County delays vote on private inspectors

Stephen Curran

Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2005 | 11:03 a.m.

The Clark County Commission delayed a vote Tuesday on a plan that could allow home builders to hire private inspectors to do work now done by the county's Building Division.

Saying it would remedy what has become a "retention crisis" for county building inspectors, Building Official Ron Lynn suggested commissioners change the building code to allow individual developers to contract with "Private Residential Inspectors" who would at home builders' expense review new homes built in the county.

Lynn argued that, despite raising salaries for inspectors 8 percent across the board and advertising heavily for qualified candidates, the building division still has 10 vacancies prompted mostly by county inspectors taking better-paying jobs in other jurisdictions.

"I think the community is saying, 'You're doing a good job but you need more inspectors,'th" Lynn told commissioners.

The Southern Nevada Home Builders Association, which represents more than 750 contractors, developers and real estate brokers, approves of the change while unions including the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and SEIU Local 1107, which represent county building inspectors, sharply criticized amending the rules.

Jane McAlevey, executive director of SEIU Local 1107, said the changes presented a clear conflict of interest that would lead to private inspectors being beholden to home builders who would be paying their salaries.

"This alone is a conflict of interest at its best," McAlevey told the commission. "It's like a fox guarding the hen house."

Commission Chairman Rory Reid heard the motion but delayed a final vote until a meeting between Lynn and union officials.

Reid said the changes were "one of maybe a number of things we need to do" to fix the inspector shortage.

Monica Caruso, a spokeswoman for the home builders association, said the changes reflect a policy already in effect for commercial development and would help speed construction in a fast-paced real estate market.

The association's executive director, Irene Porter, estimated that the changes could save up to 13 days for each new house, time Caruso said could be better spent readying homes for eager new buyers.

Just how much the faster construction would cost those buyers was unclear.