Private-sector Inspector

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Rent-a-cops for henhouse

By RICK CASEY, Houston Chronicle

Critics of an ordinance being considered by Houston's City Council today say it will allow the fox to guard the henhouse.

They're wrong.

Our council wouldn't do that, even though the fox in this case is a major source of campaign funds.

No. The ordinance would just let the fox hire the guards for the henhouse.

The ordinance would allow homebuilders to hire private-sector inspectors instead of subjecting their foundations, heating/air conditioning, electrical systems and so on to city inspectors.

Christopher Bean, general counsel of the Gulf Coast chapter of Independent Electrical Contractors Inc., was one of a number of opponents. He wrote Mayor Bill White in opposition.

"Should restaurant owners be allowed to choose the private health inspector of their choice?" he wrote. "Of course not. Homeowners should also be given substantial government safeguards to protect their primary investment."

Supporters say not to worry. The ordinance has rules that would, in the words of the cover sheet submitted to council, "ensure independence and avoidance of conflicts of interest."

Rules for inspectors

Private-sector inspectors must be licensed by the state and must sign a form confirming:

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"Should restaurant owners be allowed to choose the private health inspector of their choice?" he wrote. "Of course not. [/quote

Many top restaurants today are using the services of a private health inspector, by the name of Eco-sure, which is owned by Eco-labs. The inspections given by Eco-sure are typically much, much harder to pass than normal city or county health inspections, which is either good or bad depending whose point-of-view you're looking at. But, here's the big distinction between what the restaurants are doing and what the homebuilders are proposing: restaurants private inspections from Eco-sure will never take the place of city or county health inspections, while the homebuilders are proposing to replace the local inspections entirely. I'm not opposed to homebuilders using independent, outside firms to ensure quality work is being done, but at the same time, I think the local city and county inspectors should be allowed to continue to perform their inspections, as well. And using KBHomes complaint as an excuse to neglect local inspectors is laughable. I can definitely see why KBHomes would be a major backer to this stupid idea!