I'm Starting to see the Light

[Uncle Bob]

As cities across the county face financial problems; they are starting to see the advantages of outsourcing employees;

http://money.cnn.com/2010/06/29/news/economy/city_fires_employees/index.htm

Many cities are already outsourcing their Inspections Departments. This seems to be the way of the future.

There are several major companies that you can seek employment with. If you are working for a municipality that is having financial problems; now, might be a good time to start looking.

Don't buy into the big lie; that the contractor will hire the city employees.

Uncle Bob

 

[packsaddle]

Understand one thing though: working in the private sector is different from working in the public sector because you are actually held accountable in the private sector.

You will rise or fall on your own merits, which is the way it should be.

 

[TJacobs]

Understand one thing though: working in the private sector is different from working in the public sector because you are actually held accountable in the private sector.You will rise or fall on your own merits, which is the way it should be.

Unless you are related to the business owner, or you are providing services to the business owner...

 

[Uncle Bob]

packsaddle said;

"Understand one thing though: working in the private sector is different from working in the public sector because you are actually held accountable in the private sector.



You will rise or fall on your own merits, which is the way it should be. "



Hopefully, this will help get more code certified Inspectors into municipal inspections. Unfortunately, many municipalities hire the "least qualified"; and the private sector seems to be hiring the most qualified.



In Texas; if you work for a municipality; the only essential qualification is a State Plumbing Inspector's License. With that you can inspect Building, Electrical, Plumbing, and HVAC; regardless of your qualifications.



In Oklahoma; municipalities are allowed to hire

anyone

; and many do; and the State will issue

a two year

temporary Inspector's license.



Maybe, the private sector; through their hiring practices; will improve the overall quality of Inspections and hopefully, more code compliant building.



Uncle Bob

 

[Uncle Bob]

Cities all over the country are laying off Employees; because they simply don't have the money to pay them;

New York,

http://queenscrap.blogspot.com/2010/07/dob-lays-off-building-inspectors.html

California,

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/jan/29/n95722165313-bn29layoffs/

Maryland,

http://www.herald-mail.com/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=247743&format=html

Arizona,

http://azdailysun.com/news/article_ba22549d-24c6-52e8-a49d-598e96a09d87.html

Nevada,

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/jan/08/county-lays-67-workers-mostly-building-inspectors/

And the list goes on. It is bad news for local government building inspectors; but good news for private sector companies.

This provides the perfect opportunity for private sector companies to start up, and take over these inspection departments.

Something for you Building Officials who have the experience and know-how; to look at.

The future you save; may be your own,

Uncle Bob

 

[peach]

Building department employees (like all employees of a jurisdiction) have a really high overhead with the associated benefits; third party agencies usually don't have the SAME benefits, but not bad, just the same... Cities hate the "enforcement" role (ok.. can't outsource the PD or FD.. if we can get rid of BD.. we'll do it).

There are some Code enforcement functions that they can't off (tall grass, junk cars, illegal construction).. code inspections can easily (and many times are) delegated to qualifed firms to do it.

 

[conarb]

I heard on the radio the other day that Las Vegas firefighters could will their pensions to their descendants, my great-grandfather was a San Francisco fireman, since I'm his only great-grandson I've inherited his gold badge and watch, too bad he didn't have a pension to will me, that would be worth a couple of million a year by now. I tried to research and couldn't confirm the story so it may be a rumor, but I did find this:

Lower-paid firefighters could be hired to replace the current airport firefighters, whose combined wages and benefits average $198,000 yearly compared with the $180,000 that other county firefighters average.

Another option is for the airport to contract with a private company that provides firefighting services, Sisolak said. However, no U.S. airports close to the size of McCarran contract out for fire services.

If the current fire team is disbanded, the firefighters would join a relief staff that receives regular pay instead of time-and-a-half to fill in for absent co-workers. That would help chip away at the firefighters' overtime costs, which swelled to more than $15 million last year.

But no major aircraft has ever crashed at McCarran and airfield emergencies are sporadic, he said. So firefighters often have nothing to fill idle time.

"They're the highest-paid group of firefighters," Sisolak said.¹

¹ http://www.lvrj.com/news/clark-county-officials-to-look-at-replacing-airport-s-firefighting-team--98797779.html

 

[peach]

I've never heard of a pension being paid beyond the spouse. The army doesn't do it. My dad split his pension when he retired from a very good mining job to my mom.. too bad she died first. He only got half of what he would have received... for the rest of his life (21 years).

 

[conarb]

Peach:

I heard it on the radio, I guess it could be written into the contract, I'll keep looking to see if I can find any verification, it certainly wouldn't surprise me. Meanwhile we have another government salary scandal in California, but the people involved ave agreed to resign, too bad they're going to have to get by on such small pensions.

Rizzo was the highest paid at $787,637 a year — nearly twice the pay of President Barack Obama — for overseeing one of the poorest towns in Los Angeles County. Census figures for 2008 showed about 17 percent of the city's less than 40,000 residents live in poverty.

Spaccia makes $376,288 a year and Adams earns $457,000, 50 percent more than Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck.

The three officials will not receive severance packages, the Los Angeles Times reported today. Rizzo will step down at the end of August, and Spaccia will leave at the end of September. Adams will also leave at the end of August, after completing an evaluation of the Police Department, the Times said.

Rizzo would be entitled to a state pension of more than $650,000 a year for life, according to calculations made by the Times. That would make Rizzo, 56, the highest-paid retiree in the state pension system.

Adams could get more than $411,000 a year. Spaccia, 51, could be eligible for as much as $250,000 a year when she reaches 55, though the figure is less precise than for the other two officials, the Times said.¹

Uncle Bob needs to come to California and get his government job.

¹ http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_15585485?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com

 

[packsaddle]

And yet they wonder why the state is going broke......

 

[conarb]

And yet they wonder why the state is going broke......

Pack:You're all going to have to pay for California's socialistic excesses, just like all of Europe and even we though the IMF (we pay about 20%) are going to have to pay for Greece's and the rest of the PIG's socialistic excesses.

The newspaper that has been running months of exposés of firefighters' and police salaries and benefits is now running exposés of the legislatures' allowing commercial and environmental lobbyists to actually write their legislation, every legislator but one allows them to write their legislation, even allowing them to sit next to them in the legislature and answer questions about proposed legislation¹.

¹ http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_1...costatimes.com

 

[Wayne]

I heard on the radio the other day that Las Vegas firefighters could will their pensions to their descendants, my great-grandfather was a San Francisco fireman, since I'm his only great-grandson I've inherited his gold badge and watch, too bad he didn't have a pension to will me, that would be worth a couple of million a year by now. I tried to research and couldn't confirm the story so it may be a rumor, but I did find this:¹ http://www.lvrj.com/news/clark-county-officials-to-look-at-replacing-airport-s-firefighting-team--98797779.html

The state retirement NVPERs only extends to the spouse or children in some cases. See the second page of the pdf. It's a complex issue but I doubt it would extend past the children at least that's what I've been told about my NVPERs account.

http://www.nvpers.org/public/forms/Member/SurBeneDesig.pdf

 

[Uncle Bob]

At this point; for city employees anyway, it doesn't matter why the cities are having to outsource their department; only that it is going to outsource their department.

While retirement costs are a part of the financial problems that cities are experiencing; it is not the only cause. Cities are going broke and still need new construction inspected. The purpose of this thread was to bring to the attention of Municipal Building Safety Department employees; that outsourcing of this department is growing; and, they may find employment opportunities with private companies that are contracting these departments.

With so many plans examiners and Inspectors losing their jobs; I thought bringing the movement of privatization of this department to their attention; might help them to stay in this type of employment; where they can use their Certs and experience.; they have worked so many years to obtain.

Original post;

"As cities across the county face financial problems; they are starting to see the advantages of outsourcing departments;

http://money.cnn.com/2010/06/29/news...yees/index.htm

Many cities are already outsourcing their Inspections Departments. This seems to be the way of the future.

There are several major companies that you can seek employment with. If you are working for a municipality that is having financial problems; now, might be a good time to start looking.

Don't buy into the big lie; that the contractor will hire the city employees."

Uncle bob