Council pushes for federal funds for more inspectors

Booming towns so often have a hard time keeping an eye on builders that the International Code Council is hoping to get the federal government to step in with extra cash.

"People take it for granted that when they walk into the room and flip the light switch, that they don't get electrocuted or the ceiling doesn't fall in," says Steve Daggers, spokesman for the Washington, D.C.,-based council that writes many local building codes. "Through the inspection process, inspectors make sure those buildings are built safe and sound."

The way Daggers sees it, inspectors are often an afterthought for village officials facing an onslaught of growth. Before the new homes are even up, he says village officials are often more worried about hiring enough police officers or firefighters.

Rush to Inspect is a two-part series exploring how the growing workload of local home inspectors is affecting suburban homebuyers. Stories How many inspections are too many? [11/14/07] Council pushes for federal funds for more inspectors [11/15/07] Video Local home inspectors Montgomery home problems Graphics Running against the clock Related Links ABC 7 coverage "(Police and fire) always get the attention and the building guy doesn't," Daggers groused.However, building commissioners interviewed in St. Charles, Carpentersville, Arlington Heights and Naperville all said their village councils don't play favorites. The code council now is working to persuade federal lawmakers to set aside money for towns facing a major construction boom. The money would have to be used to hire additional inspectors, but there is no baseline in the current plan for determining when additional inspectors are needed.Lobbying on the measure is just beginning, and it remains unclear if the idea will gain broad support.