That’s because new regulations have been put in place by the state for roofs, he said, requiring an ice guard and other precautions.
Currently roofers or homeowners must fill out an affidavit for each project, Gaver said, at a cost of $32. But no city inspections are performed.
The inspections would act as a protection for homeowners, he said.
“We do get phone calls where they don’t feel the roofs been put in properly,” he said.
But on Tuesday, the proposal was defeated by the commission in a 2-2 vote. Commissioner Kevin O’Neill, who voted no, said he believes the current system works, and he doesn’t want to increase prices.
“I didn’t think we needed to tax people more,” O’Neill said. “…That’s a pretty big expense.”
Springfield issued 161 roofing permits in 2016 with a revenue of about $5,000. At the proposed cost, the city would have brought in about $13,000.
Gaver said the increased cost is not about revenue but the service that would be provided.
The city will inspect roofs if a homeowner who has filed an affidavit has a complaint, he said, and if a contractor has made an error, send a letter to inform them it needs to be fixed.
If the contractor doesn’t fix the problem in the allotted time, he said, the city can go through the courts.
“It seems to be working really really well,” he said.
But it’s a lot easier to fix a problem before a project is completed, Gaver said, and less expensive. In the permit process, if inspectors spotted a problem in the mid-way inspection, they’d notify the contractor it needed to be fixed, then return to inspect it again.
Inspections aren’t a problem for Dependable Roofing owner Gary Iddings as long as they don’t slow down his workers.
“We’re not afraid of an inspection for the sake of what might get found,” he said, “it’s more about just not holding us up.”
The city of Urbana requires mid-project inspections, he said, and in the past it sometimes could take days to get an inspector out to a site on project that could be completed in one day.
“They’ve now gone to the photographic evidence and it seems to work out fine,” Iddings said.
Now in Urbana, workers just have to send pictures for a mid-project inspection. That would be ideal, he said, and a final inspection wouldn’t impact his workers.
City staff may rework the proposal and take it back to the commission, Gaver said.
Homeowners should check with neighbors or the Better Business Bureau to verify a company, he said.
Residents can always call the city to verify roofing companies at 937-324-7380.
By the numbers
$85 — cost of proposed roofing permit
$32 — current cost of roofing affidavit
161 — roofing permits issued in 2016
The Springfield News-Sun delivers in-depth coverage of local government including when voters recently approved an income tax increase in Springfield and the decision to reopen closed police and fire stations in July.
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