Robert Meyer, the head of the Leelanau County Building Inspections department, told a subcommittee of county commissioners last week that his department is making progress toward remaining solvent despite a downturn in construction in Leelanau County and less revenue being collected by the department in permit fees.

The department is funded almost entirely by the permit fees it collects from builders; no taxpayer dollars support the department’s budget.

Meyer said that an increase in fees charged for building permits coupled with “an aggressive permit renewal and delinquent permit initiative” has led to a significant increase in revenues for the department – at least for now. He said that October figures showed an increase in permits over the same time period in 2006 – the first increase in revenue since June.

“While the October report is encouraging,” Meyer said, “we are still down more than 24 percent in total year-to-date revenue on the projected $668,084 amended budget. With year-to-date revenue roughly $521,000, the budget deficit amount still looms for fiscal year 2007,” he said.

To help cope with the budget deficit, the department last month reduced two of its inspectors from full-time to half-time status.

Meyer also noted that the department underwent a “Performance Evaluation,” which was conducted Nov. 1-2 by officials of the state Bureau of Construction Codes in Lansing. The investigation was precipitated by a complaint lodged by the former head of the department Robert VanDyke, who was fired in June.

“I am pleased to say, from the comments of the lead investigator, Mike Somers, we can be proud of the job we are doing here,” Meyer told commissioners. “I expect the state report to arrive sometime in late November or early December. I will be shocked it if does not give us a ‘glowing report’ but I also realize they were here to find something wrong, so I remain cautiously optimistic,” Meyer said.

VanDyke has alleged in a suit against the county that he was fired by county administrator David W. Gill in June for “blowing the whistle” on alleged building code violations at the BayView condominium development in Suttons Bay – violations that VanDyke said were potentially life-threatening. State inspectors were to have visited BayView during the performance evaluation.

The Bureau of Construction Codes has not responded to a request from the Enterprise for a statement on whether state inspectors uncovered any “life-threatening” situations in Leelanau County during their visit.

Gill said he was informed that the bureau had agreed to provide immediate notification if any “life-safety” issues were uncovered during their visit, but that no notification was apparently necessary.