T-L Photo/ ROBERT A. DEFRANK Belmont County Port Authority Director Larry Merry proposes Thursday the village of Bethesda make use of the Mid-East Ohio Building Department based in Zanesville under the Muskingum County Building Department for building inspections.

BETHESDA — Village Council was invited Thursday night to begin using a new building inspector.

Belmont County Port Authority Director Larry Merry visited council during its regular meeting along with Jason R. Baughman, chief building official and master plan examiner for the Mid-East Ohio Building Department based in Zanesville under the Muskingum County Building Department.

“Last spring, the (Belmont) county commissioners voted for the unincorporated areas for commercial building permits, that they would be run through the Mid-East Building Department,” Merry said.

He also said projects would be held to the same standards as they would through the state, with the advantages of a local inspector.

“If you would choose to join the Mid-East Building Department, then those same state-approved regulations would be handled in Zanesville,” he said. “We have been approaching some of the villages and cities, and we’re going to continue that effort…I just think that it’s handier.”

Merry said the village would save time and convenience compared to working through the state, which is the current practice for Bethesda.

“If you send a set of plans up, your plans go to the bottom of the pile, and they work down the pile until they get to your plans,” he said.

“If there needs to be changes, then they communicate by sending them back to you…Send them back up, where do they go? The bottom of the pile.”

Merry said the process through Mid-East Ohio is more streamlined and the personnel are more readily available because its offices are closer to here.

“It’s just more business-friendly for the people that are developing in your area and the people who are doing projects in your area, to be able to call an office that doesn’t have a stack of plans,” he said. “You can probably call and talk to the plans examiner too, way easier than you can to the state.”

Baughman said he would be available to answer questions from clients. He also said his services were valuable to smaller businesses.

“My job is to help promote business growth in the area and make it easier for businesses to grow, to develop and come into the area, and that’s what I do,” he said. “What I find is that the big companies don’t need help. It’s the mom and pop shops. They want to make a change, they don’t know what to do, that’s where having a local building department is a benefit.”

Baughman also said Mid-East’s fees are lower than the state’s. He added that his department handles commercial matters only, not residential structures, such as houses or decks. He said his department would have authority over fire suppression systems and fire alarms in new buildings.

He added afterward that Shadyside and Flushing have agreed to work through Mid-East during the past several months.

Currently, options for building department inspections are the state, the Southeast Ohio Building Department and the Mid-East Ohio Building Department. Belmont County had used the Southeast department for several years until switching to Mid-East. County commissioners said there had been some reports of dissatisfaction with Southeast’s services. There had been some discussion of the county forming its own building department, but those plans have stalled.

The council also heard from Larry Taylor, who represents Volunteer Energy, to ask the village to consider renewing its contract for the company to supply natural gas. The current agreement ends this month. He said the new contract would be for 24 months and begin Dec. 1. He said residents would be able to opt out.

Mayor Martin Lucas said the council would consider the information to renew the contract during the October meeting. Council members also said the village was largely satisfied with gas service, but had issues with the increased billing of electric service.

Taylor said the new contract would begin Jan. 1.

Also, council will bid out an unneeded K-9 vehicle now that the department no longer has a police dog. The dog’s handler was suspended police Chief Eric Smith, who is being investigated by the Ohio Attorney General’s office on allegations that he used the state’s information-sharing system to conduct research without good reason. The dog, Frankie, was given to the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office in May. Council will hold a special meeting Oct. 11 to open bids.

Council members Cindy Foose, Jordan Castello, Jay VanHorn, Ruth Saffell attended the meeting. Councilman Chuck Little was out sick, and Councilwoman Carol Merritt was unavailable.