Granite Shoals streamlining building permit process
Granite Shoals is streamlining its building permit application process by updating paperwork and potentially hiring a dedicated permit clerk. The City Council addressed the matter during its last regular meeting on March 14.
The city’s permit application process was notoriously bogged down by confusing directions and continued miscommunications between the city, builders, and inspectors.
“The most common issue we face here at the city is the submission of applications that aren’t complete,” said Granite Shoals Fire Chief Tim Campbell. Campbell was standing in for City Manager Peggy Smith. “(Residents) try to submit (permit applications) piece by piece, and that process gets put on hold until the city has the entire packet that they need.”
All necessary documents have been assembled in one place on the city website. City Secretary Dawn Wright is also creating a simple explanation of the permit process that the public can access.
“We just want to make sure that our citizens understand that we are working on these things,” Wright told DailyTrib.com.
The city might hire a dedicated permit clerk to act as a liaison between the city and parties involved in the permitting process. Utilities Superintendent Josh Hisey is currently juggling his duties as superintendent and aiding in the permitting process, which he acknowledged can cause delays. Hisey and Wright both told the council that a clerk would speed up the process and reduce delays.
“The missing piece of communication between the contractor, the city, the customer, and inspector is what we’re looking for with filling this position,” Wright explained.
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I applaud them for trying but I have a permit that has been held up by the same process that they’re trying to fix and it’s been pending for going on 6 weeks with at least a month left to go to get all the documents they are wanting. I’ve tried calling and email and no one can answer basic questions about what “more detail” is needed to get a permit. It’s no wonder why there are so many unpermitted projects in town.