Lake Zurich hires county to do building inspections

Lake Zurich has hired another government agency to handle building inspection duties in a move officials say should result in a six-figure cost savings.

Director of Community Services Michael Earl said personnel changes in the village's building and zoning division earlier this year prompted officials to rethink how inspections were being done. That led Lake Zurich to contract with Lake County government for the residential and business building inspections.

Earl said two vacant full-time village inspector positions will be eliminated for an annual savings of $100,000 by having Lake County do the job.

"The recommended structure keeps us focused on providing a high level of service from a technical, as well as a customer service perspective," Earl said before the village board voted 6-0 in favor of the contract Nov. 2. "And it has the added benefit of providing some significant budget-to-budget savings."

Under the two-year contract with an automatic renewal for the same time period, Lake Zurich will pay $67 an hour to the county for inspections and any building plan review duties. Projections show Lake Zurich will pay $160,000 yearly to Lake County.

Lake Zurich isn't the only village to contract with the county for residential and commercial building inspections.

Hainesville and Lindenhurst are receiving services similar to what will be provided to Lake Zurich, said Matthew Meyers, operations manager for the county's planning, building and development department. The county handles inspections in Round Lake Beach when necessary to help the village's employees.

Deputy County Administrator Amy McEwan said that just like Lake Zurich, her government has a strategic plan to seek shared services when practical.

"Our goal there is our citizens and your citizens are the same folks and they all have an interest in us, obviously, conducting our work in the most efficient way we possibly can and controlling the cost of government," McEwan told the Lake Zurich village board.

Trustee Jim Beaudoin said he's satisfied the village won't sacrifice quality and timeliness of inspections by hiring the county. He said Lake Zurich received glowing reviews from the towns already contracted with Lake County for the inspections.

"I'm very confident that is going to be a great program for both Lake County and the village," Beaudoin said.

Earl said Lake Zurich is seeking to hire someone to review building plans and supervise the county inspectors.