Building Director Mr. Myers told the Planning Commission on Oct. 2 that the Eastpointe building department has been restructured to improve inspections, enforcement and financial performance.

"We have tried to meet three obligations...to put the building department in the economic black budget line, not into the red. Two, I'm responsible for all inspections... Three, I'm responsible for cleaning up all of our record keeping systems and processing," Myers said during his update.

Myers said the department has hired a deputy, Carlton Whitsett, reorganized field staff into five roughly one-square-mile districts (with one code/building officer assigned to each district) and reassigned clerical roles to improve processing. He said the changes are intended to focus staff time on a mix of blight enforcement, rental inspections and building/code violations within a defined district.

Revenue and enforcement
Myers reported the department collected approximately $387,000 in permit revenue between July 1 and September and said the office is finding about seven contractors a week working without permits. "We're making headway... by making sure that contractors and homeowners and businesses are accountable to the building department," he said.

Planned operational changes include digitizing ticket-writing to speed citations to court, expanding staff to complete more rental and blight inspections, and returning a full set of administrative records to a reduced number of standardized categories for permit and complaint tracking.

Rental and presale inspection proposals
Myers told commissioners the current non-resident owner occupied rental-inspection cadence is a two-year cycle, but enforcement completion rates are low. Staff proposed a tiered approach: compliant property owners who complete requirements early could qualify for a three-year cycle, while property owners who do not comply would be placed on a one-year schedule for closer monitoring.

He also said Eastpointe currently has no presale-inspection requirement and staff will propose a presale-inspection guideline so the city can review property corrections before ownership transfers.

Projects and enforcement tools
Myers listed several active projects: final permitting for the south side of a prime storage site, near-completion site work for the Moses Roses project, and a Sheetz gas-station project that is ahead of schedule pending state approvals for underground tanks. He said a PACE housing project seeks to expand from 21 to 28 units and the department is reviewing egress and fire-rotation updates required by the fire department.

City attorney Mr. Albright told the commission that administrative search warrants are available when code officers have probable cause and property owners deny entry: "If the building department has probable cause, they will then put together a packet to our office... assuming the court is able to substantiate probable cause, the code enforcement officer can then go to that property and present a copy of the search warrant... and then they can then enter into the backyard."

Reception from commissioners
Several commissioners praised the department's recent work. "I just want to commend, Mister Myers, and the leadership that I've seen in the building department," Commissioner Albright said. Commissioner Zielinski and others thanked staff for visible cleanups on 8 Mile.

Ending
Myers said he will return with a progress report in November and aims to have the department in a position to request a state audit in 2026 to demonstrate compliance and improved record-keeping.