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ICC offers workshop on building codes to Mustang, Oklahoma council

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ICC offers workshop on building codes to Mustang, Oklahoma council

4/23/2013

Mustang Times, ICC offers workshop on building codes to council

Mustang Mayor Jay Adams was one of three council members that voted in favor of the 2009 International Codes. He said he hopes the council will attend a workshop on the codes.

By Jon Watje

Managing Editor

After the Mustang City Council rejected a set of state-mandated building codes, Mayor Jay Adams said he hopes the council will consider attending a workshop on the 2009 International Building Codes.

Mark Roberts, Senior Regional Manager of Government Relations for the International Code Council (ICC), attended last week’s Mustang City Council meeting to discuss what he believed were misconceptions some of the council members had about the codes.

Roberts, whose office is located in Covington, La., said he was in Oklahoma City the day of the council meeting and felt compelled to speak to the council after hearing concerns of Agenda 21 related to the ICC.

"I was in Oklahoma today attending the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code commission meeting, so I had the opportunity to come to your council meeting," Roberts said. "I felt like I needed to come speak to you today after reading articles in the local paper. I read a few statements that I felt were incorrect and thought I’d come here to address those."

The Mustang City Council voted 3-4 against the adoption of the 2009 International Building Codes at their meeting in March. The City is currently using the 2003 International Building Codes.

At their meeting to consider the codes, several citizens expressed their concerns about the origin of the codes, saying they promoted an international agenda that could jeopardize their rights during a public hearing.

Ward 1 City Councilman Matt Taylor voiced his concerns with the origin of the codes, saying he believed the ICC originated from ICLEI, the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives.

"What does that council know about fire codes, mechanical codes and plumbing codes," Taylor asked at the March meeting. "I am sure they know about energy conservation and other things that we are not going to adopt tonight. But if you peel it back even further, ICLEI comes from the United Nations and Agenda 21."

Roberts said the ICC is an American-based organization.

"The International Code Council is an American public safety membership-based organization," he said. "We have offices in Alabama, Illinois, California and Washington. The code council uses the term ‘International’ in its name because it means to export American knowledge and technology in order to do business in the world. It has always been an American-based company."

He also addressed concerns of the ICC being related to the United Nations.

"The Code Council is not part of the United Nations," Roberts said. "Nor does the Code Council and its codes originate from the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives. In fact, I had never even heard of that until it came up here."

Roberts said the ICC building codes were developed by fire officials, architects, engineers, builders and others with an interest in public safety, including people in the State of Oklahoma.

"Our board of directors is made up of building and fire officials from throughout the United States," he said. "The Code Council lessens the burden of local governments by developing consensus-based building codes and standards."

Roberts said if Mustang adopted the codes, it could easily make amendments to them.

"In Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Uniform Building Commission adopts those codes in a very lengthy and open process and the local governments, if they want to make amendments to those codes, all they have to do is go up to the commission and tell them they want to make those amendments," he said.

While state and local governments are not obligated to adopt the codes, all 50 states have adopted one of the ICC codes. Oklahoma has adopted six and they are strictly construction codes such as building codes, mechanical codes and plumbing codes, Roberts said. "Our codes provide the basic safeguards you want in your home and at your schools for your children or at your workplace. Organizations involved in the code developing process include American Chemistry Council, the National Association of Homebuilders and the American Institute of Architects just to name a few."

Roberts proposed to hold a workshop for members of the City Council regarding the codes so they could become more familiar with them.

"I would be glad to come and hold a workshop on our building codes," he said. "I would be glad to do it and answer any of your questions and how they affect you and just any question that you and the public would have. So please consider that."

Mayor Adams said he was surprised when Roberts stated who he was and where he was from.

"I was floored and had no idea that he would be here," Adams said. "I told him that we would like to have that workshop if we can get enough interest from the rest of the council."

Adams was one of the three that voted in favor of adopting the codes, along with Ward 2 Councilman Mark Grubbs and Ward 4 Councilman Terry Jones.

"These codes are no more than building codes," he said. "They are standards for us to have."

Adams said no date for the workshop has been scheduled yet.
 
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