Builder breaks, better insurance rates possible

McCOOK, Neb. -- City leaders finalized updates and amendments to the McCook Code of Ordinances last week they hope will improve insurance rates for homeowners and provide added flexibility to builders.

The updates were part of several items approved by the McCook City Council and authorizing changes to three sections of the city code book; Subdivisions, Zoning and Building Code & Regulations.

City Manager Nate Schneider said a code book review process began several years ago and involved assistance from area residents serving on various advisory committees, as well as the efforts of past and present city managers, building inspectors and other city staff. He thanked everyone involved while summarizing the changes to City Council.

Schneider said the updates would better align the code book with modern technology and today's construction practices and should help area contractors.

"It will give them some flexibility in some of the things that they're doing right now. Another important side-effect of this is it should improve our ISO rating," he said. The ISO rating is used by insurance companies to determine risk levels and Schneider hopes the changes result in decreased insurance rates throughout McCook.

The updates included adopting 2012 International Building, Residential, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel & Gas, Property Maintenance, Existing Building and Energy Conservation Codes, with certain modifications. Schneider said the code book previously adopted 2003 standards and he discovered that was one of the factors leading to a low ISO rating for the city.

"Because we were at a 2003 code they said they moved it to a 10, which is a very, very low rating. By doing this I'm hoping it's going to move us to a higher rating and hopefully we'll see a positive impact for the people here in McCook," said Schneider.

The changes included a thorough review of building issues experienced over the last several years, while prioritizing adequate protections for residents and common-sense functionality. Schneider said sections were removed that represented duplications or inapplicable ordinance and the overall ease of reference and organization of the book was significantly improved.

Whether to require new construction residential properties to include a fire suppression sprinkler system was among several topics Schneider said continued to come up during the process. It was ultimately decided not to require sprinklers with new homes.

McCook Building Inspector Barry Mooney praised the updates and efforts leading up to the changes. He invited anyone with questions pertaining to the code book to stop by his office.

City Council unanimously approved the updates and suspended the three-reading rule on three ordinances authorizing the changes, as well as a fourth amending chapter 91. The chapter 91 amendment incorporated a prohibition on maintaining an electrical wire in a street, alley, sidewalk or building which would interfere with the McCook Fire Department's ability to perform fire safety services.

Also during last week's meeting, Chris and Annette Wagner were approved to occupy a portion of the city sewer easement to construct a garage on property at 1411 East 5th Street. City Manager Nate Schneider indicated the situation stemmed from the consolidation of three lots as part of the construction project and the location of the city sewer easement.

The building will be constructed with 16 inch wide footing spanning the entire easement to distribute the building load, in addition to other requirements should fill dirt exceed three feet at any location over the existing sewer pipe.