Details of 2021 International Code Council Unveiled During Public Discussion

City officials rolled out the 2021 International Code Council building codes to the public during a presentation held Monday night at the Sedalia Municipal Building, 2nd and Osage.

Chief Building Official Devin Lake presided over the nearly 90-minute meeting, attended by 56 people.

Assistant City Administrator Matt Wirt moderated the meeting.

On the dais were Fire Chief Matt Irwin, Deputy Fire Chief Daniel Shaw, Inspector Neil Harmon and a permit technician.

The meeting contrasted the "significant changes" from the current ICC codes in use in Sedalia from 2015, with the 21 pages of proposed ICC codes and amendments from 2021.

A comment period at the end of the meeting was held, which allowed citizens up to 10 minutes to state their opinions about the proposed codes and amendments.

Written comments may be submitted by emailing Lake at dlake@sedalia.com by the close of business Friday, 16. Lake noted that building plans will now be accepted electronically.

The purpose of the public meeting was to show that the City is trying to make improvements, promote safety and educate everyone on the proposed changes, as well as encourage growth in Sedalia.

Business owner Sarah Rea said she was concerned with the impact the new building codes will have on construction and renovation costs, “making property less affordable for investors and residents. This will particularly affect low and middle-income families, making housing affordability issues within the county. Overly restrictive building codes will hurt the investment and development in Pettis County. This could have a detrimental effect on the local economy, leading to decreased job opportunities and hurt activity in the Real Estate market,” Rea said.

She went on to state that property owner rights will be adversely affected by the new codes.

“Property owners should have the right to make decisions regarding their own property. Excessive regulations will infringe upon property rights, and limit the freedom of owners and developers to customize their property to suit their needs,” Rea told the panel.

She added that many homeowners “will find it daunting and too expensive to make those necessary updates to their home. In addition,” she said, “small businesses, which form the backbone of this economy, often operate on limited budgets and resources. They may lack the financial flexibility to absorb the increased costs associated with compliance with new and stringent building codes,” Rea said.

“These financial obilgations will place a strain on small business owners, forcing us to take funds away from our core operations, such as hiring an employee, expanding our product line or investing in marketing efforts,” Rea said in her prepared statement.

She concluded that while she recognizes the importance of ensuring safety, “I believe that any revisions to building codes for Pettis County must be approached with careful consideration of the impact to our community. I urge the City Council to postpone a decision, engage with stakeholders, including residents, developers and industry professionals to develop regulations that find a balance between safety and affordability.”

The new codes will be presented to City Council at its next meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 21. A 90-day period must then pass before the City adopts the 2021 ICC codes to allow for public use, inspection and an examination phase.

In the top photo: CSC Construction Group LLC, CEO Brian Smith addresses the five-member panel during a comment period Monday night at the Municipal Building concerning the new ICC codes being considered for adoption by the City of Sedalia.