Committee hears answers from L&I on city demos

TOP NUTTER administration officials told City Council yesterday at the first public hearing on the Center City building collapse that the city isn't responsible for the work done by contractors on private property.

Council members on the Special Investigatory Committee raised an array of concerns, including the minimal requirements needed to get a demolition permit; the lack of urgency that followed the citizen's complaint; and the ever-changing mix of contractors, subcontractors and day workers found on job sites, despite permits that name only a developer or "expediter," an industry term for someone who pushes through the work and approvals.

Councilman Jim Kenney, one of six members on the investigatory panel, criticized the Department of Licenses and Inspections for taking more responsibility over public contracts while leaving private projects to largely self-police themselves.

"It's our responsibility at some point when we issue a permit to ensure that a private contractor doing a private demolition is doing it safely," Kenney said.

L&I Commissioner Carlton Williams said the department takes a larger role in public contracts because they also play the role of project manager, and that private contractors have to take that responsibility on their own contracts.

Kenney asked if the department needed tougher education and work requirements for new trainees.

"Absolutely not, I think our guys are adequately trained," Williams said. Although there are no minimum education or work requirements to join the L&I training program, applicants must pass a civil-service exam, he said.

City Controller Alan Butkovitz testified about inadequacies his office found in L&I, including that L&I was persistently understaffed and that it poorly communicated violations enforced by other city departments.

Williams had testified that L&I had 300 employees during the 2012 fiscal year, up 10 from 2011, and will additionally increase to 320. Williams also said L&I plans to improve communications with other city departments.

Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison promised that demolition-permit requirements and oversight would be ramped up under an executive order Mayor Nutter issued last week. But he warned that the city can't make the process so onerous that Philadelphia becomes "anti-development."

And, he added, "the public does not have any liability nor any responsibility" for the work done after a contractor obtains a permit to demolish private property.

This was the first of four hearings into reforming the city's oversight on demolition projects. The next hearing will be June 27.

- The Associated Press

contributed to this report.