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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1992/10/12 Board of Appeals & Advisors Agenda Packet (3) i.htwv * 4t) September 17,1992 SCANNED 7/J'1/01- TP Date MEMORANDUM TO: Chairman Gingerich and Members of the Board of Appeals and t~ FROM: Kenneth G. Larsen, C.B.O., Director of Building and HO~ SUBJECT: REPORT ON THE 1992 ICBO ANNUAL EDUCATION AND CODE DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE I am pleased to report that the 70th Annual Education and Code Development Conference held in Dal1as, Texas from August 28, 1992 through September 5, 1992 was an outstanding opportunity for Chula Vista to continue to be recognized as a leader in the professional community, Representing the City during the Conference was Board of Appeals and Advisors Chairman Clay Gingerich, Assistant Director ofBuilding and Housing Brad Remp and myself. While the Conference was attended by 1263 participants, inclusive of representatives from Canada, Japan, New Zealand and Mexico, the amount of interaction and professional exchanges between the three of us and the Conference participants was of tremendous value in the application of our Code Administration policies and practices, The Educational Programs again featured a variety of subjects inclusive ofthe impacts to local and regional enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as one of the featured programs. In conjunction with this program were other offerings such as the Future of Codes and Standards, Managing Conflicts, Productivity and Management ofStaffResciurces, Image Enhancement and a unique presentation entitled "Politics and the Building·Official". With respect to the Politics program, I am pleased to announce thai it was one of the highest attended and mostfavorably received programs at the Conference. Attached for yourreference is a copy of the Politics handout and an Education Program from the Conference, The other primary function ofthe Conference is the Code Development Hearings which allows for intensive debates on proposed code changes for the 1994 Edition of the Uniform Building Code, This year 403 code changes were submitted for review with 133 ofthe proposals debated on the floor by the general assembly. Again the City was well recognized for the efforts put forth by Brad Remp and the San Diego Area Chapter of Building Officials as numerous code change proposals were influenced by the expertise offered by our representatives. Mr, Gingerich also enjoyed interaction with members ofthe professional community from both the public and private sector and was an outstanding representative on behalf of the City. As you may be aware, Mr. Gingerich has extensive experience in the field of Code Administration as a former Building Official for the City of Imperial Beach, CA and County of Marin, CA, as wen as serving in the capacity as Chief Building and Housing Inspector for Chula Vista for ten years in the mid-sixties through the mid-seventies. One specific code change which will have a significant impact on not only Chula Vista but nationwide as wen, was the approval of Disabled Access Regulations into the Uniform Building Code which will represent the acceptance standards for an Disabled Regulations. Currently, an element of inconsistency exists between standards adopted by various states and the criteria contained in the ADA as recognized by the Department of Justice. By incorporating Disabled Access Regulations into the body of the Uniform Building Code, the Department of Justice will Certify the Code as a recognized regulation, This enables state and local jurisdictions, when adopting the Code, to become Certified at time of adoption. The current process requires each public entity to either apply to their respective state organization or directly to the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. for Certification, Hence, the actions taken at the Code Development Hearing have significantly streamlined the Certification process and simultaneously provided for a uniform standard throughout the professional community, much to the appreciation of both the design community and the Code Administration sector alike. As an interesting side note to the intensive issues surrounding the Code Development Hearings, a 26-member delegation from the Japan Conference of Building Officials (JCBO) was in attendance to observe the Conference activities. A ceremonial breakfast between the ICBO Board of Directors and the JCBO was held to further strengthen our relationship and common objectives. The prime interest of the JCBO involves the testing process for new products being introduced into the Japanese construction market. Examples of such products are fITe-doors, steel protection, concrete additives and roofmg materials, As an interesting side note, the reason for the interest in new product testing by the Japanese is that previouslyifacorporation wanted to bring on a new product, the only criteria for establishing the limits of the product (such as an one-hour vs, a two-hour fire assembly) was the word of the corporation stating that the product would stand the conditions as identified. Apparently that philosophy is changing as several products have not withstood the testing standards as identified and have resulted in structural failures and unnecessary flame-spread and improper smoke management under emergency conditions. An element of humor surrounding this shift in trust was observed which centered around numerous comments of since the Japanese have exported mil1ions ofvehic1es into this country, we have reciprocated by sending over an equivalent number of attorneys to "help" them with their corporate credibility and trust problem, No doubt this will lead to 2 adoption of testing standards similar to those established in the United States for aU products used in the construction industry. An element to add to enhancing the image of the Building Official nationwide was added this year in that the Conference provided a service which video-taped individuals for Public Service Announcements. The PSA's, which are twenty seconds in length, are intended for distribution to cable companies for airing during National Building and Safety Week in April 1993. The theme for 1993 is "Building Safety is No Accident" and, optimisticaUy, we wil1 be able to preview the PSA at the start of the Council Meeting during that particular week. As an active participant over the past ten years at the Annual Education and Code Development Conferences, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to continue participating at the Annual Conference as the Class "A" representative for the City. Likewise, the participation of Assistant Director Brad Remp and the Chairman of the Board of Appeals and Advisors Clay Gingerich was also a great opportunity for their interaction with members of the international professional community, participation at educational programs and to gain exposure to new computer applications an while providing outstanding representation for the City of Chula Vista. Again, thank you for the opportunity to once again represent the City, and in the event further information or clarification of any of the events or issues surrounding the 70th Annual Education and Code Development Conference should be necessary, please do not hesitate to contact me. KGL:yu (A:\WP51\GK-ABM) 3 BUILDING DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATION POLITICS AND THE BUILDING OFFICIAL 70TH ANNUAL EDUCATION AND CODE DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE DALLAS, TEXAS AUGUST 31, 1992 PRESENTED BY: BRENT SNYDER, C.B.O. REGIONAL MANAGER I,C,B.O, REGIONAL OFFICE INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA KENNETH G. LARSEN, C.B.O, DIRECfOR OF BUILDING AND HOUSING CITY OF CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA POrlTICS AND THE BUILDING OFFICIAL Politics: (por'itiks) the science or art of political government, political methods or maneuvers, political principles or opinions. The current economic climate is exposing the Building Official to even greater demands from members of the political community and their appointed representatives. Pressure to streamline operations; "get it done with less people" coupled with "fast-track" project demands often places the Building Official in a precarious position. Elected officials frequently misunderstand why Building Officials take hard-line stands on items (in their view as microscopic) like handrails or guardrails, exiting paths and fire-protection ratings for doors and voice concerns that Building Officials do not see the bigger picture (such as economic devastation if the developer, business or industry goes to the adjacent community). This program focuses on methods designed to bridge communication gaps between the political community, appointed representatives and the Building Official. Elements and techniques designed to assist the Building Official in facing challenges to maintain their ethical, legal and code compliance standards will be highlighted. -2- POLITICS AND THE BUILDING OFFICIAL COMPONENT ONE: ISSUES FACING ELEGrED OFFICIALS · View From The Top - "No New Taxes" · The Serious Business of Customer Satisfaction - "A Satisfied Constituent is...." · Attracting Businesses and Keeping Them Around - "Fast-Track Projects and/or Don't Let Them Leave...." - 3 - -, POLITICS AND THE BlHI,DJNG OFFICIAL VIEW FROM THE TOP .. The Issues of the 80's VS. 90's .. Top Ten Issues as Rated by Elected and Appointed Officials I RANK I MEAN I ITEM I I 4,07 Reduce drug abuse/trafficking 2 3,99 Raise revenue 3 3.88 Manage solid waste 4 3,84 Maintain neighborhoods 5 3.83 Stimulate economic growth 6 3.78 Improve perception of government 7 3.76 Attract quality candidates 8 3.75 Obtain/maintain water supply 9 3.74 Reduce the threat of crime 10 3.72 Manage the growth of the city (Mean: 1-5 scale with 5 as most important) .. Reducing Drug Abuse and Trafficking is the Single Most Important Issue Facing Elected Officials - 4- POTJTlCS AND THE BlJILDTNG OFFICIAL THE SERIOUS BUSINESS OF CUSTOMER SATISFACfION: CONSTITUENT SATISFACfION · How Public Issues Are Framed - Special Interests - Citizen Frustration - Perceptionffrust · Competitive Edge: What Sets One Agency Apart From Another · Why Can't We Get More Done With Less Resources - "All Those Inspectors...." · Understanding the "Nature of the Beast" - "Why Did I Ever Want to Get Elected" - Anti-Incumbent Movement - Recall as a Platform -5- 0· . POI1TlCS AND THE BUILDING OFFICIAL ATIRACfING BUSINESSES AND KEEPING THEM AROUND * "Fast-Track" Projects * Buy American OrdinanceslPolicies * Maintaining Economic Prosperity * Local Business Retention - 6- POLITICS AND THE BUILDING OFFICIAL COMPONENT TWO: ORIENTATING THE ELECfED OFFICIAL TO ISSUES FACING THE BUILDING OFFICIAL * The Predicament of the Public Servant * Ethical StandardslLiabilities * The Serious Business of Customer Satisfaction - 7 - POLITICS AND THE 8THI,DING OFFICIAL THE PREDICAMENT OF THE PUBLIC SERVANT · Tough Times I Tight Budgets · Crises Management · Top Ten Issues Rated by Elected Officials vs. Department Heads OVERALL ELECfED DEPT. HEADS ITEM Mean (Rank) Mean (Rank) Mean (Rank) 4,07 I 4.14 I 3.97 3 Reduce drugs 3,99 2 3,84 5 4.25 1 Raise revenue 3,88 3 3,98 2 3,73 9 Manage waste 3.84 4 3.89 3 3,75 8 Maintain neighborhood 3,83 5 3.71 10 4.01 2 Economic growth 3.78 6 3,77 8 3,78 6 Government perception 3.76 7 3.72 9 3.82 5 Quality candidates 3,75 8 3,84 4 3.62 12 Water supply 3,74 9 3,83 6 3,60 13 Reduce crime 3,72 10 3.78 7 3,63 II Manage growth (Mean: 1 to 5 scale with 5 as most important) - 8- POTJTlCS AND THE BUTLDlNG OFFICIAL ETHICAL STANDARDS I LIABILITY * Non-Compromising Standards Where Conflict ofInterest May Be Established - Personal Gain - Acceptance of Gifts - Outside Employment Which Directly Conflicts with Position - Threat to the Public Confidence * Liability: Educating the Public Official - Section 202(f), Uniform Building Code Identifies Framework for Governmental Immunity, Premised Upon Actions of Good Faith and Without Malice - Life-Safety Standards of a Structure vs. Non-Life-Safety Standards - Publicly Owned Structures vs. Privately Owned Structures - 9- .- POIJTlCS AND THE BlHLDTNG OFFICIAL THE SERIOUS BUSINESS OF CUSTOMER SATISFACfION * Customer Service Expectations Measured in Seven Areas: - Uniformity and Consistency - Accuracy and Efficiency - Courtesy - Reliability - Knowledge - Ethics - Appearance * Public Image: Building Official Measured in Seven Areas: - Knowledge - Communication Skills - Courtesy - Uniformity and Consistency - Ethics - Appearance - Efficiency * Science of Getting Along With People - 10- POTJTlCS AND THE BUILDING OFFICIAL COMPONENT THREE: WHOSE PROBLEM IS IT ANYWAY? Five Methods Designed to Bridge Communication Gaps Between Elected Officials and Building Officials · Citizen-Based InformationIParticipation: - Forums for Presentation of Building Department Operations - Home Shows / Trade Groups - Civic / Service Clubs - Community Groups · Effective Use of Media: - Life-Safety Articles - General Departmental Information, Code Updates, Construction Standards - Departmental Promotions: National Building and Safety Week · Workshop Sessions: - Formal or Informal Ride-Along or Work-Along Invitations to Elected or Appointed Officials - Invite to Local Seminars, Chapter Meetings, State Conferences or I,C.B.O. Annual Building Meeting · Informational Handouts I Customer Feedback: - "How To" Booklets - Active Solicitation of Service Standards · Maintaining Distance, Yet Knowledgeable of Local, State and National Issues - Associating External and Internal Events Within the Community Enhances the Ability of Staff to React to Changes from the Political Officials - What Impacts Your Elected Officials will TypicaJly Impact Your Department -11-