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An ordinance to amend Title 2 of the Metropolitan Code, pertaining to the Board of Fire and Building Code Appeals.
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WHEREAS, the Board of Fire and Building Code Appeals Board hears appeals from the metropolitan building code and the metropolitan fire code; and
WHEREAS, the composition of the Board of Fire and Building Code Appeals is governed by Metro Code of Laws section 2.80.020, and the membership credentials included therein have not been updated in over thirty years; and
WHEREAS, substantively implementing these codes does not require the stratified board composition that the Metro Code currently requires, but instead requires a general knowledge of these codes; and
WHEREAS, filling vacancies on this board has become increasingly difficult given the stratified composition that the Metro Code currently requires;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
Section 1. That Section 2.80.020 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws is hereby amended by deleting subsections B. and C. in their entirety and replacing them with the following:
B. The members of the board of fire and building codes appeals shall be qualified in one of the following fields: building and development, architecture, contracting, engineering, or fire prevention.
C. Of the seven members appointed after the effective date of this ordinance, one shall be appointed for a term of one year, two shall be appointed for a term of two years, two shall be appointed for a term of three years, and two shall be appointed for a term of four years. Thereafter, each member shall be appointed for a term of four years and shall serve until a successor is appointed. No member shall serve for more than two consecutive four-year terms.
Section 2. This ordinance shall take effect from and after its final passage, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.
Agenda Analysis
Analysis
This ordinance amends the Metropolitan Code of Laws to amend the composition of the Board of Fire and Building Code Appeals.
Section 2.80.020 sets out the requirements for the nine members of the Board of Fire and Building Code Appeals (“Board”). The current provision requires one member of the Board to be selected from each of the following fields: architecture, civil or construction engineering, building and construction materials, labor, business or finance, mechanical engineering, mechanical contracting. Two members must be qualified fire prevention specialists. Not more than two members in any of the categories listed can serve on the board at the same time.
The ordinance under consideration would instead provide that members must be qualified in one of the following fields: building and development, architecture, contracting, engineering, or fire prevention. This would allow for multiple members to be selected from the same categories. According to the Department of Codes Administration, filling vacancies on the Board has become difficult due to the stratified composition required under the current Metro Code provisions.