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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 6988 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No 6988 ,,P TCgF To the Mayor and Members of the City Council December 11 , 1984 r 0 73 Subject: FIRE INSPECTION FEES On January 24, 1984, the City Council approved M&C G-5892 which amended Chapter 15, Fire Code, of the City Code. This amendment to the Code was recommended by the City's consultant, David M. Griffith and Associates, Ltd. , and entailed the implementation of a fire inspection fee program. The program instituted fee-based fire safety inspections of all businesses within the City on an annual basis. The fees charged for each inspection range from $20 for a 5,000 square foot business to $120 for over 100,000 square feet. Additionally, as originally approved, a $5.00 per floor fee is charged for multi-story buildings. There are approximately 15,000 businesses in the city that are to be inspected each year, located in buildings ranging in size from single- story buildings to high-rise office towers. When the fee program was started, firefighting companies from outlying stations were assigned the responsibility of inspecting the individual business occupan- cies in high-rise office buildings and the central Prevention Bureau inspectors conducted inspections on the fire systems and public areas of these buildings. Due to a heavy work load caused by fires, emergency medical calls , training, and other duties, and the difficulty in responding readily from a high-rise building, the firefighting companies have been unable to continue conducting these inspections. The Fire Prevention Bureau inspectors have continued inspecting the public areas of the buildings, but have not been able to inspect each separate business in the high-rise buildings. There are two areas of concern that have arisen since the initiation of the fire inspection program. First, the billing process, as it was initially estab- lished, has experienced significant problems. Two fire officers have been performing primarily administrative and clerical duties trying to clear up these problems. A study completed by the Office of Management Services has r commended the addition of two positions (one Administrative Assistant and one Clerk II) to relieve the two fire officers. These two officers could then be utilized to assist in the high-rise inspections and improve the quality control over fire company inspections. A second area of concern has developed since the inception of the program. There have been some objections expressed by the Building Owners and Managers Association pertaining to the billing system for high-rise buildings. The association has recommended that a single fee be charged to the owner of the building and not to each business as is the present practice. The Fire Department believes building problems found during an inspection could be resolved more efficiently by dealing only with the building managers of high-rise buildings (for the purpose of this fee program, a high-rise building will be defined as all buildings four or more stories high) . In response to this concern, alternative billing approaches for buildings of four or more stories have been developed to bill only the building owner. It ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH. TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No 6988 - p.2 ��EfORl�o To the Mayor and Members of the City Council December 11 , 1984 %lExA^; Subject: FIRE INSPECTION FEES 1873 is proposed that only the owners of high-rise buildings receive the bill for fire inspections. This proposal would reduce the paperwork, time spent during inspections completing forms, billing problems, postage, etc. Fire Department records indicate less than 125 buildings of four or more stories would be affected by this proposed change. Inspectors would only be dealing with 125 persons if this change is implemented rather than several times that number under the existing system. It is further proposed that the fee schedule be modified and expanded to include buildings containing more than 100,000 square feet. A proposed fee schedule has been developed to reflect these changes and is shown on the attachment to this report. It is proposed that there be no change in the existing fee schedule for businesses of less than 100,000 square feet and that the present maximum square footage charge be extended from 100,000 square feet to infinity, with a fee increase of $15 added for each 50,000 square foot increment. In addi- tion, the $5 per story charge will be added to the fee as is the present practice. This increase will make the fee more equitable because each building will be assessed based on its size. Buildings of four or more stories will be billed the same regardless of whether one business occupies the entire building or it has multiple tenants. Meetings have been held with board members of the Building Owners and Managers Association to resolve the problems they experience with the present fee inspection program. These concerns have been resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the B.O.M.A. Board and the City staff. If these proposals are adopted by the City Council, it will take approximately six weeks to three months to implement them. The delay in implementing the changes is necessitated by program modifications the Data Processing Department would be required to make to the existing computer program. In the interim period, a mnaual billing system could be implemented. The fire inspection revenue from this program is estimated at $350,000. This increase over the original budget projection of $150,000 would more than pay for the two additional clerical personnel needed to improve the quality of the inspection programs. If the City Council supports the proposed changes in the fire inspection fee schedule, billing process, and staffing complement, the staff will proceed with the appropriate actions to implement these decisions. Vernell Sturns Acting City Manager VS•eo� ICCII�n M%/•ril � w ......n.-.-. i PROPOSED FEE SCHEDULE '(777), PROPOSED PRESENT NUMBER OF SQUARE FEET BASE FEE BASE FEE Less than 5,000 $ 20.00 $ 20.00 5,001 10,000 25.00 25.00 10,001 25,000 30.00 30.00 25,001 50,000 45.00 45.00 50,001 75,000 70.00 70.00 75,001 100,000 95.00 95.00 100,001 150,000 110.00 120.00 150,001 200,000 125.00 120.00 200,001 250,000 140.00 120.00 250,001 300,000 155.00 120.00 300,001 350,000 170.00 120.00 350,001 400,000 185.00 120.00 �Y 400,001 450,000 200.00 120.00 450,001 500,000 215.00 120.00 Continues at the rate of $15 per each 50,000 square foot increment. In addition, a $5 per floor charge is added for buildings over four stories in the proposal plan. The present plan charges $5 per floor for any floor over one story.