By VERNON ROBISON
The Progress
In an official action made on Tuesday, April 26, Mesquite Mayor Al Litman proclaimed the month of May 2022 as Building Safety Month in Mesquite and presented the proclamation to City Building Official Jeff Shafer.
This local proclamation is a local component in a larger international campaign, conducted by the International Code Council (ICC), to raise awareness regarding building safety. According to the proclamation, the campaign stresses the importance of adopting modern building codes and helps people understand the importance of having a safe building structure.
“This ICC observes this because they want the public to know that we are not here just to say ‘no’ and make people’s lives miserable and to stop them from building things on their property,” Shafer said in brief remarks to the City Council following the presentation. “We actually do a very good thing for the City and the jurisdiction.”
Shafer displayed several photos of hazardous electrical work that had been done by homeowners and contractors. These dangerous situations can be avoided by passing through proper building codes and inspections, he said.
“We want people to know that the building department is here for public safety,” Shafer said. “Our goal is to build strong, safe homes that people can feel safe living in. And the way you get that is through the building department.”