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Thursday, September 28, 2006 11:25 PM CDT
Mayor nixes roofing permit proposal
By ROB STROUD, Staff Writer
rstroud@jg-tc.com
CHARLESTON -- Mayor John Inyart announced Thursday the city will cease its consideration of an ordinance requiring permits for roof replacements, installation and repairs.
On Sept. 19, the city council tabled a proposal to require those doing roofing work to first get permits from the city. Applicants for the $50 permits would have needed to show they have state roofing licenses, unless they were homeowners working on their own residences. Homeowners still would have needed to get permits.
“I take full responsibility for bringing this issue to the forefront. I challenged staff to find a way to enforce the state roofing statute and protect our citizens,” Inyart said. The mayor previously cited concerns about unlicensed, uninsured roofers performing shoddy work as a reason for proposing city roofing permits.
“Unfortunately, the way the state statute is written, the best way to enforce this involved a permit process which in the end would provide limited benefit to property owners in comparison to the burden and cost of both homeowners and the city of Charleston,” Inyart said.
City officials reported the $50 permit fee had been proposed to cover the administrative costs involved in the enforcement of state statutes regarding roofing work.
Before recommending the roofing permit ordinance be tabled on Sept. 19, Inyart said he had heard concerns about the proposal from council members Larry Rennels and Lorelei Sims. Three Charleston property owners spoke against the ordinance during the Sept. 19 council meeting and a few others wrote opinion letters to the newspaper.
Property owner Norman Schmitt, who spoke at the meeting, said he was glad to hear the roofing permit proposal has been dropped.
“They are making too many laws when they already have laws they don’t enforce to start out with,” Schmitt said.
Inyart said he wanted to remind residents that, except for limited exceptions, the state statute requires all roofing work to be performed by licensed Illinois roofers.
The mayor said exceptions established by state statute include property owners working on their own properties, individuals working as volunteers and not “for hire,” and employees working on properties owned by their employers.
To get more information on the state statute or report a violation, Inyart encouraged people to contact the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation at 785-0800 or visit www.idfpr.com on-line.
Contact Rob Stroud at rstroud@jg-tc.com or 348-5734.
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Stephen wrote on Jul 17, 2006 8:22 AM: