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SALEM -The number of housing department inspections continues to increase, including missed inspections.
Health Commissioner Kayla Crowl said that the department had completed 84 inspections in March, and that "all of them were good inspections with minor deficiencies," with the most common issues being fire detectors missing batteries or taken down by tenants. Crowl said that with the department "up and running" with two inspectors, she had set the department's inspection goal at 40 each week, which she felt the department's two part-time housing inspectors, Jarrod Richter and David Louk, had proven they were capable of meeting.
"I think it's doable for them, and they've shown that, and I'd like to keep that momentum going," said Crowl.
Louk said that thus far the department had completed 120 inspections in April, and Richter said that in addition to completing inspections and investigating complaints, they had independently identified some problem properties where the department was pursuing violations, and that he and Louk would be following up to ensure remediation.
However, while the number of inspections the department has been able to complete has continued to rise, and the majority of those inspection have positive results. Richter said that the department was beginning to experience difficulties contacting property owners, and issues where the owner pays the invoice but fails to inform the tenant of the inspection and as a result tenants are not present or refuse access at the time of inspection.
"The problem we do run into is we show up and nobody is there. We spend a whole day going to I don't know how many units, and nobody is at any of them, so then we come back and we have to call if we have a phone number, and if we don't, we have to write a letter, so it could be a lot higher," said Richter.
To that end, Health Board President Pro-Tempore Judy Sicilia questioned what methods could be implemented to document inspections that could not be completed ahead of the potential implementation of fees for missed inspection, as incomplete inspections have associated time, mileage and administrative costs not only for the incomplete inspection, but for the rescheduled inspection.
Sicilia suggested a timestamped picture including the address for documentation, and Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey suggested that in instances where an inspection is canceled or re-scheduled, inspectors have the property owner send an email or text stating the same so that there is timestamped documentation in writing.
"That's our proof that 'I was standing on your front porch at the time I was supposed to do the inspection,' and they have proof in the letter they sent that it was time that was scheduled, and we can go back ultimately to landlords and say why weren't you there, why didn't you inform the tenant, and we'll have the documentation," said Sicilia.
Sicilia also questioned if the timestamped photo should be implemented for all inspections including those which can be completed as scheduled; however, Crowl explained that it would only be necessary for inspections that could not be conducted as the process of inspection organically creates documentation.
The board of health will meet next at 2 p.m. May 15.