Goshen City Council streamlines contractor license application process

May 17—GOSHEN — The process for securing an electrical or mechanical license from the city of Goshen will be much faster moving forward following action by the Goshen City Council Monday evening.

At the meeting, council members approved a new ordinance which amends the city's current policy on applying for Goshen electrical or mechanical licenses by removing the requirement that such applications be finalized by the Goshen Board of Public Works and Safety.

"Mr. Richard Aguirre, our clerk-treasurer, brought this idea to me," Goshen Mayor Jeremy Stutsman said in introducing the ordinance Monday. "We've had more of these licenses coming forward because of the amount of work that's out there right now. So, the board of works has always approved these licenses, and the staff does all the research to make sure everything is correct.

"We're trying to speed it up so our city staff can sign off on these — that will be our building commissioner — and it will just help the process, and keep something that always comes to board of works that we never turn down, because they only come to us if they pass all the standards," he added. "So, it will just keep something off the board of works agenda."

Aguirre said the idea for the change came to him while exploring various opportunities to improve efficiencies for the city.

Under the city's current policy, electrical and mechanical contractors are regulated through inspections and the enforcement of building codes. Contractors operating in the city are also required to show proof of their competency and qualifications by becoming licensed to perform such work in the city, Aguirre explained.

As such, contractors must register with the city and renew their registrations every three years, and the city's building commissioner assesses the qualifications of applicants and then brings recommendations to the board of works to approve those licenses.

"Ordinance 5120 would change that procedure in a small but important way that will improve the operations and efficiency of the city of Goshen while serving the public better and faster," Aguirre told the council Monday. "Applicants will still register and apply for the licenses at the building department, and provide proof of the required qualifications. ... They will still pay a licensing fee, the building commissioner will still assess the qualifications, but instead of going to the board of works, the building commissioner will approve the licenses based on checks of the information submitted.

"So, the building commissioner and his staff won't have to prepare a report to the board for each applicant with supporting documentation, the information won't have to be forwarded to the clerk-treasurer and put on the board agenda, and license requests won't go to the board for review and approval and be recorded in the minutes," he added of the change. "This will save time for everyone."

As a side note, Aguirre explained that should an applicant have their application denied by the building commissioner, the applicant will still have an opportunity to appeal that decision to the board of works under the new ordinance.

When asked his opinion of the proposed change, Goshen Building Commissioner Myron Grise said he was all for it.

"I'm in favor of it, because technically it's already approved through me before I even bring it to the board of works," Grise said. "So, I mean, really, going to board of works was just a process and a procedure that was just to back it up, but we've already pretty much realized who was capable and who wasn't."

Mayor Stutsman agreed, noting that in the seven years that he has served on the board of works, he could not recall the board ever turning down a license request that was brought before them.

"I really like the idea of a better service to the public," council member Gilberto Pérez Jr., D-District 5, added of the proposed change prior to Monday's vote. "I mean, if we can get contractors and their workers their licenses quicker, with the commissioner just doing the process, that makes a lot of sense to me."

The remainder of the council's members agreed, and the new ordinance was approved unanimously on both first and second readings.

John Kline can be reached at john.kline@goshennews.com or 574-533-2151, ext. 240315. Follow John on Twitter @jkline_TGN.