Code enforcement keeps budget flat, expects increasing revenue

LACONIA — The city’s code enforcement department issued slightly fewer permits over the last year compared to the previous one, but garnered significantly more revenue, continuing a two-year trend, councilors learned at a budget hearing on May 28.

While the number of small project permits filed by individual homeowners decreased — likely due to higher interest rates and the rising cost of construction materials — projects by larger developers persisted, according to their portion of the proposed city budget.

The code department is small — with only three full-time employees — but has an outsized impact on development. They’re responsible for issuing commercial and residential building permits, certificates of occupancy, demolition permits, electrical permits and receiving code or housing complaints in addition to facilitating building or construction inspections to ensure compliance. 

The department in 2023 received the highest number of building permit applications over the last 10 years at over 600 — valuing over $71 million — nearly triple the number processed in 2014. Last year the department performed over 1,100 inspections. 

Their main goal for fiscal year 2025 is to implement an electronic system to deal with the multitude of permit applications received, hypothetically reducing vastly the amount of physical paperwork involved. A new system would also allow other city departments to access relevant records and information throughout the process.

“There’s a lot of work just getting one permit through the system with each different department; it can be upwards of 50 to 60 pages for each department,” said Joseph Gray, director of code enforcement, at the hearing. “One of our goals this year is really looking at some new software that’s going to eliminate this paper trail so we don’t waste all of this paper.”

The department’s proposed budget totals $195,598, the same as the previous year’s budget, which works out to just over a 0.5% of the city’s general fund budget. Most of that figure — $179,065 — is associated with department salaries.

“There’s no increase at all to our budget, we feel that we can do our job next year for the same amount of money that we were handed last year,” Gray said. “It’ll be good.”

City Manager Kirk Beattie said public reception to the work done by both the planning and code enforcement departments is more positive now than it has been in previous years.

“I’ve had more unsolicited compliments in the last two or three months than I have in a long time for the ease of working with both those departments,” Beattie said. “Whether the person looking for the help gets the answer they want or not, they’re understanding that [those departments are] doing a ton of work downstairs for them to get them where they need to be.”

At the city council meeting following the budget hearing, council:

• Held a public hearing regarding the implementation of a transfer station fee for commercial bulk recycling; there were no public comments

• Heard a presentation from the Weirs tax district financing district advisory board

• Approved a request for a temporary traffic order relative to Laconia Motorcycle Week

• Approved tax collector Katie Gargano to collect sewer fees

• Set polling hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the state Primary Election on Sept. 10 and for the state General Election on Nov. 5

• Set a public hearing relative to the city’s proposed budget for the regular council meeting on June 10

• Approved Asia Scudder and Rob Lorenson to work with the Parks and Recreation Department to install sculptures downtown

• Set a public hearing for June 10 relative to the potential designation of portions of the odd-numbered side of Dixon Street a no-parking area

• Approved a request by the Community Action Program for Belknap-Merrimack Counties for the city to act as the primary applicant for a Community Development Block Grant to enhance kitchen facilities at the Laconia Senior Center

• Approved a tentative agreement between the city and the respective unions of the police department and other municipal employees regarding cost of living and wage scale adjustments.

• Approved increases to EMS insurance billing rates for the fire department