Framingham building inspection fees steady as department seeks personnel funding

Building Commissioner Fred Bray told the Finance Subcommittee on Jan. 22 that inspection services have been a steady revenue source for the city, reporting roughly $3.9 million in fiscal 2025 and about $4.3 million for calendar year 2025.

Bray said the Building Department's FY2027 personnel request is $1,400,000 and the operating budget request is approximately $68,000. He estimated proposed salary increases of about $29,000 and noted that, if the department were required to level-fund for FY27, it would need to shift roughly $6,730 from operating to personnel and still face a shortfall of about $22,881, which could require a personnel reduction.

Councilors asked whether a cut in personnel would reduce the department's revenue generation; Bray said he would not expect a decline in fee revenue immediately but that operational impacts and overtime/consulting needs are uncertain. He credited the city's online permitting system with speed improvements: "We are processing and issuing permits much quicker than we have in the past," he said, and noted reduced counter traffic freed staff to process applications.

Councilors suggested practical customer-facing improvements such as providing a public workstation for applicants who lack home internet access; Bray agreed to explore installing a computer at the counter.

Bray also confirmed the department currently uses about 12 vehicles and expects to add a grant-funded vehicle in February; he said the newer vehicle will be placed with a senior inspector and older vehicles will be retained as spares and shared across departments.

Councilors requested the department provide a standardized two-year benchmarking spreadsheet (personnel, administrative costs, revenues) to support comparative review during the budget process. Bray agreed to provide the requested materials.