When the Great Recession hit in 2008, Concord’s codes department was one of the places the city trimmed to stay afloat.
Several positions vacated by retiring employees weren’t filled; formerly retired employees were brought back on a part-time basis, and positions that used to be full-time were downgraded to part-time.
But now, as development continues to ramp up in the city, Concord’s administration is looking to revive the codes department and reorganize it to keep up with demand.
It’s one of the topics the Concord City Council may discuss as budget presentations continue this Thursday. Community development (which the codes department falls under), the library and the parks and recreation department are up for discussion.
At the time – when building permits plummeted – cutting the codes department down made sense, city officials said. Things have changed.
“It’s been 10 years since then, and the staff we brought back are looking to retire for real,” said Deputy City Manager Carlos Baia during a recent interview. “And we’re facing a different community.”
That different community isn’t seeing just increased development; more requests for special events means the codes office is often overloaded. It also means everyday people, unfamiliar with the rhythms of the office, might struggle to get in touch with the code inspector when they’re out in the field or have to wait until someone at the counter can speak to them, Baia said.
To achieve this goal, the city is proposing a $3.4 million community development budget, which the codes department falls under – a $201,984 increase from the current budget.
That increase is mostly seen in the compensation line, which would increase by about $120,000 if approved, and the fringe benefits line, which would increase by about $81,000.
It would also mean bringing the health and licensing officer back to a full-time job, eliminating one position and creating two part-time roles to help out with counter work and bringing on a building inspector, Baia said.
Discussions about the fate of Concord’s libraries could also arise.
That includes deciding whether to sink $100,000 into repairs for the Green Street library building and talking about what the future of the Penacook branch should be.
The proposed budget for the library would see a 5.7 percent, or roughly $100,000, increase from the current budget. That increase can be seen mostly in the compensation line, which would increase by about $88,000, according to city documents, and additional staff used to fund the satellite library services at the soon-to-open Community Center in the Heights.
Increases in other expense lines and revenues are minimal.
A debate could arise about the future of the Penacook branch, which needs about $300,000 to $400,000 worth of repairs in the coming years to stay viable. Solutions have ranged from making the repairs to partnering with Boscawen, from finding a new building or even using a bookmobile, but nothing concrete has been decided.
The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council chambers.