City Engineer Tim Warner and planning staff told the finance committee the workload for building permits has surged and the in‑house team cannot handle high volumes on some large projects without outside help. Warner and others described issuing about 200 permits per month since March, with typically two to six inspections per permit, producing a volume of inspections that would overwhelm the existing inspection team.

Planning staff said they currently have a building commissioner and two part‑time inspectors and that hiring a large number of full‑time inspectors quickly has proved difficult. The department recommended setting aside funds (the budget earmark in the planning pages included an amount around $15,000 in contractual services) to bring in third‑party inspection and plan‑review firms for high‑volume or high‑complexity projects such as large residential developments, multifamily projects and commercial construction along Royal Road and Franklin Street.

"...since March, we've issued 200 permits per month, and that's been pretty steady," the planning presenter said. The committee and planning staff discussed that many of the larger projects will include permit fees intended to cover some third‑party inspection costs but that a contingency pool is needed to prevent permitting delays and to maintain service for smaller projects across the city.

The committee asked to be notified when a third‑party firm is engaged and recommended acceptance of the planning and inspection budgets, while requesting that planning bring contractor proposals and fee impact estimates back to the committee before council consideration.