The town’s Building Department receives more than 6,000 building permit applications every year.  These applications include new residential construction, new commercial construction, renovations, extensions, and electrical and plumbing works. 

We review and issue permits for 88% of the applications within one day and 92% of the applications within one week. The remaining 8% of the applications have historically taken several weeks. We have now planned to reform this delay situation.  The Town Supervisor, Satish Mohan, end the Building Commissioner, Thomas Ketchum, announce the following policy for issuing building permits in the future: 

(i)                 All of the pending permit applications will be reviewed, and letters of approval or deficiency will be mailed out by Monday, July 28, 2008.

(ii)               In the future, the Building Department commits to a goal of providing permit reviews within one week of the application date.  Either letters of incomplete information will be sent or a permit will be issued. 

The public is requested and invited to write to the Building Commissioner, Thomas Ketchum, regarding any default in our policy.

In response to this press release Council member Guy Marlette had this to say:

The building Commissioner has been managing his department with exceptional character and productivity. There was never a crisis in the department and this press release is misleading to insinuate that a solution was arrived at, since there was no crisis existing.  

This press release is meaningless unless the Town is committed to maintaining proper staffing levels and to budgeting significant overtime for peak periods. Pulling our Inspectors and officers off the street, as requested by the Supervisor, is not a long term solution.

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