Survey Background: Across our nation, the largest generation in our country’s history, the "baby boomer" generation, is in the process of retiring. It is estimated that between 35% and 40% of the top-level management of our state and local governmental agencies will be leaving their positions within the next five to seven years.

In recent conversations with your counterparts at the head of state and local government building code enforcement agencies, NCSBCS and AMCBO have heard a growing expression of concern over what the potential impact of the above demographic reality will be on effective and efficient codes administration and enforcement. Two particular concerns are:

1. What happens to the institutional memory within a building codes agency? (Many of the retiring officials are the individuals who are approving "alternate means of construction". Will their successors have the experience to make such approvals?)
2. Given the nature of current state and local budgets, will the elected officials fill the vacancies that are created by retirements, or will they continue the recent trend of asking the staff who remain to assume the responsibilities and duties of their retired colleagues?

To assess these issues, identify and share best practices towards addressing them, NCSBCS President Tom Joachim has appointed a special Retirement Issues Task Force. Comprised of current and recently retired senior state and local code administrators, this group will work over the next four months to prepare a national report on this potential crisis in codes administration.

To help the Task Force begin their work, we seek your assistance as a state or local code administrator in completing the following confidential survey that will help us assess the potential magnitude of this problem and begin to identify best practices.

Please take a few minutes to complete and return this survey to NCSBCS/AMCBO. The composite summary of survey results will be shared with all who complete and return it to NCSBCS by November 30, 2004. Names of individuals and jurisdictions will be kept confidential unless the person completing the form gives NCSBCS/AMCBO permission to share their names.

Name & Title of Person Completing Survey:_________________________________________

______________________________________Email__________________________________

Name of Jurisdiction:___________________________________________________________

___ Yes, NCSBCS/AMCBO may share name of person and jurisdiction

MAGNITUDE & SCOPE OF RETIREMENTS IN YOUR JURISDICTION

1. What percentage of your current staff will be eligible for retirement in the next five years? _____ In the next 10 years? ____
   
2. What percentage of the above pending retirees are:

Senior Managers? _____

Plans Reviewers? _____

Inspectors? _____

3. What percentage of the above pending vacancies will be filled by either new hires or promotions from within? _____
   
4. Will your jurisdiction:

Allow you to hire people to fill these vacancies? ___ Yes ___ No ___Don’t know

Allow you to rehire on part-time basis some of those who have retired?

___ Yes ___ No ___ Don’t know

IF NO, are there legal restrictions on rehiring, even temporarily, retired employees?

___ Yes ___ Don’t know

PLANNING & TRANSITION

1. Do you currently have a plan or procedures in place to handle the workload that will be left behind when these people retire? ___ Yes ___ No

IF YES, are you willing to share that plan or procedures with the Task Force so it can be provided to others currently without a plan? ___ Yes ___ No

IF YES, will you briefly outline the main components of your plan? ____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

2. Do you currently have a plan or procedures in place to assure that the institutional memory and experience of these retiring employees is transferred to remaining employees or new hires? ___ Yes ___ No

IF YES, are you willing to share that plan or procedures with the Task Force so it can be provided to others currently without a plan? ___ Yes ___ No

IF YES, will you briefly outline the main components of your plan? ____________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

PRODUCTIVITY

1. Do you anticipate any loss in productivity in your department from retirements?

___ Yes ___ No

2. Do you anticipate any loss of institutional memory from these retirements?

___ Yes ___ No ___ Don’t know

3. Do you anticipate any slow down in the speed with which either plans are being reviewed or buildings inspected by virtue of the pending retirements? ___ Yes ___ No

IF YES, how much of a slow down? _______

IF YES, which of the following resources do you plan to draw upon to reduce the potential negative impact on your program.

_____ Hire part-time employees

_____ Privatize some of the regulatory functions such as:

___ Plans Reviews ___ Field inspections

_____ Make greater use of information technology in:

___ Permit applications/processing ___ Plan Review
 ___ Field Inspections

IMPACT OF RETIREMENTS IN CONSTRUCTION COMMUNITY

The same demographics that are impacting your building codes administration and enforcement staff also are impacting the construction industry.

Do you anticipate any negative impact on the quality of plans submitted or on construction arising from the retirements of many of the experienced architects, contractors and skilled laborers in the construction industry? ___Yes ___No ___Don’t know

IF YES, what cooperative actions might you take with the construction industry to reduce any potential negative impacts from retirements?

_____Provide training on codes

_____Provide or help facilitate training on construction & construction techniques

_____Other actions (please briefly describe)_________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

FEEDBACK

Would you be interested in participating in one of the following programs to address the issues covered in this survey? (Please check those that you would use.)

_____ A conference call with jurisdictions that can offer "best practices" for addressing these issues.

_____ A workshop offering best practices on these issues.

_____ A guidebook offering best practices on these issues.

_____ All of the above.

_____ None of the above