By Hank Russell
North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and members of the Town Board announced a new town initiative that they say addresses longstanding, systemic problems in the town’s Department of Building, Inspection, Safety and Enforcement.
The program comes on the heels of a historic February report by Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips, who agreed to DeSena’s request for an independent, external audit of the department’s operations after, according to DeSena, the supervisor’s internal investigation was hampered by the town board’s former majority members and certain staff members. The supervisor said that the combined findings outlined departmental deficiencies in day-to-day operations, flawed management structures and practices, and ongoing technological difficulties, as well as many problems with internal and external communication practices.
In response, DeSena announced a series of reforms, the first group of which are attached. Regular installments will follow in an effort to establish an improvement program that streamlines services, improves overall department performance, and tackles a deep-rooted departmental culture that has resisted managerial oversight.
One of these first-round reforms includes overhauling the intake communication model. This is in response to complaints of calls never being answered or returned and the department engaging in “a culture that avoids public engagement.” As a result, the town’s 311 call center will field all calls for the Building Department.
A building inspector will be assigned and remain the point of contact for a project until it is completed. In addition, the inspector will open an inquiry report on the project. All inspectors will have two business days to return all calls. Failure to follow these protocols will result in disciplinary action.
The second reform calls for the reevaluation of the Citizenserve software program. The proper administration bought the program because it was inexpensive and for its remote features during the Covid lockdown. However, it was poorly implemented and now the town is realizing that the program may not meet its future needs. According to the town, Citizenserve has an aging interface, a less-than-optimal report function and was never embraced by the building inspectors and the staff. To solve this problem, the town is establishing a a cross-department team with representatives from the buildings, IT, administrative, legal, and purchasing departments to perform a thorough evaluation of the software to determine whether the town should continue to use it.
The town will also work to have all of its paper files digitized, with a compatible software program so all employees will be able to view them. In addition, there will be “specialty units” so that inspectors will be assigned to certain projects based on their expertise and experience. There will also be an independent advisory panel to provide guidelines and opinions on how to best structure additional reforms to serve constituents.
Additional reforms include rethinking the expedited review process, which DeSena said was overly politicized, and the establishment of a Legacy Issue Resolution Committee, which will specifically address the longstanding issues of properties in the Country Club section of Roslyn.
The town also announced the hiring of Stephen Haramis as the new deputy commissioner. He will be working alongside the current buildings department commissioner, John Niewender, a 30-year veteran in the buildings field, who will retire in mid-October. DeSena noted, “I want to thank John for sharing his insights with us as we move ahead, and the Town will continue to call upon him for advice as he has recently announced his retirement.”
Haramis also brings with him an extensive background in building department supervision, and one of his main goals will be oversight of department reform. A Lynbrook native, Haramis has specialized in building department roles for nearly 20 years. Known for his “fixer” reputation, he most recently worked as the building department superintendent at the Village of Sands Point. He previously held the same position at the Village of Hewlett Harbor and the Village of Great Neck, an Assistant Building Department Superintendent with the Village of Lynbrook, and served as a building inspector in the Village of Lawrence.
“It took 20 years of town mismanagement under previous town administrations to get here, so we can’t expect a fix overnight,” DeSena explained. “We will apply a well-thought-out plan that will be embraced by staff. It will provide a clear roadmap of achievable goals and comprehensive reform.”