Chair Sanchez questions vacancy rates and inspector sufficiency for new enforcement initiatives

But, just kidding.

Can you both just state what is the vacancy rate now, given the budgeted and actuals?

So I think, DOB, you were saying something that's around 7%, but can you both clarify?

And how many vacancies within inspector titles at each agency?

Right now we're at 7%, but that number will come down once the 25 inspectors in the pipeline come on board.

So as to our code inspectors, we have 369 full-time inspectors.

That is a vacancy rate of roughly 6%.

But again, that doesn't include the new hires allocated through the housing plan.

Got it.

And do you have, Commissioner Levy, do you have specifics on the average tenure?

I don't have numerical truth other than what I just gave you from anecdotally, but we could certainly get that for you.

Thank you.

I'd like to acknowledge that we've been joined by Councilmember Caban and Councilmember Riley.

So follow-up question is how many inspectors do you believe that each of your agencies needs to accomplish the significant expansion of enforcement initiatives, particularly closing every single or

checking every heat complaint in a building, for instance, in the roof-to-cellar inspections?

So we have been actively preparing for this and again having lots of conversations with the code staff who are very aware of this new protocol.

I think we do have the staff that we need to be able to do every unit identified inspection as well as the now scheduling for second inspections when failure to gain access occurs.

So I think we are hoping for a warmer winter than last year, but feel ready to take on these new initiatives.

Thank you.

And a quick clarification point on process with respect to scheduling inspections.

So it's only scheduling re-inspections, not scheduling the first inspection?

That is correct.

Thank you.