Gilbert Watch recently published Gilbert Sticks a Branding Iron in our Eye. Terry Organ sent the following email to the Town Council and other interested parties after he read Larry Taylor’s proposed Amendments, which are referenced in that article. Mr. Taylor is the Town’s Plan Review and Inspection Manager.
Sent June 19, 2013
To whom it may concern,
I am a general contractor who has lived in the Town of Gilbert for over 25 years. I have built many custom homes over the years all across the valley and in several counties in our state including many homes in Gilbert. I attended one of the public meetings where some of the new 2012 ICC codes were highlighted in a presentation. I was very disturbed at what I heard concerning these codes, and I voiced my opinion accordingly.
The majority of the codes represented had absolutely nothing to do with building safety. They clearly had everything to do with someone or some group’s agenda.
Some of these things may represent a possible good idea to consider if a homeowner wants to do that in their new home, and, if that were the case they would be free to choose that upgrade and the extra cost of that upgrade for themselves. It’s called the free enterprise system, supply and demand, economics 101, instead of a government mandate under the disguise of a building safety code.
In a time when it has become more and more difficult to afford the American dream, I saw little to no building safety items and only green agenda items adding thousands, not hundreds, thousands of dollars to the cost of a home mandated by law if these codes are passed. I sure wish the Town leadership would lead out on this and not just be politicians and vote these costly, intrusive codes into law.
We in the industry along with town leadership and town management can work together on this important issue and come up with something that will address building safety in a real way and can make a real difference, or leadership can ignore the industry concerns and vote status quo.
I look forward to being at the Town Council meeting to see how this is addressed.
Terry Organ
Custom Homes Unlimited