Board of Building Appeals

Village of Lombard Village Hall 255 East Wilson Ave. Lombard, IL 60148 villageoflombard.org Minutes Wednesday, November 4, 2020 6:00 PM Village Hall Board of Building Appeals Members Bob Mueller, Marty Igoe, Stephen Flint, John Cullen and Maurice Bernardi Staff Liaisons: Building Commissioner Keith Steiskal Board of Building Appeals Minutes November 4, 2020 Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance The meeting was called to order by Keith Stieskal Building Commissioner of Community Development, at 6:00 p.m. Mr. Steiskal led the Pledge of Allegiance Roll Call Present 3 - Stephen Flint, John Cullen, and Bob Mueller Absent 2 - Marty Igoe, and Maurice Bernardi Also present: Keith Stieskal Building Commissioner and Perry Johnson, Fire Marshal. Business Meeting Approval of Minutes A motion was made by Bob Mueller seconded by Stephen Flint, to approve the minutes of the August 5, 2020. The motion passed by a unanimous vote. New Business 200356 Text Amendments to Section 150.143 of Village Code - Contractor Registration Obligations. Proposed amendments Section 150.143 of Village Code as it pertains to contractor registration obligations and the ability for homeowners to undertake construction activities. Keith Steiskal explained the amendments proposed to Section 150.143 of the Village Code related to Contractor registration Obligations. Homeowners can make improvements to their properties and list themselves as a general contractor, unless the project is part of a Major Development or for the construction of Public Improvements as both defined within the Subdivision & Development Ordinance. Any listed contractor must be registered by the State or as a business entity in DuPage county. The annual rate of Contractor Registration fee will increase from $75.00 to $100.00 for all such projects undertaken by a contractor. A motion was made by Bob Mueller, seconded by Stephen Flint, that this Text Amendment be recommended to the Corporate Authorities for approval. The Village of Lombard Page 1 Board of Building Appeals Minutes November 4, 2020 motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 3- Stephen Flint, John Cullen, and Bob Mueller Absent: 2- Marty Igoe, and Maurice Bernardi 200357 Text Amendments to Chapters 220 through 247 Certificates of Occupancy Proposed amendments to the Certificates of Occupancy requirements to properly reflect Village processes. Amendments also adjust the corresponding fees. Keith Steiskal reviewed with the BOBA members the proposed amendments to the Certificates of Occupancy requirements to properly reflect the Village process, and adjust the corresponding fees. Keith summarized the: 1. The applicable Chapters related to Occupancies and Partial (and Conditional) Certificates of Occupancies were rewritten; 2. Provisions for Conditional Certificates and/or Partial Certificates are added or properly codified; 3. Township notification processes are amended; 4. Items that are duplicative with other reference provisions of Village Code are amended or eliminated.; and 5. The corresponding Certificate of Occupancy issuance fees are amended as they had not been amended since 2004 and did not reflect the Administrative Certificate of Occupancy option. Keith Steiskal reviewed the corresponding Certificate of Occupancy issuance fees are amended as they had not been amended since 2004 and did not reflect the Administrative Certificate of Occupancy option. The cost for a Certificate of Occupancy or a Zoning Certificate shall be as follows, effective January 1, 2021. Single Family Residences/Multi-Family Dwellings Conditional Certificate of Occupancy: $125.00 Final Certificate of Occupancy: $100.00 Commercial, Industrial, Assembly Conditional Certificate of Occupancy: $150.00 Final Certificate of Occupancy: $125.00 Administrative Fee (only applies to ownership changes and other form changes that do not warrant an inspection): $50 Village of Lombard Page 2 Board of Building Appeals Minutes November 4, 2020 A motion was made by Stephen Flint, seconded by John Cullen, that this Text Amendment be recommended to the Board of Trustees for approval. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 3- Stephen Flint, John Cullen, and Bob Mueller Absent: 2- Marty Igoe, and Maurice Bernardi 200359 Code Change to Chapters 13 and 150 of Village Code and Policy Review - Work Without a Permit Enforcement Proposed amendments to memorialize code provisions and processes for cases in which construction activity occurs without a permit. Keith Steiskal stated that staff has found that in many instances a property owner may simply not be aware of the need for a building permit (e.g., replacing a water heater, windows, air conditioning unit, etc.). Staff and BOBA agree that securing a permit must be required and such policies have been followed. However, strict interpretation of this provision as it pertains to “double fees” for the work has not been consistently applied in the past and latitude has been offered to property owners on a fairly frequent basis. The first remedy has been to inform the person doing the work that a permit is required and most permits are available for submittal and consideration quickly online. Many residents are unsure if a permit is needed and generally obtain a permit in a timely manner. The intent is not to punish anyone for unknowingly making a mistake but on the other hand not reward bad behavior. The proposed steps to be taken when a permit has not been acquired are: Provide a warning that a permit is required, provide clear instructions of what the options are to get a permit and follow up that a permit was obtained. Always allow exterior work to continue such as roofs or windows as it is important to protect a house from the elements. Open a Code Enforcement case to track the location and person doing the work. Stop Work Orders are needed when no one is at the site or there is doubt the work will stop. Repeated or ongoing behavior of not getting a permit which would require further action would include issuing a $50 local ordinance ticket (per Section 150.999) and charging double the permit fees (per Section Village of Lombard Page 3 Board of Building Appeals Minutes November 4, 2020 13.03) to try to stop the behavior. Inform the Building Division of the charges prior to issuing the permit. The penalties should only be used with repeat offenders or refusal to cooperate. Use judgment to assess the situation as each case is different and compliance is the goal. In cases in which the Village finds that an improvement covered under the provisions of Chapter 150 of Village Code did not secure a permit and the permit is non-structural in nature, the Community Development Director and/or his/her designee has the discretion to waive the doubling of the fees, provided that all applicable permits have been issued relative to the project in question. A motion was made by Bob Mueller, seconded by John Cullen, that this Amendment be recommended to the Board of Trustees for approval. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 3- Stephen Flint, John Cullen, and Bob Mueller Absent: 2- Marty Igoe, and Maurice Bernardi 200360 Text Amendments to Title 15, Section 150 of Village Code - Building Code Recommending updating the following International Codes from the 2012 to the 2018 versions for the following International Codes; Building, Residential, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Property Maintenance, and Pool. Keith Steiskal introduced to the BOBA members staff’s recommendation to update the items of the reviewed of pertinent codes used to regulate construction, staff is recommending updating the following International Codes from the 2012 to the 2018 versions: International Building Code International Residential Code International Mechanical Code International Fuel Gas Code International Property Maintenance Code International Pool Code Keith Steiskal explained these International Codes are developed on a 3-year cycle, but the Village of Lombard has decided to adopt every other code cycle. The updates are recommended in order to stay current with the newest construction technology such as changes in solar, higher wind requirements, etc. This is also recommended to stay current with the already State adopted 2018 International Energy Conservation Code, and the 2018 International Fire Code adopted Village of Lombard Page 4 Board of Building Appeals Minutes November 4, 2020 earlier this year. The International Codes are designed to work as a series and be adopted to work together as each code book references the other codes books for applicable sections. A motion was made by Stephen Flint, seconded by Bob Mueller, that this Amendment be recommended to the Board of Trustees for approval. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 3- Stephen Flint, John Cullen, and Bob Mueller Absent: 2- Marty Igoe, and Maurice Bernardi Information Only 1. Citizen Serve implementation update. Keith Steiskal offered BOBA an update regarding the implementation efforts of CitizenServe. Adjournment A motion was made by John Cullen second by Bob Mueller, to adjourn the meeting at 6:52 p.m. The motion passed by a unanimous vote. Village of Lombard Page 5