2011 budget summary - St. Louis County

Department of PublicWorksSheryl L. Hodges, D.E., P.E, L.P.G.,Directorwww.stlouisco.com/pubworks314‐615‐8501OVERVIEWDepartment MissionTo ensure the health, safety and well being of St.Louis County residents, the stability of theirneighborhoods and their centers of commerce andgovernment through internationally accepted,reasonable and judiciously applied codeenforcement, quality services and effective,efficient facilities.Strategic Priorities Continue to vigilantly safeguard the lives andproperty of the County’s residents through theaggressive but fair enforcement of property andbuilding codes. Upgrade County Government facilities to new,modern infrastructure that satisfies space,program and safety requirements. Continue to use information technology toenhance services such as modernizing thedepartment’s permit system. This systemfurther minimizes the need for customers torely on anything but their home‐ or office‐basedcomputers to transact County business – thussaving them time and inconvenience. Continue to strengthen partnerships withvarious community groups and private andpublic institutions to improve propertymaintenance and value, including theamelioration of the problematic phenomenonof home foreclosures in the St. Louis region. Apply efficient and economical methods ofmaintaining clean and comfortableenvironments in all County buildings.A Chief Commercial Building Inspector on site reviewing plans.Department Products and ServicesThe department provides services in four primarydivisions: Code Enforcement, NeighborhoodServices, Facilities Management, andAdministration. Public Works enforces codes forresidential construction, property maintenance,re‐occupancy, commercial construction, mechanicalperiodics, land disturbance and zoning inunincorporated St. Louis County and, undercontract, in 82 of the County’s 91 municipalities.Through plan review, permit issuance andinspections, the staff plays a vital role in ensuringthat proper electrical, plumbing, mechanical andgeneral construction practices are followed in bothnew construction and existing residential andcommercial structures.Public Works issues more permits (roughly 40,000to 45,000 every year) than any other entity oragency between the Mississippi River and the Stateof California. The Code Enforcement Division’spersonnel perform approximately 11,000 planreviews annually to ensure code compliance.Through its enforcement of property maintenancecodes and St. Louis County’s re‐occupancyinspection program, the Division of NeighborhoodServices works on a daily basis to keepneighborhoods’ property values stable and homessafe to occupy. The County’s Sewer Lateral Repairand Water Service Line programs dramatically- 132 -