Commissioners split over inspector contracts; amendment to add building official fails

The Mount Clemens City Commission debated a package of one‑year contracts to provide building, mechanical, plumbing, rental and electrical inspection services, and declined an amendment to add a named building official.

The motion on June 18 would have approved inspector‑service agreements effective July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2019, with proposed annual fees that included $68,000 for the building/mechanical inspector, $37,000 for the plumbing inspector, and $37,000 for electrical inspection services. The commission amended the motion on the floor to add Matthew Berman as the building official and moved to vote on the combined package.

Commissioner Menser pressed for expanded hours, saying the current Monday–Friday inspections make access difficult for working residents and requesting “at least one night a week and at least one Saturday a month” for inspections to improve availability. He also questioned the roughly 9% increases proposed for some contracts compared with pay moves for city employees. “People aren't always available,” Menser said, adding that he favored paying by the job or hourly rather than a flat annual amount.

City staff told the commission the plumbing and electrical contract amounts had not increased since 2011 and that the overall inspection‑services budget is about $20,000 higher than seven years ago in exchange for broader coverage and more available inspection days. A staff representative summarized that the proposed contracts would expand inspection availability from the earlier part‑time schedule to Monday through Friday coverage for building, mechanical and rental inspections.

When the roll call was taken on the amended combined motion, the amendment failed and the commission directed administration to separate the contracts so each can be considered individually. The floor discussion included concerns about contractor classification and the legal limits of dictating contractor hours versus hiring city employees.

What happens next: the administration was asked to return with separate motions for each inspector contract and to provide clarification about hours, performance expectations and options for hourly or per‑job compensation. No final individual contract approvals were recorded in the meeting minutes.