Editorial: State agency in need of repairs

Friday, Aug. 21, 1998 | 10:07 a.m.

A state attorney general investigation's findings shouldn't surprise anyone that there are a number of ways the state Contractors Board could improve itself, including how consumers file complaints against home builders.

The Sun's Steve Kanigher reported Thursday that the attorney general's office discovered the agency's problems were twofold: a rapid increase in construction and an inadequate way of referring complaints to the board.

The investigation began after state Sen. Jon Porter, R-Boulder City, asked for an inquiry in May. This followed a number of hearings held by Porter in which homeowners complained that the agency wasn't responding properly to complaints of poor construction.

The attorney general's report carried some common-sense recommendations. It said the board should put in place a tracking system and database for all complaints. These complaints should then be handled expeditiously before statutes of limitation expire. Other welcome recommendations include formal complaint forms and information packets for consumers.

The new executive director of the contractors board, Margi Grein, does appear sincere in trying to make the agency more professional, requiring that investigators who are hired have a law enforcement background. Grein's changes, including the recommendations made by the attorney general's office, are a step forward.

But the problems at the Contractors Board, which licenses Nevada's 15,000 contractors, require an overhaul. For starters, the composition of the board, which oversees the agency's staff, must be changed. Of the seven members of the board, six are licensed contractors.

In every organization, the tone and attitude is set at the top. The board's current composition doesn't instill public confidence that the board will make impartial decisions that adequately consider the rights of the consumer. Many homeowners worry that investigators don't take their complaints seriously because the composition of the board is tilted in favor of the builders.

For most people, investing in a home is the biggest financial decision they will ever make. But because of a lack of confidence in the oversight of home building in the Las Vegas Valley, the 1999 Legislature should put this issue on the front burner and pass substantial reforms, including a requirement that at least half of the board's members have no connection to the construction industry.