Memorandum

TO:  DOYLE ARP, LOUDON COUNTY MAYOR
FROM: BILL COX, LOUDON COUNTY BUILDING COMMISSIONER
DATE: MAY 15, 2009

RE: RETIREMENT

The purpose of this correspondence is to notify you of my decision to retire from the position of Loudon County Building Commissioner.  I will forever treasure the experience gained in the position and I cherish the friendships I have developed.  I am very proud of the accomplishments achieved by the department under my direction and the job has been one of the most, if not the most, rewarding of my career.

The effective date of my retirement will be September 1,2009.

James W. Cox

Cox and his office have been at the center of several controversy's with the mayor's office including Cox refusal to change an assessment as ordered by Arp, law suit pending, and a law suit with TRDA, Tellico Reservoir Development Agency, over inspection rights of property in Loudon County. Arp supported TRDA. Then came the failure of the Loudon County Planning Office.

Commission has been studying plans to combine the building Commissioner's office with the failed planning office. With Cox retirement, planning director Russ Newman will become the director of planning and the inspections office.    

Below is the statement Cox presented to the commission.

COUNTY COMMISSION PRESENTATION

May 18, 2009

At the risk of being too repetitive, there are some points I would like to emphasis or re-emphasis, as the case may be:

Although not as busy as we once were, I have provided you with facts and figures showing we are too busy to eliminate any positions;

 

I have stated that we are going to get even busier.  This is substantiated by the number of inspections increasing by 10% in April over the average for January through March and, thus far, the month of May is seeing more increase (99 through 5/15).  It appears as though the inspection work load has already hit the low point and is now on the rise;

 

The Market Edge, an organization that tracks residential construction, has reported an increase in residential construction in East Tennessee from Chattanooga to the Tri-cities.  This is verified by communications with the State Fire Marshal’s Office and other jurisdictions in the region;
 

I have mentioned that other jurisdictions in the region, as compared to Loudon County, are doing less work with a larger staffs.  This is especially evident when building, zoning, and planning are combined;

 

I have also told you that it is physically impossible for one inspector to satisfy the inspection demand currently existing, much less any increase.  Also, highly trained and certified professionals are hard to replace.

Again, we cannot meet our obligation to the citizens of Loudon County with any less staff.  Three and one half years ago, I guaranteed you a successful department with the staff we employed and we have nothing less than an outstanding Building Department, as can be verified by any jurisdiction familiar with our work.  To release essential personnel would guarantee failure and would be a major step backward for the Department and for Loudon County.  To do so would send a message that we don’t care about the health, welfare, and property of the public.  It would also indicate to students and parents that we don’t care about the quality of construction of the schools we are going to build.

Having said all that, it should be obvious that we cannot spare any personnel, but I come to you with a cost saving solution.  Almost five years ago, I brought some experience and expertise to Loudon County that had not previously been available.  I used that experience and expertise to help the county adopt a Building Code and to set up the Department to administer and implement a Building Code Program.  I have successfully passed that experience and expertise on to my staff.  Thus, the Department can now function normally without the Department Head being certified as a Building Inspector and a Plumbing Inspector and a Mechanical Inspector, or a Registered Professional Structural Engineer.  Consequently, for the good of the Department and the citizens of the county, I will retire as the Loudon County Building Commissioner on September 1, 2009.  Friday, I submitted a memorandum to Mayor Arp which reads, in part, “The purpose of this correspondence is to notify you of my decision to retire from the position of Loudon County Building Commissioner.  I will forever treasure the experience gained in the position and cherish the friendships I have developed.  I am very proud of the accomplishments achieved by the department under my direction and the job has been one of the most, if not the most, rewarding of my career.”

Further, as a cost saving measure, the Planning Department could then merge with the Building and Zoning Department under the direction of Mr. Russ Newman, the current Director of Planning.  It may be possible to transfer the duties of the current Planning Administrative Assistant to other members of the staff resulting in the surplus of that position after a transition period of 90 days.  This is reflected in the budget proposal I am distributing which also reflects my retirement.  With me and my certifications out of the picture, all previous budget proposals are obsolete.  To use one of Mayor Arp’s expressions, this proposal is the way to get the most ‘bang for the buck’.  Previous proposals saved some bucks but they resulted in negative bang, so to speak.  This reduction and merger will accomplish the cost savings sought without loosing any essential personnel.