY MAKE SOME CHANGES ON WHO CAN BE CERTIFIER, UH, REGISTERED WITH US.
UH, WITHOUT GOING BACK TO CITY COUNCIL, THIS, I THINK IF A WORKING GROUP HAS CREATED, WE WOULD HAVE TO TAKE THIS BACK TO CITY COUNCIL.
'CAUSE WE CURRENTLY HAVE IN CHAPTER 10 WHO IS ALLOWED TO PULL PERMITS AND IT'S, AND IT'S CAPPED.
SO, AND I DON'T THINK, BASED OFF THIS CONVERSATION, THE CITY'S READY FOR US TO OPEN THAT, MAKE THAT TOO OPEN-ENDED WITHOUT MORE GUIDANCE FROM THE BOARD, UH, THROUGH THE SUBCOMMITTEE.
BUT I, I THINK WE WOULD RATHER HAVE TO GO TO THE CITY COUNCIL TO MAKE THIS CHANGE.
UH, IF WE WANT TO TABLE IT NOW, THEN MAKE SOME LANGUAGE THAT KIND OF MAKES IT TOO GRAY, UH, THEN MAKES IT HARD FOR US TO ENFORCE THINGS LATER ON.
UH, SO THAT WOULD BE THE CITY'S RECOMMENDATION.
IF, IF Y'ALL LOOK AT THE TABLE, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, CREATE A SUBCOMMITTEE, REVIEW THIS, AND WE'RE HAPPY TO GO BACK TO CITY COUNCIL TO ADDRESS THIS INDIVIDUALLY THEN, UH, TO TRY TO MAKE IT TOO GRAY RIGHT NOW.
AND THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE DONE SOONER THAN LATER.
NO, THERE'S NO TIMETABLE ON THIS.
THE WHOLE POINT IS WE, I THINK THE GOAL IS TO NOT SLOW DOWN THE I CODE ADOPTION PROCESS, UH, BASED OFF THIS CONVERSATION.
UH, BUT TO SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW, THIS IS IMPORTANT.
WE WANTED TO MOVE FORWARD AND, YOU KNOW, STAFF WILL WORK WITH THE BOARD.
WE CAN GET SOME MEETINGS STARTED EARLY NEXT YEAR, UH, TO KIND OF LOOK AT THIS ALONG WITH THE CERTIFICATION, UH, FOR HOME BUILDERS.
FOR RIGHT NOW, YOU'RE RECOMMENDED JUST LEAVE IT LIKE IT IS UNLESS Y'ALL COME UP WITH A VERY CLEAR INDICATION OF WHAT Y'ALL WANT TO DO.
BUT IF YOU'RE GONNA TABLE IT, I DON'T WANT TO, I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THAT WE MAKE ANY CHANGES.
THAT MAKES IT TOO GREAT WITHOUT SPECIFIC LANGUAGE THAT WE'RE GONNA ADD.
UH, SO YEAH, LEAVE IT AS IS IF YOU'RE GONNA TABLE.
JEREMY, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.
UH, IF WE LEAVE IT AS IT IS RIGHT NOW, MY UNDERSTANDING IT DOESN'T PREVENT US BEFORE THE NEXT CYCLE IN THREE YEARS, MAKING A MODIFICATION THROUGH SOME OF THE OTHER TOOLS THAT THE CITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES HAS, IS TO CORRECT THAT.
[00:50:01]
CAN MAKE THE CHANGE.IT'S JUST THIS WOULD'VE TO GO TO CITY COUNCIL FOR THAT.
UH, SO IT'S, IT'S A BIGGER HURDLE, BUT WE THINK THAT'S THE BEST PROCESS IN PLACE.
I MOVE THAT WE LEAVE IT AS IT IS MR. EDWARD DEL TORO SECOND NAME.
ANY NEED TO ANY MORE DISCUSSION? 1 1, 1 FINAL COMMENT I'D LIKE TO MAKE, I I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HELPS US DO THAT, IF WE DO MAKE ANY CHANGES MOVING FORWARD, IT GIVES STAFF AN OPPORTUNITY TO EVALUATE THAT CHANGE.
AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN ON MANAGING THAT CHANGE? YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THAT'S A COMPONENT OF THIS THAT COULD COME INTO PLAY, THAT COULD BE A VERY SERIOUS RAMIFICATION THAT WE NEED TO BE SENSITIVE TO.
I THINK EVERYTHING THE CITY DOES IS, UH, SAFETY AND HEALTH IS NUMBER ONE.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE BIG RESPONSIBILITY.
I, I'D LIKE TO FOLLOW UP ON RON'S SOLOMON SERIOUS COMMENT WITH MY OWN THAT THIS RE I THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THAT TOGETHER AND IT JUST REINFORCES MY OPINION THAT WE SHOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING THAT AUSTIN DOES THE WAY THEY DO IT.
UH, YOU COULD, IF A HOMEOWNER IS GONNA PULL THEIR OWN PERMIT, THEN WE'RE ASSUMING THAT THEY'RE GONNA ALWAYS HAVE INSPECTIONS.
AND CURRENTLY, I MEAN THE WAY CITY HAS HAS MADE THE ADJUSTMENTS TO HOLD THE CONTRACTORS ACCOUNTABLE IS DOING BASICALLY A 12 MONTH REVIEW AND THEN NOTIFYING YOU THAT YOU'VE GOT LOTS OF OPEN PERMITS.
SO WE HAVE THAT CONCERN, OR I WOULD HAVE THAT CONCERN THAT THAT, UH, UH, THOSE PERMITS BEING UNINSPECTED WOULD FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS.
MAYBE THE WHOLE RESOLUTION WOULD BE THE MINUTE THAT HOMEOWNER HAS PULLED HIS OWN PERMIT, YOU PUT IT TO THE STRIKE TEAM TO DO ALL THE INSPECTIONS AND LET THEM MAKE THE DETERMINATIONS.
THAT WAY YOU'D HAVE THE ABILITY TO LET THE HOMEOWNERS PULL THE PERMITS.
CERTAINLY GOOD FOR, FOR UH, CONSIDERATION.
JEREMY, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? WELL, I GUESS THE GOOD NEWS IS AT LEAST A HOMEOWNER CAN PULL A BUILDING PERMIT TODAY.
SO WE'VE TAKEN A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? GOT A MOTION AND SECOND.
ALL OPPOSED? A MOTION CARRIES THAT ONE NAY ONE NAY.
IT WAS, IT WAS LOW AND DEEP, BUT I GOT IT.
WELL, UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND I JUST WANTED FOR CLARIFICATION, SO THAT THAT WOULD BE FOR BOTH, UH, ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL.
UH, SO GREG, I KNOW WHEN YOU BROUGHT THIS UP, AS I MENTIONED, WE PLUMBING'S ALREADY IN THE BOOKS.
SO, UH, WE'LL OUR RECOMMENDATION, WE'LL WORK WITH THE BOARD TO SET UP SOMETHING, WHETHER IT BE A SUBCOMMITTEE OR TASK FORCE TO COME UP WITH A PROCESS FOR REVIEWING BOTH ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL.
UM, AND COME BACK AND, AND LOOK AT THAT.
SO WE'LL, UH, TABLE THAT FOR THAT.
SO THAT'S EVERYTHING WE HAD BESIDES LOOKING AT THE, UM, INTERNET, UH, I'M SORRY, THE, THE WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE CODE.
DO WE WANT TO TAKE A BREAK BEFORE LOOKING AT THAT? OR, OR RUN RIGHT INTO THAT.
SO A QUICK BIO, JEREMY, IS THIS THE LAST ITEM? YES, THIS WILL BE THE LAST ITEM.
YEAH, JUST A QUICK BREAK HERE.
OUR FIVE MINUTE BREAK IS OVER
UH, SO SORT OF TO START WITH THIS, TRYING TO GET TO THE SUM PORTION, SOME ADOPTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE CODE.
UM, AS BACKUP TODAY, I ALSO HAVE LIEUTENANT HENDRICKSON FROM THE WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE CODE TEAM.
UH, ACTUALLY FIRE STATION 53 IS DEDICATED TO WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE.
AND SO, UM, SAN ANTONIO FIRE DEPARTMENT IS TAKING THIS SERIOUS.
SO LEMME START AS SORT TO BEGIN WITH THE WHY.
UM, I THINK THE ADOPTION OF PART OF THIS, IF NOT ALL OF THIS, IS IT WILL REDUCTION OF TIMELINE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION IF AND WHEN THE CITY COUNCIL EVER DECIDES TO IMPLEMENT IT.
UM, IF IT, IF ADOPTED, UM, IF THE CITY COUNCIL COULD CHOOSE TO IMPLEMENT IT IN A YEAR, FIVE YEARS, OR NEVER AT ALL.
IT'S MORE OR LESS JUST A TOOL IN THEIR TOOLBOX TO USE IN CASE THE SITUATION ARISES.
NUMBER TWO, IT UNDERSCORES THE IMPORTANCE OF WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE AND SHOWS PROACTIVITY, UH, ON FIRE PREVENTION.
AND NUMBER THREE, IT ALLOWS, UH, WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE AND GIVES DIRECTION TO THE WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE, UH, FIREFIGHTING TEAM TO FOCUS ON PRE-PLANNING ON CERTAIN AREAS IN THE
[00:55:01]
CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.MOST NOTABLY, THOSE WITHIN LIKE 40 CONTIGUOUS SQUARE, UH, 40 CONTINUOUS AREAS IN THE, WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
SORT OF THE SCOPE, UH, THE SCOPE OF THE CODE IS DESIGNED TO INTRODUCE NEW STANDARDS FOR CONSTRUCTION, VEGETATION MANAGEMENT AND DEFENSIBLE SPACE, PRIMARILY TARGETING AREAS WITH HIGHER RISK DUE TO NEARBY NATURAL FUELS AND SPECIFIC TERRAIN CHARACTERISTICS, WHICH YOU WILL NOTE 40 CONTIGUOUS ACRES.
THE OBJECTIVE IS TO ESTABLISH MINIMUM SAFETY STANDARDS FOR THE DESIGN CONSTRUCTION MAINTENANCE OF STRUCTURES WITHIN DESIGNATED WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE ZONES.
THE WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE ZONES WILL, CAN ONLY BE DESIGNATED BY THE CITY COUNCIL UPON ADVICE OF THE FIRE CHIEF.
THE KEY PROVISIONS, UH, BUILDING REQUIREMENTS MANDATORY USE OF IGNITION RESISTANT MATERIALS FOR WALLS, EAVES, AND VENTS.
OUR STRUCTURES NEAR HIGHER FUEL ZONES WITHIN 50 FEET.
IF IT'S OUTSIDE 50 FEET, THEN IT HAS TO BE SORT OF ENCLOSED WITHIN I THINK THREE QUARTER INCH MATERIAL PERMIT REGULATIONS, UH, REQUIREMENTS FOR PERMITS ON STRUCTURAL MODIFICATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS TO ENSURE ADHERENCE TO SAFETY STANDARDS, ACCESS AND WATER SUPPLY, SPECIFICATION OF FIRE APPARATUS, ACCESS AND WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS FOR NEW DEVELOPMENTS OF HIGH RISK AREAS AND VEGETATION AND DEFENSIBLE SPACE.
UM, UM, THE IMPACT IF IT'S LOCATED WITHIN 50 FEET OF A CONTIGUOUS AREA OF 40 ACRES OR MORE, BASICALLY WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE IS USE OF IGNITION RESISTANT MATERIALS OR MATERIALS RATED FOR AT LEAST ONE HOUR OF FIRE RESISTANCE TREATED LUMBER OR FIRE RETARDANT PLYWOOD.
UM, EXTERIOR GLAZING, UH, ACCEPTABLE GLAZING INCLUDES TEMPERED GLASS, MULTI-LAYERED GLAZE PANELS, UM, FOR STRUCTURES LOCATED MORE THAN 50 FEET FROM A CONTIGUOUS AREAS AREA, 40 ACRES OR GREATER.
NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, EAVES, SOFFITS FASCIA BEING ENCLOSED IN SOLID MATERIALS AT LEAST THREE QUARTERS INCH THICK.
UM, COMBUSTIBLE CONSTRUCTION COMBUSTIBLE ELEMENTS SUCH AS EASE FASCIA AND SOFFITS SHOULD FOLLOW ENCLOSURE GUIDELINES, BUT ARE NOT REQUIRED TO USE IGNITION RESISTANT OR FIRE RATED MATERIALS.
THAT'S SORT OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO, IN A, TO DO IN A BIG SCOPE OF THINGS IN A VERY GENERAL SENSE.
UM, I THINK 3 0 2, DO YOU HAVE THE, UM, 3 0 2 0.1, 3 0 2 1, I THINK THE LAST SENTENCE? THE CITY COUNCIL MUST ADOPT FINDINGS OF FACT THAT SUPPORT DESIGNATING AN AREA AS WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE AREA.
THIS GOES BACK TO MY FIRST POINT IS THAT THIS IS ONLY MEANT TO GIVE, PUT A TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX OF CITY COUNCIL.
IT COULD BE USED NEXT YEAR, FIVE YEARS FROM NOW, OR NEVER USED AT ALL.
IT'S JUST A TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX.
SHOULD THEY DES SHOULD THEY DESIRE TO USE IT IN CASE OF A VERY BAD YEAR? A WILDLAND INTERFACE.
UM, LIKE I SAID, WE DID CITY, THE SAN ANTONIO FIRE DEPARTMENT DOES BELIEVE THAT WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE IS A PROBLEM ENOUGH THAT WE ESTABLISHED FIRE STATION 53.
AND LIEUTENANT HENDRICKSON CAN SORT OF CALL, CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT THEY DO ON A DAILY BASIS, WEEKLY BASIS, UM, WHAT THEIR JOB DUTIES ARE.
BUT THIS IS JUST SORT OF ADOPTION OF THIS IS JUST SORT OF UNDERSCORE THE IMPORTANCE OF, UH, WHILE LEONARD URBAN INTERFACE AND THE SEVERITY THAT, YOU KNOW, WILDLAND URBAN, WILDLAND URBAN FIRES CAN HAVE, UM, CAN I'M OPEN, JUMP IN REAL QUICK.
YEAH, I JUST WANT TO ADD A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT.
UM, SO JEREMY MCDONALD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, THIS IS A CONTINUATION FROM OUR BUILDING AND FIRE CODES, UH, SUBCOMMITTEE, WHICH I KNOW A LOT OF Y'ALL ARE SITTING ON, BUT I KNOW SOME OF Y'ALL ARE NOT PART OF THAT.
SO THIS WAS TABLED BY THAT SUBCOMMITTEE.
UH, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS A FEW YEARS BACK, 2019, I THINK, UH, OR 2016 IS THE WORKING PLAN THAT CITY COUNCIL CAME UP WITH IN 20 18 20 18.
SO THEY, THEY HAD CREATED A WORKING PLAN FOR WILDLAND INTERFACE, UH, URBAN AND WILDLAND INTERFACE.
AND PART OF THAT WAS, UH, TO REVIEW AND ADOPT THE INTERNATIONAL WILDLAND INTERFACE CODE, UH, BY ICC AND ALSO SET SOME GUIDELINES AND SOME REVIEWS OF WHAT AREAS COULD TECHNICALLY FALL WITHIN A WALLIN INTERFACE.
IT DIDN'T SPECIFY ANYWHERE IN THE CITY.
SO THIS IS, WAS JUST KIND OF A WORKING PLAN IN CASE THEY EVER DECIDE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT ACTION.
SO, UH, AS, AS CHIEF WESTBROOK MENTIONED, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW IS NOT TO ADOPT, TO BE ENFORCED BY ANY AREA IN THE CITY.
IT'S MORE IF THE CITY DOES CREATE A CERTAIN BOUNDARY.
UM, AND THIS KIND OF CAME UP DURING THE SUBCOMMITTEE MEETINGS, UH, BY ONE OF OUR NON-BOARD MEMBERS, SAL GARCIA, KIND OF SAYING, WHERE'S THE DETAILED MAP? WHAT IS THE ACTUAL PROPERTY THAT WOULD BE IMPACTED BY THIS? THAT HASN'T BEEN DEVELOPED YET, BUT WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS HAVE SOMETHING IN THE BOOK SO THAT IF
[01:00:01]
CITY COUNCIL WERE TO MOVE FORWARD, CREATE THAT WHICH WOULD BE ITS OWN PROCESS.IT WOULDN'T BE SOMETHING DONE OVERNIGHT.
IT WOULD, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT AN AREA, WORK WITH THOSE STAKEHOLDERS, UH, PROPERTY OWNERS AND REVIEW THAT AND DETERMINE WHAT BOUNDARIES ARE THERE.
IT'S JUST IF A BOUNDARY IS CREATED, WHAT ARE THEN THE GUIDELINES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT IN THOSE BOUNDARIES MOVING FORWARD.
WE WOULD HAVE THIS IN PLACE ALREADY, UH, FOR THAT INSTEAD OF DOING THAT AT THE SAME TIME.
SO THAT, THAT COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN WAS CREATED IN 2016, UM, WITH CITY COUNCIL AND A LOT OF STAKEHOLDERS IN THE CITY.
UH, AND THERE ARE SOME PRETTY DETAILED MAPS APART THE PROBLEM AREAS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR REGION IN, IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, UH, THAT WE COULD USE THAT AS A WORKING BASIS TO IMPLEMENT THESE BUILDING CODES.
UM, BUT REALLY A LOT OF THIS JUST ENTAILS HOW DO WE PREVENT MASS DESTRUCTION OF NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WE'VE SEEN IN TEXAS HAPPEN IN YEARS PASS? RIGHT.
SO, UM, 2011 WAS A BAD FIRE YEAR.
UH, STEINER RANCH LOST 22 HOMES, 23 HOMES, AND IT TOOK SEVEN HOURS FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO EVACUATE ONE NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE THE BUILDING CODE WASN'T ADOPTED.
SO THEY HAD A ONE WAY IN ONE WAY OUT NEIGHBORHOOD IN A VERY HIGH VEGETATIVE AREA.
SO SEVEN HOURS FOR ONE NEIGHBORHOOD TO GET EVACUATED BECAUSE FIRE TRUCKS WERE GETTING JAMMED UP, CARS WERE GETTING JAMMED UP.
IT WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, NOT A VERY WELL THOUGHT OUT NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, WHICH COULD BE PREVENTED, UM, BY TYING INTO A SECONDARY ACCESS POINT ON A ROAD AND JUST KIND OF MAKING A LOOP INSTEAD OF HAVING THAT ONE WAY IN ONE WAY OUT THING.
UH, THE OTHER POINT OF THESE BUILDING CODES FOR THE ENCLOSURES, UH, STATISTICALLY FIRES DON'T CATCH THE HOUSE ON FIRE AS THEY'RE PASSING THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT'S THE EMBER CAST THAT SITS IN THE EAVES THAT SITS IN THE SOFFITS OR THE GUTTERS THAT SIT THERE IN SMOLDER AND THEY START BURNING AFTERWARDS AND THEY CATCH THAT ONE-DIMENSIONAL LUMBER, UM, ON FIRE QUICKER THAN IT WOULD IF IT WAS A DIMENSIONAL LUMBER OR HAD SOME FIRE RESISTIVE MATERIAL, UM, IMPLEMENTED ON THE BUILDING.
UH, THE OTHER THING THAT IT HAS IS SOME MESH, UH, SOME WIRE SCREEN.
I THINK IT'S LESS THAN ONE EIGHTH INCH THICK OPENINGS THAT ALSO COSTS OR CATCHES THE EMBER CAST, KEEPS IT FROM GOING INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE ATTIC OR VENTS OF THOSE HOMES AND STARTING A INTERIOR STRUCTURE FIRE THAT WE'D HAVE TO ACTUALLY GO OFFENSIVE IN AND TIE UP MORE RESOURCES WHILE WE'RE TRYING TO SAVE 20 HOMES.
NOW WE'RE TIED UP IN SAVING TWO OR THREE HOMES THAT ARE ACTUALLY BURNING INTERIOR.
SO, UM, JUST A LITTLE BIT OF HELP ON THE BUILDING CODE SIDE FOR US TO BE MORE OPERATIONALLY EFFECTIVE IF AND WHEN THIS EVENT ACTUALLY OCCURRED.
SO TWO THINGS IS IF EVERYWHERE ON YOUR MAP WAS THE COUNCIL SAID WERE ADOPTING IT ALL, HOW MANY HOUSES ARE AFFECTED BY THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST QUESTION I HAVE.
AND I DON'T KNOW THAT YOU HAVE THAT INFORMATION.
YEAH, SO I MEAN THE WAY THE CODE IS WRITTEN, THE RETROACTIVITY, LIKE IT'S NOT ANYTHING RETROACTIVE, RIGHT? SO IT WOULD BE YOU REMODEL REPLACE, RIGHT? DO SOMETHING SOMEBODY BE, SO EVERY TIME A ROOF IS REPLACED FROM A HAILSTORM, IT WOULD HAVE TO COMPLY WITH THIS.
SO I THINK PART OF WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW IS HOW MUCH, WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM EXPOSURE? BUT THE OTHER THING I WOULD LIKE, AND I DON'T THINK, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT IN THE BUILDING INDUSTRY ANYMORE, BUT WHAT MATERIALS ARE OKAY, WHAT MATERIALS ARE NOT OKAY, HOW MUCH EXTRA IS A HOUSE THAT'S GOING TO COST? YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IF ALL WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS A MANDATE THAT YOU HAVE HARDY PLANK AND SOME KIND OF NON, YOU KNOW, FIRE ROOF, IT MIGHT NOT BE A BIG DEAL.
WHAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR BRIAN SMITH, WHAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR HERE, AGAIN, I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH THAT, BUT AS FAR AS FROM COSTS AND ESPECIALLY THE COSTS THAT WE'VE HAD FOR THE LAST THREE, FOUR YEARS, THIS IS SUBSTANTIAL COST.
IS THAT YOUR QUESTION MARK? BECAUSE I THINK THERE, THERE MAY BE SOME OF THE STUFF IN THERE THAT'S NOT REAL SUBSTANTIAL AND MAYBE THAT'S, THIS WOULD AGAIN, I THINK WOULD BE A GOOD ONE FOR OUR SUBCOMMITTEE TO GO DEEP INTO.
'CAUSE I THINK WE COULD DO SOME THINGS THAT ARE MINOR THAT COULD BE A BIG HELP FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR SOME THINGS.
BUT JUST READING THROUGH THIS, THERE'S SOME SPECIFIC THINGS IN HERE THAT CAN ADD TO A COST AND MAKE IT UNAFFORDABLE, UH, ON SOME THINGS AS WELL AS SAY IF YOU HAVE AN EXISTING HOUSE AND IF WE WANTED TO ADD ON A, A DECK OR THOSE TYPE OF THINGS, IT CHANGED COMPLETELY.
A LOT OF THE COMPONENTS YOU WANT TO USE.
A LOT OF WHAT THEY WANT TO USE ARE COMPOSITE DECKING THAT DON'T MEET THESE TYPE OF RATINGS TREATED LUMBER THAT'S UNDERNEATH NOW HAS TO BE FIRE RATED THERE.
THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT DETAILS THAT ARE IN HERE THAT CAN CHANGE THE AVAILABILITY PRICE, UH, OF JUST SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE MODIFYING IN AN EXISTING HOUSE.
IO OVERALL, I THINK THIS AGAIN WOULD BE GOOD IF WE COULD GO INTO A SUBCOMMITTEE, GO INTO DETAILS, MAYBE BE ABLE TO TWEAK IT SO THAT WE CAN
[01:05:01]
MOVE EASIER THINGS FIRST AND THEN DIG INTO A LITTLE BIT LATER, HEY ARE THESE SOME OTHER THINGS AS AS AVAILABILITY AND PRICE BECOMES AVAILABLE THAT WE CAN MAKE SOME ADDITIONAL CHANGES THAT, THAT DO HELP AND MAKE THAT HOUSE MORE FIRE RESISTANT, ESPECIALLY IN THESE AREAS.'CAUSE THESE ARE SOME OF THE TROUBLED AREAS.
YEAH, I WOULD TOTALLY SUPPORT THAT.
JUST PUTTING TOGETHER A WORKING GROUP BECAUSE I THINK YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO INVOLVE, THIS IS GONNA BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT WORKING GROUP BECAUSE I THINK YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO INVOLVE SOME NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION PEOPLE BECAUSE THIS IS GOING TO REALLY AFFECT THEM BIG TIME IN THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE CURRENT HOUSES WITHIN THEIR SUBDIVISIONS AND AS WELL AS BUILDERS AND OTHER, YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE GAMBIT TO HAVE A, SOMETHING THAT COULD BE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AT THE END OF THE DAY.
BRIAN SMITH, SO THIS IS EVEN MORE SO THIS IS THEIR COMMUNITY CENTERS AND THEN YOU GET INTO COMMERCIAL.
SO THIS IS JUST RESIDENTIAL, BUT ONCE YOU DO THIS, THIS IS ALSO A COMMERCIAL.
MAKING SURE ALL THE COMMERCIAL, MOST OF THE COMMERCIALS WILL PROBABLY MEET MOST OF THESE CRITERIA ALREADY.
BUT IT'S THE RESIDENTIAL, UH, THAT'S GONNA BE A, A BIG DIFFERENCE.
UM, AND A LOT OF IT HAS TO DO WITH AVAILABILITY AND PRICE, HOW IT'S GONNA CHANGE A PARTICULAR HOUSE.
AND IF Y'ALL HAVE SEEN THE PRICES IN THE LAST THREE, FOUR YEARS FOR A RESIDENTIAL HOUSE, HOW FAR THOSE HAVE ALREADY GONE UP.
I MEAN, WE'RE TALKING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR A HOUSE.
THESE MODIFICATIONS, WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE, WHICH WE'VE ALREADY HAD.
SO SOMEBODY LIKE A DR. HORTON, THAT'S A MAJOR DEAL FOR SOMEBODY THAT'S TRYING TO DO AN ENTRY LEVEL HOUSE.
THERE'S SOME EXCEPTIONS THAT ARE IN CODEBOOKS CURRENTLY THAT COMPLYING.
AND WOULD Y'ALL CONSIDER THAT AS WELL? I MEAN THESE ARE DETAILS THAT WE NEED TO WORK OUT.
GREG MCFARLAND I WAS EVEN GONNA ASK THE QUESTION.
YOU KNOW, I DON'T SEE ANYTHING ABOUT FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEMS. YOU KNOW, IF WE DO IT LIKE A 13 R SYSTEM INTO THE, INTO A HOUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT OFFSETTING COSTS SOMEHOW, BUT I DON'T SEE ANY DISCUSSION OF THE FIRE SPRINKLER IN A RESIDENTIAL HOME.
IT'S BANNED BY STATEWIDE BY STATE CODE.
13 R IS ONLY, WELL NOT A 13 R BUT 13 R IS MORE RES UH, COMMERCIAL LEVEL.
UH, THERE ARE 13 DS AND UM, UH, DIFFERENT P DESIGNATION THAT FOR HOMES ON 6,000 SQUARE FOOT.
SO IN THE STATE WE CANNOT MANDATE FIRE SPRINKLERS, BUT WE COULD PUT IT AS AN EXCEPTION TO ANY OF THESE ITEMS. YEAH, YOU COULD SAY IN LIEU OF THESE OTHER MANDATES, YOU COULD DO THAT.
YEAH, THAT'S, IF YOU WANTED TO EVALUATE THAT, THAT'S EXACTLY WHERE I WAS AIMING AT SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
YOU KNOW, WE WERE, WE WERE JUST TALKING ON ONTO THE SIDE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, YOU BUILD A A 15 FOOT WIDE DECK AND WITH COMPOSITE DECKING, YOU KNOW, IF, IF THERE WAS, UH, SOME ALLOWANCE, AND I'M NOT SAYING THE WHOLE HOME WOULD BE DONE TO FIRE SPRINKLER, BUT COULD WE DO LIKE A FREEZE PROOF SIDEWALL THAT WOULD THEN COVER THE DECK AND, AND RATHER THAN SPENDING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING IN A DECK, WE COULD PUT THREE SPRINKLER HEADS ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE HOUSE THAT WOULD PROTECT THE DECK.
OR, YOU KNOW, SOME LEVEL ATTIC WOULD BE HARD TO PROTECT FOR EMBER INTRUSION.
YOU KNOW, IT'D BE CHEAPER TO DO THE MESH THAN IT WOULD BE TO, BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING WITH FIRE SPRINKLER DISCUSSION ON THIS TOO.
YEAH, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE COST STUART HENDRICKSON, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE COST COMPARISON THROUGH SPRINKLER SYSTEMS IN INSTEAD OF CLOSING IN, YOU KNOW, RAFTER TAILS AND, YOU KNOW, EAVES AND STUFF WOULD COST.
I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE, THE MIX OR THE MATCHUP OF COST WOULD BE BETWEEN THOSE TWO ITEMS. UH, I DO KNOW THAT THE, THE WWE CODE IS A LOT MORE EXTENSIVE THAN WHAT WE PROPOSED TODAY.
WE DID TRY TO GO THROUGH THAT PRETTY FINELY TO FIND SOME COST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO MAKE RESIDENTIAL HOMES A LOT MORE SAFER AND BUY US SOME TIME TO ACTUALLY RESPOND AND, YOU KNOW, GET A PLAN OF ACTION IN PLACE.
UM, BUT I DO, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WOULD BE AN UPCHARGE TO SOME OF THESE HOMES THAT, THAT ARE BEING BUILT NOW.
UM, BUT YEAH, AND I THINK TO REITERATE WHAT CHIEF WESTBROOK SAID, LIKE THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA BE ADOPTED AND IMPLEMENTED.
UH, CURRENTLY IT'S JUST A TOOL FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO USE.
UM, IF WE DO HAVE SOME MAJOR, YOU KNOW, OPERATIONAL YEARS, RIGHT? LIKE WE DID IN 2011 WHEN STONE OAK FIRE HAPPENED IN SAN ANTONIO, BASTROP FIRE, STEINER RANCH FIRE, AND THEN LAST TWO YEARS THERE WAS THE BCH SPRINGS FIRE THAT DESTROYED 26 HOMES, UM, UP IN A, A FIELD THAT LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE THE SOUTH SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO OFF A HIGHWAY.
UH, SO THERE ARE SOME, YOU KNOW, REAL CONCERNS THAT WE SEE ON A, ON A OPERATIONAL BASIS THAT WE'RE JUST TRYING TO GET IMPLEMENTED.
GREG MCFARLAND, I WAS GONNA ASK ONE OTHER ONE 'CAUSE WE ARE, YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT IT ON THE BOTTOM OF THE FIRST PAGE, I THINK IT SAYS PROPERTIES LOCATED WITHIN 50 FEET.
DO YOU REALLY MEAN STRUCTURES LOCATED WITHIN 50 FEET? BECAUSE I MEAN, A PROPERTY'S ALWAYS GONNA KIND OF ABUT THE GREEN SPACES, AND SO I THINK ARE YOU REALLY MEANT FOR IT TO BE STRUCTURES? CORRECT, YES, SIR.
THIS IS MY, I I GUESS A CONCERN I HAVE IS, UM, JUST THINKING ABOUT, UM, PATTERNS OF CONSTRUCTION, RIGHT? WHAT IS TODAY'S 40 ACRES OF CONTIGUOUS GRASSLAND IS TOMORROW'S, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
AND SO I KNOW THERE'S A POLITICAL ASPECT OF THIS, OF THE, THE CITY
[01:10:01]
COUNCIL SAYING THIS IS A WILDLIFE AREA AND THIS ISN'T, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE'S A POTENTIAL OF BUILDING ALL THIS EXPENSE INTO A BUILDING OF A HOME BECAUSE IT ABUTS A FIELD THAT THREE YEARS FROM NOW IS GONNA JUST BE MORE HOUSES.UM, YOU KNOW, AND I'M, I'M ALWAYS, WE'RE NOT A PUBLIC POLICY BODY IN TERMS OF, UH, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, WHERE, WHERE WE DESIGNATE THIS.
BUT I ALWAYS DO HATE TO, THIS IS THE COST ASPECT OF WILDLIFE, YOU KNOW, ZONES THAT THE CITY COUNCIL WOULD DICTATE OR, YOU KNOW, DETERMINE.
UM, BUT WHENEVER YOU SEPARATE THE COSTS FROM THE, YOU KNOW, THIS SOUNDS LIKE, YOU KNOW, A GOOD IDEA THAT WE'RE PROTECTING THE PUBLIC, I THINK THAT, UM, SETS THE TABLE FOR SOME BAD PUBLIC POLICY AND I WOULD PREFER TO SEE THIS, UH, MAYBE DONE IN CONJUNCTION WITH IF THEY WERE EVER GONNA ACT ON IT, RIGHT? BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE JUST GONNA, WE'RE SAYING WE'RE GONNA ADOPT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ADOPTING THIS NOW AND THEN IF THE CITY COUNCIL EVER DECIDES THAT WE'RE GOING TO, UH, DESIGNATE WILDLIFE URBAN INTERFACE AREAS, THAT'S A WHOLE SEPARATE DISCUSSION.
AND SO YOU'D BE HAVING THAT DISCUSSION WITHOUT ANY DISCUSSION OF THE COSTS.
UM, SO I, I FEEL LIKE THERE SHOULD BE PAIRED.
UM, BUT THAT MIGHT BE BEYOND THE SCOPE OF, OF WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO TALK ABOUT.
AND THERE IS, YOU KNOW, PRIVATE LAND THAT IS UNDEVELOPED FOR SURE, BUT THERE ARE 72 40 ACRE PLOTS THAT ARE PARK LANDS THAT NEIGHBORHOODS DO A BUT IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO THAT I DON'T SEE CHANGING INTO PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT.
SO THERE ARE SOME AREAS THAT, YOU KNOW, WILL BE OVER 40 ACRES OF CONTIGUOUS VEGETATION THAT WILL NOT BE DEVELOPED.
GREG MCFARLAND ALONG THOSE LINES, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE TALKING COST, I MEAN, DOES THE CITY HAVE ANY WAY SET SOME OF THESE INCREASED COSTS? IE WAIVING PERMIT FEES? UH, A 20 A 20, I KNOW A 20, UH, PYRAMID FEES ARE NOT MUCH, BUT LIKE A PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION, YOU KNOW, I, I CAN, CAN THE CITY WAIVE PROPERTY TAXES AT SOME LEVEL, YOU KNOW, LIKE WE DO WITH THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION THAT YOU'D GET A 20 YEAR, DOES THE CITY CONTROL ANY OF THE PROPERTY TAX THAT COULD BE INCLUDE INCLUDED TO OFFSET THIS COST? I MEAN, MEAN NOT THIS DEPARTMENT, BUT I'M SURE THAT ANY DISCUSSION THAT WOULD COME OUT WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BOUNDARY AND CERTAIN PROPERTIES FOLLOWING WITHIN THAT, THAT WOULD BE THAT CONVERSATION AREA WHERE THEY COULD HAVE SOME MEASURE OF WHETHER IT BE APPROVING PERMIT FEES OR REDUCTION OF, OF TAXES AND STUFF.
THAT, THAT WOULD BE A CONVERSATION FOR THAT KIND OF OUTSIDE OF DST IN THIS BODY.
IF I COULD VOTE, I WOULD MAKE A MOTION TO REFER THIS TO A WORKING GROUP.
SO MAYBE BRIAN WOULD MAKE THAT MOTION SO WE COULD, I WOULD DEFINITELY SECOND THAT MOTION REAL QUICK.
CAN'T MAKE NO, BUT AS, I MEAN AS A, AS A RESIDENT LIVING ON, UH, HARBERGER PARK FOR 30 YEARS AND, UH, BEING IN THE DEVELOPMENT WITH EXACTLY WHAT, UH, MIKE WAS TALKING ABOUT FUTURE, BUT EVEN ALL OUR PARK LANDS THAT ARE ALL AROUND, I, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE 50 FOOT BEFORE WE GET TO THAT PARK, AND THEN WE'VE GOT A WOOD FENCE THAT GOES ALL THE WAY AROUND IT THAT IS HIGHLY COMBUSTIBLE THAT WOULD BURN REAL QUICKLY AND IT'S RIGHT ON THE EDGE OF THE PROPERTY.
BUT THIS DEFINITELY NEEDS TO GO TO A WORKING GROUP BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY X FACTORS IN HERE THAT, I MEAN, I THINK ABOUT THE BASTROP FIRE THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT I WENT THROUGH AND THAT CAME THROUGH AND LEVELED NEIGHBORHOODS, AND I DON'T CARE WHAT THEY DID TO IT, IT DIDN'T MATTER.
IT, THEY, THEY JUST, THE FIRE WAS SO INTENSE THAT IT WAS, YOU COULDN'T HAVE SAVED IT FOR MORE THAN 15 MINUTES.
BUT ANYWAYS, DO WE NEED TO MAKE A MOTION ON, ON THAT REGARD? UH, CHAIR REAL QUICK, UM, JUST TO KIND OF, BEFORE YOU MAKE A MOTION ON BEST PRACTICE MOVING FORWARD.
SO I WAS JUST TALKING WITH, UH, LEGAL, UM, BASED OFF OF THE CONVERSATION YOU'RE HAVING ABOUT THIS AND ALSO THE CONVERSATION WE HAD ABOUT ALLOWING, UH, HOMEOWNERS TO PULL PERMITS FOR ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL AND WHETHER WE LOOK AT TASK FORCE OR SUBCOMMITTEES, UM, WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO IS LIMIT HAVING TO PULL THIS BODY BACK TOGETHER JUST TO KIND OF CREATE SOMETHING.
UM, IF Y'ALL DECIDE TO GO WITH THE SUBCOMMITTEE, UH, AS PART OF Y'S RECOMMENDATION ON THIS, MY RECOMMENDATION TO Y'ALL IS TO GO AHEAD AND USE THE SUBCOMMITTEES THAT WE ALREADY CREATED.
SO, UH, SO IF Y'ALL WANTED TO REVIEW THIS, I WOULD SAY IF YOU MAKE A MOTION, YOU SEND IT BACK TO THE BUILDING AND FIRE CODE SUBCOMMITTEE.
FROM THERE, THAT SUBCOMMITTEE CAN AMEND WHO IS PART OF THAT, THAT WORK, THAT GROUP.
SO IF Y'ALL WANT TO ADD SOME OTHER, WANT TO ADD SOME OTHER ENTITIES TO THAT, THAT'S FINE, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO COME BACK AS A FULL BODY TO CREATE ANOTHER SUBCOMMITTEE.
UH, SAME THING WITH, UH, THE ELECTRICAL REVIEW AND THE MECHANICAL REVIEW OF, OF PERMITS BY THE HOMEOWNERS.
IF Y'ALL WANTED TO KIND OF, YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAKE THAT MOTION IF Y'ALL JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN KIND OF JUST RECOMMEND THAT TO STAFF AND WE CAN SCHEDULE THOSE SUBCOMMITTEE MEETINGS MOVING FORWARD.
IF THAT'S WHAT Y'ALL WANNA DO, THEN I WOULD JUST RECOMMEND THAT, THAT WE, WE DON'T HAVE TO KIND OF COME BACK AGAIN JUST, BUT I DON'T HAVE AN AGENDA ITEM FOR Y'ALL TO CREATE A TASK FORCE OR A SUBCOMMITTEE AT THIS POINT.
I, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT NOT FOR IT NOT TO BE A SUBCOMMITTEE THAT HAS TO HAVE THE FORMAL, UH, UM, AND I'M NOT TRYING TO NOT BE TRANSPARENT, BUT IT, I WAS, I THINK IT'S THE WAY THE SIGN GROUP WORKING GROUP WORKED WAS MUCH BETTER FOR THIS, THESE KIND
[01:15:01]
OF THINGS THAN IT WOULD BE A FORMAL SUBCOMMITTEE WHERE YOU HAVE TO NOTICE IT AND HAVE IT ON TV AND YOU ARE LIMITED TO WHO CAN PARTICIPATE REALLY.AND SO I, I THINK THE DEPARTMENT CAN JUST SET UP A WORKING GROUP ON ITS OWN WITHOUT US DOING ANYTHING JUST LIKE THEY DID, YOU KNOW, THEY DO WITH ANY OTHER ISSUE THAT COMES UP TO, TO GET PUBLIC INPUT.
YOU KNOW, YOU INVITE PEOPLE TO COME AND YOU HAVE AN OPEN, YOU KNOW, MEETING.
YOU CAN HAVE IT UPSTAIRS, YOU KNOW, IT, IT COULD MEET BY ZOOM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANTED TO, RATHER THAN A SUBCOMMITTEE THAT HAS ALL THE FORMAL RULES THAT YOU KNOW, AND THEN MAYBE IT COMES BACK TO THAT WORKING GROUP WOULD REPORT BACK TO THE BUILDING SUBCOMMITTEE TO REVIEW THE RECOMMENDATIONS BEFORE IT CAME TO THE BOARD.
BUT THAT WAY IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO'S THERE.
IT'S NOT A, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT A FORMAL MEETING, THEY'RE NOT TAKING ACTION, THEY'RE JUST FLESHING OUT ALL THE ISSUES.
BUT, BUT YOU MAY BE JUST ADDING A STEP AND, AND CREATING MORE WORK BY DOING THAT.
UM, OTHER THAN THE SUBCOMMITTEE SUBCOMMITTEE, IF WE WANTED TO, WE CAN ADD PEOPLE WHEN WE'RE THERE.
SO IF THERE'S SOMEBODY IN PARTICULAR WE WANT TO ADD AS FAR AS THAT WOULD BE AN INTERESTED PARTY OUTSIDE, WE COULD STILL DO THAT.
THAT WAY YOU CAN GET IT DONE IN ONE MEETING.
'CAUSE OTHERWISE WE'RE GONNA HAVE THAT TASK GROUP.
THEN WE HAVE THIS AND WE HAVE, I MEAN, TALKING ABOUT A WHOLE LOT, BUT THE PROBLEM IS, IS YOU CAN ONLY ADD, I BELIEVE FOUR PEOPLE MAX TO THAT GROUP THAT ARE NOT ON THIS BOARD AS A VOTING MEMBER.
SO I THINK WE CAN GO UP TO NINE ON OUR SUBCOMMITTEES.
YOU CAN HAVE SEVEN BOARD MEMBERS AND FOUR NON-BOARD MEMBERS, FOUR TOGETHER, UH, FOUR OFFICIALS, YOU KNOW, SITTING AND VOTING AND MEETING QUORUM.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THE CHAIR CAN LAX ROBERT'S RULES AND HAVE AS MUCH OF AN OPENING, AND Y'ALL DON'T HAVE TO MAKE THAT AS A MOTION.
UM, YOU KNOW, Y'ALL CAN KIND OF JUST SAY, WE WANT TO TABLE THIS AND WE WITH CITY STAFF TO DEVELOP A PROCESS.
AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY, SEND THIS TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE.
Y'ALL CAN JUST KIND OF DO DIALOGUE WITH US.
SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW WHAT, LET'S DO A SUBCOMMITTEE AND WE CAN SCHEDULE A SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING AND BRING THAT FORWARD ON THE AGENDA ITEM.
OR YOU CAN SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW WHAT, LET'S DO A TASK FORCE OR A TASK WORKING GROUP AND WE CAN SET UP A WORKING GROUP AS WELL.
SO IT, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE SPECIFIC IN THE MOTION.
MARK, GO AHEAD AND GO AHEAD AND MAKE YOUR MOTION.
THIS, I CAN MAKE THE MOTION, BUT I THINK IT'S JUST THAT IT'S YOUR TABLE IN IT AND WE'LL WORK OUT THE DETAILS OF HOW IT WORKS LATER, WHETHER IT GOES TO A SUBCOMMITTEE OR WORKING GROUP.
I THINK THE WORKING GROUP ALLOWS WAY MORE FLEXIBILITY OF HOW YOU CAN MEET, SO YOU COULD MEET BY ZOOM OR OTHER WAYS TO DO THAT.
AND WHERE A SUBCOMMITTEE HAS TO BE NOTICED, IT HAS TO BE, YOU KNOW, TELEVISED.
YOU'RE STILL GONNA HAVE TO HAVE THAT SUBCOMMITTEE BEFORE IT COMES HERE TO THE BOARD.
YOU MAY, THAT MEETING MAY ONLY TAKE FIVE MINUTES TO ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
YEAH, I I MEAN, I, I DON'T THINK THIS, I THINK THE CITY'S KIND OF CHANGED THE WAY, YOU KNOW, THOSE, THOSE DAYS OF THOSE WORKING GROUPS SEEM TO BE DONE AND WE CAN, IF WE HAD A SUBCOMMITTEE, WE CAN INVITE AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE WANT TO, BUT I THINK THAT'S KIND OF IRRELEVANT ALMOST AT THIS POINT.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S AN APPETITE TO NOT TAKE ACTION ON THIS RIGHT NOW.
UM, SO I'D MOVE TO TABLE THIS UNTIL WE TALK, YOU KNOW, FORM SOME TYPE OF ADDITIONAL, UM, STUDY GROUP.
SO WE HAVE A MOTION TO TABLE THIS DISCUSSION AND LET THE CITY COME UP WITH SOME PLAN TO FURTHER THIS CONVERSATION TO GET MORE STAKEHOLDERS THAT ARE GONNA BE HIGHLY INVOLVED IN THIS.
SO I THINK IT'S GOING TO, DO WE HAVE A SECOND? GREG MCFARLAND? I'LL SECOND MOTION IS SECOND.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
SO, SO DID, HE HAD SAID, WE DON'T NEED TO MOTION LIKE THE MECHANICAL HOMEOWNERS PERMIT TO THE MECHANICAL SUBCOMMITTEE AND THE ELECTRICAL, UH, HOMEOWNERS PERMIT TO THE ELECTRICAL SUBCOMMITTEE.
DO WE, DO WE NEED TO MOTION THAT OR THAT'S JUST HOW IT'S GONNA GO? MOTION TO TAKE THOSE HOMEOWNER HOLDING PERMITS TO, UH, MAKE A MOTION TO SEND THAT BACK TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE? NO, THERE, THERE'S NO REQUIREMENT FOR MOTION.
UM, UNLESS YOU'RE TAKING ACTION ON SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA AMEND CHAPTER 10.
UH, SPECIFICALLY THERE'S NO REQUIREMENT FOR A MOTION, Y'ALL JUST KIND OF GETTING SOME GUIDANCE TO, UM, IF Y'ALL WANNA MAKE IT VERY FORMAL, THEN THAT JUST KIND OF PUTS THE ONUS BACK ONTO DSD, BUT I THINK Y'ALL CAN TRUST US THAT WE'LL MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS AND, AND CONTINUE THAT CONVERSATION.
OR GREG WILL, HOW MY REPLACEMENT UNTIL WE DO
SO
SO I THINK AT THIS POINT FOR AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO, UH, STAFF HAS PRESENTED ALL THE RECOMMENDED CHANGES, UH, FROM THE SUBCOMMITTEES.
UH, ANY MODIFICATIONS THAT WERE MADE BY THIS BOARD
[01:20:01]
HAS BEEN PRESENTED TO THIS BOARD FOR ALL PROPOSED ADOPTED CODES FOR BOTH CHAPTER 10 AND 11.UH, SO ALL OF THAT FALLS UNDER ONE AGENDA ITEM.
UH, THE, THE SUB OR THIS BOARD CAN EITHER MAKE ONE MOTION TO ACCEPT EVERYTHING AS IS OR IF Y'ALL WANNA DIVIDE IT UP FOR ANY REASON BY EACH OF THE CODES.
IT'S, UH, Y'ALL CAN HAVE MULTIPLE ACTIONS ON THIS ONE AGENDA ITEM OR Y'ALL CAN JUST DO IT ALL AS ONE.
I MOVE TO ADOPT THE 2024 EDITIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COCO BUILDING RELATED CODES AND THE 2023 NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE WITH LOCAL AMENDMENTS AND UPDATING CHAPTER 11 FIRE PREVENTION BY ADOPTING THE 2024 EDITION OF THE ICC FIRE CODE WITH LOCAL AMENDMENTS.
WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO ADOPT AS PER IN THE ITEM TWO, THAT'S, I'M NOT GONNA REPEAT, BUT IT'S ALL RIGHT THERE.
AND ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THAT? ALL IN FAVOR OF ADOPTING THIS, THESE CODES SAY AYE.
ALRIGHT, NOW WE ARE READY TO GO TO COUNCIL AND COMMUNITY MEETINGS.
THAT, UH, WAS A VERY BIG LIFT AND I KNOW WE DID ALL THAT IN 10 WEEKS, SO, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS, I APPRECIATE THAT.
I'M GLAD WE COULD, UH, WRAP THAT UP ON MY LAST DAY HERE.
SO, UM, AND WE'RE GONNA KICK YOU.
THAT WAS MY GOING AWAY PRESIDENT.
YEAH, AND IT'S KIND OF FUNNY, I LEFT A GOING AWAY PRESIDENT FOR OUR LEGAL TEAM WITH, UH, FROM SAL, UH, WHO WAS ON ONE OF OUR SUBCOMMITTEES TO DO SOME REVIEW OF, UH, STATE LAW.
SO, HEY, WHAT COMES AROUND GOES AROUND, I GUESS.
I JUST WANNA SAY REAL QUICK, WE, WE JOKE A LOT ABOUT HOW MANY, HOW MANY HOURS WE'VE SPENT IN THE BUILDING AS VOLUNTEERS, BUT I KNOW THAT THEY'RE LIKE BEHIND THE SCENES, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM HERE SPENDING HOURS COMING UP WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS, READING THE DANGLING BOOK.
UM, SO APPRECIATE ALL THE EFFORTS TO EVERYBODY, UM, AT THE CITY AS WELL.
AND BEST OF LUCK TO YOU, JEREMY.
AND YEAH, NO, DEFINITELY THE, THE TEAM HERE, THOSE THAT ARE PRESENT, THOSE THAT WEREN'T, I MEAN, I, I THINK WE'LL ACCUMULATE ALL THE HOURS AND PRESENT IT TO COUNCIL SO THEY'RE AWARE.
BUT YEAH, IT'S, IT'S GOTTA BE WITHIN THE THOUSANDS, UH, A LOT OF, A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT, BUT VERY IMPORTANT.
YOU KNOW, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CONSCIOUSLY LOOK AT THESE CODES AND, AND, UH, MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ADOPTING SOMETHING THAT, THAT DOES BENEFIT THE CITY, UH, BUT TAKE COST INTO EFFECT AS WELL.
UM, THERE'S NO, UH, STAFF RECOMMEND, UH, UPDATES.
UH, I GUESS I THINK I MIGHT HAVE ONE NOTE IF YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, YEAH, SO REQUEST FOR LETTERS OF SUPPORT.
I KNOW WE KINDA MENTIONED THIS LAST WEEK.
UH, I'VE GOT ALL MY EMAILS ABOUT READY TO GO, SO I'M GONNA SEND THOSE OUT.
UH, WHAT I'M GONNA DO IS I'LL SEND IT OFF TO, UH, OUR POINTS OF CONTACT WITH EACH OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT Y'ALL REPRESENT.
I'M GONNA COPY Y'ALL, UH, AS MEMBERS OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS, UH, IN CASE THEY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS THEY CAN BE LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WAS THIS ABOUT? SOME OF THEM, SOME OF 'EM ARE MORE ENGAGED THAN OTHERS.
UH, SO THEY MIGHT HAVE SOME QUESTIONS.
AND IF THERE IS ANY VACANCIES UNDER THAT, UH, ORGANIZATION, I'M GONNA KIND OF PEPPER THAT IN AS WELL.
MORE OF A, HEY, I'D LIKE FOR MY REPLACEMENT TO, TO KIND OF FOCUS ON THIS IN THE NEXT COMING MONTHS.
UM, THERE MIGHT BE SOME RENEWALS OF THOSE THAT AREN'T IN HOLDOVER, UH, BEYOND THE SECOND ONE.
UH, LIKE MARK AND SCOTT I THINK ARE BOTH ON THEIR FIRST, UH, AND GEORGE, I THINK ALL ON, ON YOUR FIRST STINT AS WITH THIS BOARD, UH, A LOT OF Y'ALL ARE IN HOLDOVERS FROM MULTIPLE, SO WE'LL MAINTAIN THOSE IF THAT'S WHAT THE ORGANIZATION WISHES.
BUT THOSE EMAILS WILL GO OUT, UH, THIS AFTERNOON.
UH, BESIDES THAT, WE WILL BE MOVING FORWARD TO PCDC, UH, THE PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE ON, UH, DECEMBER 13TH.
AND THEN FROM THERE, CITY COUNCIL, HOPEFULLY IN JANUARY WITH THE, UH, THE GOAL OF HAVING THIS GOAL LIVE, UH, APRIL 1ST, 2025.
JEREMY, IF PCDC WEIGHS IN, OR SOME GROUP WEIGHS IN WITH THEY DON'T LIKE X, Y, Z AND THEY WANT TO CHANGE TO A, B, C, ARE WE GONNA GET ONE MORE CHANCE TO REVIEW WHATEVER THAT IS BEFORE THAT'S DRAFTED SO THAT WE COULD MAKE A RECOMMENDATION DIRECTLY TO THE CITY COUNCIL THAT WE THINK THIS IS GOOD OR BAD? I MEAN, STAFF WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THAT DEPENDING ON WHAT THE REQUEST IS, UM, IF IT'S SIGNIFICANT, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY STAFF WOULD SAY, NO, NO, I THINK WE SHOULD TAKE THIS BACK TO THIS BODY AND GET SOME FOLLOW UP.
UM, WHICH I DON'T THINK COUNCIL WOULD PUSH BACK TOO HARD ON.
UM, YOU KNOW, BUT AT THAT POINT WE'RE KIND OF A LITTLE BIT UNDER THEIR MERCY.
UH, BUT WE CAN PROVIDE THAT RECOMMENDATION, SAY, HEY, WE'D LIKE TO TAKE THIS BACK TO THE BOARD, UM, GET SOME STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT, UH, REVIEW THIS AND THEN BRING IT BACK TO PCDC, UM, AND TABLE IT FROM THERE.
BUT, UH, THAT I'LL LEAVE IT OVER TO.
I'M NOT SURE IF CRYSTAL HAS ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ON THAT ONE.
I WOULD SAY THAT WE WOULD, FIRST THING WHAT WHAT WE WOULD DO IS MAKE YOU GUYS AWARE OF ANY RECOMMENDED CHANGES THAT THE COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEES IS MAKING, AND THEN YOU WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK, UM, AT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
UM, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR IS
[01:25:01]
WE, UH, ASKED YOU GUYS TO, OR WE LET YOU KNOW WHAT THE CHANGES WERE THAT THEY, THAT THE SUBCOMMITTEE WAS RECOMMENDING AND YOU HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK, UM, ABOUT THAT AT THE COUNCIL MEETING.IT WAS, IT WAS PRETTY, PRETTY TIGHT.
SO I THINK THAT'S KIND OF WHERE MARK'S GETTING IS IT WAS VERY TIGHT.
SO FOR SCHEDULE WISE AND EVERYTHING ELSE FOR, TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT.
SO I, I THINK WHAT HE'S ASKING MORE IS, IS DO WE HAVE A TIMELINE WHEN THEY'RE DUE SO THAT WE WOULD KNOW, UH, FOR ALL OF THE STAKEHOLDERS TO HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO BE ABLE TO ORGANIZE.
UM, I THINK WHEN WE WERE GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS LAST TIME, WE WERE IN A RUSH TO TRY TO GET THAT JANUARY OR FEBRUARY 1ST DATE, UH, FOR THE ADOPTION.
SO WE MET IN NOVEMBER AND THEN I THINK WE WENT TO CITY COUNCIL LIKE A WEEK OR TWO LATER.
UH, THAT THIS TIME AROUND WE'RE LOOKING AT DECEMBER 13TH AND NOT KENNINGTON CITY COUNCIL 'CAUSE OF THE HOLIDAYS UNTIL JANUARY WITH NO SET TIME ON THAT JUST YET.
MAYBE, YOU KNOW, SECOND WEEK OF JANUARY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
LIKE MID-JANUARY, I THINK JANUARY 16TH IS THE COUNCIL MEETING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
SO YOU'LL HAVE AT LEAST A MONTH TO, YOU KNOW, CORRECT.
THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US SHOWING UP INDIVIDUALLY, REPRESENTING OUR ORGANIZATION AND MAKING THE POINT VERSUS THE BOARD WEIGHING IN TO SAY, AS A BOARD, WE RE WE, WE SUGGEST THAT YOU NOT ADOPT IT, NOT MAKE THE CHANGE, AND HERE'S WHY.
AND I THINK THAT CARRIES MORE WEIGHT THAN THE HOME BUILDERS GETTING UP AND SAYING, WE DON'T LIKE THE, THE ENERGY CODE THING.
I, I, I JUST THINK THAT HAS TO BE, IN OTHER WORDS, IF WE'VE WORKED LONG AND HARD ON THIS, IT'S GOING FORWARD.
THERE MAY BE STUFF THAT WE MISSED, YOU KNOW, TO AT LEAST LET US WEIGH IN AT THE END TO SAY, OKAY, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, AND MAYBE IT'S A, SOMEBODY ON THE COMMITTEE CAN ASK FOR THE, A RECONVENING TO JUST WEIGH IN ON IT VERSUS, BECAUSE IF IT'S A MINOR CHANGE THAT NOBODY CARES ABOUT, THERE'S NO POINT IN HAVING A MEETING FOR NO REASON.
BUT I, I THINK LIKE LAST TIME IT WOULD'VE BEEN MUCH BETTER FOR THE GROUP TO EE BECAUSE WE, WE WENT OVER THAT AND, AND TRIED TO COME UP WITH THE COMPROMISE SOLUTION AND THE GROUP DIDN'T LIKE AND JUST BASICALLY WENT END ROUND.
SO ONCE CRYSTAL AND THE TEAM PRESENTS TO PCDC, IF THEY DO HAVE ANYTHING AS WE MENTIONED AND YOU GET ABOUT 30 DAYS EVEN INCLUDING THE HOLIDAYS, WE COULD EASILY SET UP A MEETING WITH THIS BOARD, GET SOME RECOMMENDATION THAT THEN COULD BE PRESENTED TO CITY COUNCIL, UH, TO SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW, AFTER THE PCDC, HERE'S SOME RECOMMENDED CHANGES THAT WERE MADE.
WE TOOK IT BACK TO THE BOARD FOR THEIR, FOR THEIR REVIEW.
THIS IS THE BOARD'S RECOMMENDATION, UH, BASED OFF THOSE RECOMMENDED CHANGES.
UH, SO THE CITY COUNCIL CAN EVALUATE THAT AS WELL.
IF THAT CAN BE DONE, I WOULD AGREE WITH MARK.
UH, AND IT WOULD OFFER SOME, UM, SOME WEIGHT BEHIND IT AND REASON.
WE'LL WE'LL BE SURE TO DO THAT.
IF THERE ARE SOME, WE'LL LET YOU KNOW WHAT THE CHANGES ARE AND THEN LEAVE IT UP TO THE BOARD OR THE COM YEAH, THE BOARD IF, IF YOU'D LIKE TO RE RECONVENE THIS, THIS ROBERT HANLEY.
JEREMY, WHEN DO YOU NEED THOSE LETTER OF SUPPORTS BY? WE DIDN'T REALLY USE 'EM FOR PCDC.
I MEAN IF Y'ALL HAVE 'EM FOR PCDC, THAT THAT'D BE GREAT, BUT MOSTLY THAT WAS WHEN WE WENT TO FULL COUNCIL, UM, IS WHEN WE ADDED THOSE TO THE AGENDA ITEM.
UM, BUT I'LL SEND THOSE EMAIL EMAILS OUT NOW.
UH, WE HAVE WHAT ABOUT THREE WEEKS ACTUALLY I GUESS ALMOST A FULL MONTH BEFORE.
SO IF Y'ALL GET 'EM FOR BEFORE PCDC, THAT'S GREAT, WE'LL ADD THAT TO IT.
UH, BUT DEFINITELY BEFORE CITY COUNCIL.
SO, UH, MID, I WOULD SAY MID, MID-DECEMBER AT THE LATEST, EARLY DECEMBER, PREFERABLE.
AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ADD MY 2 CENTS THAT THESE LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION ARE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO US.
IT SHOWS THAT WE DO, UM, WE DO BRING THE ISSUES TO THE STAKEHOLDERS, YOU GUYS, RIGHT? AND, AND THIS HAS BEEN AN OPEN PROCESS, UH, AND WE HAVE REQUESTED MULTIPLE TIMES, YOU KNOW, MORE AND MORE INVOLVEMENT.
UM, SO THOSE LETTER OF LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION DEFINITELY SHOW THE COUNSEL THAT WE HAVE MADE THIS A AN OPEN AND PUBLIC PROCESS AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
UH, AND WE HAVE SOME COMMUNITY MEETINGS AFTER THIS THAT, THAT START NEXT WEEK TO, UH, AGAIN, TRY TO INFORM THE COMMUNITY OF THE CHANGES THAT ARE COMING.
BUT THESE LETTERS HAVE READ RECOMMENDATION, HOLD A LOT OF WEIGHT.
AND ON THOSE EMAILS, I'LL COPY CRYSTAL SINCE MY EMAIL WILL PROBABLY BE DEAD AT FOUR 30 TONIGHT.
SO IF THEY TRY TO RESPOND BACK JUST TO ME.
UM, AND THEN MOVING FORWARD, UH, MANAGER RAMIRO CARRERO OVER OUR INSPECTIONS TEAM WILL JUST KIND OF BE THE INTERIM, UM, I BOARD LIAISON I GUESS FOR THE TIME BEING.
SO I'LL COPY HIM ON THERE AS WELL.
UH, SO THAT IF, BUT IF Y'ALL, IF YOU'RE POINT OF CONTACT THAT I SEND IT TO, IF Y'ALL JUST WANNA FOLLOW UP WITH 'EM AND SAY, HEY, YEAH, DON'T JUST REPLY BACK.
UH, BUT I JUST WANT TO GO AHEAD AND GET THOSE EMAILS OUT 'CAUSE I KNOW EVERYBODY'S KIND OF BUSY AND NOT USED TO THAT.
I CAN, I'VE GOT PRACTICE SPITTING OUT THESE EMAILS TO Y'ALL'S GROUPS.
I CAN COPY AND PASTE PRETTY GOOD.
UH, BUT NO, THAT'S, UH, BUT THOSE SHOULD COME OUT TODAY AND, UH, THOSE ARE THE ONLY OTHER I ITEMS THAT I HAVE TO DISCUSS.
DO WE HAVE A TIMELINE FOR YOUR REPLACEMENT?
[01:30:02]
UM, NO, I'M, NO, I, I I MEAN PROBABLY BEFORE YOUR NEXT MEETING I WOULD ASSUME THAT'S YEAH.SO, UM, AND APPLICANT HAS BEEN SELECTED, UH, THEY HAVE ACCEPTED AND THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THE, UM, THE HR PROCESS RIGHT NOW OF, OF EMPLOYMENT VERIFICATION, ALL THAT STUFF.
UM, IS THERE ANY OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS, REPORTS FROM THE BOARD OR STAFF? ANYBODY HAVE ANY? NO SIR.
WELL IT IS 10 49 AND UH, A FAREWELL TO JEREMY AND WE REQUEST FOR THIS TO BE ADJOURNED.