The Mount Vernon City Council has approved the creation of a city inspector position, which had been included in the city's budget. The council voted 4-3 in favor, with council members Tammy Woods, Janis Seavolt, and Amber Keener opposing the measure.
According to draft minutes from the council's February 24 meeting, Safety-Services Director Tanner Salyers said that creating this position is not a move toward establishing building codes. He emphasized that such a decision would rest with the city council.
In a YouTube video of the meeting, Salyers explained that funding for the city inspector position includes $30,000 from the Safety-Services budget and an additional $40,000 from various utility departments. Although funded in the previous year's budget, the post remained unfilled. Salyers noted that this role is being created by merging last year's zoning enforcement officer position with an administrative role. Fees generated through the OpenGov work order system will contribute to compensating for this position.
Council member Mike Miller clarified during the meeting: "So it's clear for all on council. We're not creating two new positions. We're just transitioning by combining two into one," adding that this was discussed during budget planning.
Salyers further mentioned that while Mount Vernon has zoning and property maintenance codes, unlike larger cities with building codes, these are not part of the city inspector's job description.
As per draft minutes from the meeting, it was detailed that the city inspector will hold an exempt professional position with a base salary range set at pay grade 6. This includes a minimum hourly wage of $30.25 and a maximum of $42.36 per hour. The ordinance specifies that exempt employees are expected to work as needed beyond normal business hours to fulfill their responsibilities and will coordinate their schedules with their supervisors.
