Marion’s city council met last night for another round of budget hearings and met with department heads from the advisory plan, building and fire departments.
Council members talked extensively with building commissioner Jerry Foustnight about the building department’s current workload and how those employees can handle high volumes of calls and complaints and follow up with procedures for the Neighborhood Preservation Ordinance with a reduced budget.
Foustnight assured the council and the public that they are still getting things accomplished, even while needing to fill a code enforcement position.
According to Foustnight, the department has done 12 residential demolitions this year, with about a dozen more set to go before the Board of Works for approval.
Councilmember Brad Luzadder expressed his concern at cutting money from the building department’s demolition budget.
“Out of all the places where we could cut five percent, I don’t think it’s you,” Luzadder said. “Where does it stop to where you’re given what you need to do your job?”
This marks the second year the building department has cut its budget down, but Foustnight said he feels comfortable with the cut as there’s more than $70,000 in the unsafe structure fund.
Foustnight reminded the council that no matter how much money the department has, with only one excavator and one person to operate it, the department can only do so many demolitions in a year.
