It’s not unusual for the City of Gulfport to have more than 30 inspections a day, and that means Community Development needs help getting them done in a timely fashion.
City of Gulfport/The Gabber
Getting better equipment and faster building inspections was on the agenda at the Oct. 4 Gulfport Council meeting.
Gulfport’s spending more than $100,000 on new City equipment.
Council approved the purchase of a new Toro Workman utility vehicle from Wesco Turf Inc., at a cost of $35,211.41. The fiscal year 22-23 budget for Public Works included this purchase.
“This is a budgeted replacement for the utility vehicle we use for the baseball fields, the beach and such,” City Manager Jim O’Reilly said.
Two new work trucks are on the way from Alan Jay Chevrolet, as well: a 2023 Chevy Silverado 2500 and a 2023 GMC Sierra 3500. The total cost for two trucks comes to $133,521. The City’s public works department will use them both: the Silverado in the sewer division and the Sierra in the water division.
Gulfport will send the two trucks those will replace to auction. Officials said the City was paying for additional maintenance and repairs because of the two vehicles’ ages.
“These are budgeted replacement vehicles, which have special size needs,” said O’Reilly, referring to towing needs that necessitate the trucks being somewhat larger.
In other business, Council approved a resolution to use Pinellas County and SAFEbuilt/M.T. Causley for building services.
“These are the expanded services we need when we get backed up with inspections and plan review,” said O’Reilly. “It’s a budgeted item.”
According to a staff report, permits and associated activities have increased steadily over the last few years, meaning the City needs extra help to keep up with the workload. The City uses Pinellas County for inspection services and SAFEbuilt/M.T. Causley for both inspection and plan review services. Depending on the need, both vendors can work in concert with City staff on any given day. It is not unusual for the City to have more than 30 inspections every day. The only effective way to keep up with this demand, officials said, is through the use of these other providers.
Council approved the cost of $145,000. Staff asked for council approval because the City needs this assistance on a regular basis , and the amount is more than the city manager can spend without Council approval.
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