(Spirit Lake)– The Spirit Lake City Council Tuesday held the second reading on a proposed building code ordinance. City officials say it’s modeled after the universal code, but has been adapted to meet local needs. Under the new system, the cost of a building permit for a home valued at 150-thousand dollars would be eight hundred dollars. Even then, representatives of the Northwest Iowa Homebuilder’s Association are concerned the program may not be self-supporting. They want to know just how much it’s going to cost the city to administer and enforce. There was no immediate answer to that question Tuesday.
To address the matter, the council requested a meeting be held between a committee of the Homebuilder’s Association, Dolphin, and the city’s Code Enforcement Officer, Paul Hughes, prior to the next council meeting. The proposed ordinance will come up for a third reading and possible adoption at that time.
On a related note, the council approved the first reading and waved the second and third ones and adopted an ordinance establishing a licensing requirement for electricians, plumbers and mechanical system installers in the city. They also accepted a list of board members that will oversee the licensing and hear any appeals.
