CAPE MAY – Cape May City Council adopted an ordinance Nov. 21 that amended the city’s list of salary ranges and titles. It did so to prepare the way for the January reabsorbing of the fire inspection function from the state.
The ordinance adds three new positions, two full-time and one part-time to the city rolls to be able to staff the Fire Bureau approved by council in July.
The establishment of the Fire Bureau is an effort to return to city control the fire code inspection and enforcement functions. It has been established under the direct control of the city manager.
The city gave up the inspection function in 2004 partly due to manpower issues. The function had been fraught with controversy due to the difficulties of reconciling the state fire code to the historic ambiance of the city’s many bed-and-breakfast inns.
Many city business owners believe that the state is insensitive to issues involving the historic integrity of many city buildings.
Return to local control will increase the likelihood that inspectors will understand the concerns of business and property owners with historic structures; but since the same fire code must be enforced regardless of whether or not it is enforced by city or state personnel, how this move will resolve the issue is unclear.
Strict code enforcement, some argue, forces unacceptable compromises with landmark guidelines and can deny to the tourists an authentic Victorian experience.
City officials have repeatedly stated that the new structure will not involve compromises with public safety.
At the time that the city ceded the inspection and enforcement functions to the state, there was also a concern for city liability. If the code enforced by the city was somehow softened to accommodate certain historic buildings, it could leave the city open to liability in the case of a tragic event.
The city has promised a great deal with the reestablishment of these functions as local ones.
City officials say that the new bureau will not cost the taxpayers anything since inspection fees will more than cover the bureau’s expense.
They argue that no compromises will be made with public safety.
They say that local control means greater availability of fire inspection personnel to home and business owners.
They intimate that local control will improve the natural tension between the state fire code regulations and the individuals who work to provide a Victorian setting for tourists.
In July, City Manager Neil Young said that approximately 3,000 structures in the city would be subject to annual inspection.
The establishment of the Fire Bureau also allowed city officials to end earlier plans that would have required specific safety inspections for property owners to gain a certificate of continuing occupancy.
Fire Bureau inspections are seen by a majority on the council as an adequate substitute for what that earlier proposed ordinance envisions.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
