N. Hempstead ends expedited permit process

The Town of North Hempstead has ended an expediting policy that allowed applicants for residential building permits to speed up the review process by using outside experts.

Permit processing had slowed dramatically as the department rebuilt and reformed operations after a corruption scandal in 2007 that led to five arrests and three convictions.

"As we slowed to a crawl, we were aware we needed more people doing plans analysis," Supervisor Jon Kaiman said.

The expediting process began in 2008 as a way to help applicants on a tight timeline advance their permit reviews by paying to use town-approved outside experts.

Between 2008 and the first part of this month, nearly 10 percent of residential building permit applications were reviewed by outside experts. During that same period, 19 percent of commercial permits were issued after expedited reviews, according to numbers provided by the town.

But now the department is back to processing the same amount of permits -- 4,753 in 2011 -- as it did pre-scandal.

With production back on track, coupled with some complaints by residents about having to pay to move through the process faster, the town decided to cancel the residential expediting program. "It seemed like it was time to end that component," Kaiman said. "It served its purpose."

Commercial applicants still have the expediting option.

Kaiman said the move was one of many in the coming months the town will take to revise operations at the building department.

"This is all part of the new and improved North Hempstead Building Department -- strict as hell, but kindler and gentler."