KIMBALL -- The City of Kimball officials are working together to establish a system that will ensure all contractors are following the city’s regulations and codes set in place. 

City Administrator Annette Brower said Kimball went a long time without a city building inspector up until a year ago when Rod Sterkel was hired. 

We have not had building inspections done properly or even a building permit inspector or things in place for a long time,” Brower said. “Within the last year, we’ve been able to hone in on ‘what does Kimball need to make houses safe.’” 

Brian Johnson of Johnson Construction spoke with Brower and Sterkel about how he feels that code enforcement is not being handled fairly among all the contractors in Kimball. 

He then brought the issue before the City Council on Nov. 18. 

“The citizens of Kimball hire contractors to complete work on their homes with the assumed responsibility of having the work completed at or above the minimum code requirement,” Johnson said. “A lot of the homeowners in town that I’ve heard of have had issues with the small remodels that have things done wrong that aren’t necessarily on an inspection list or need a permit.” 

The city has since been working on solutions to ensure all contractors are following the required guidelines.

Brower said: “This is a brand-new system that we’ve put in place ... More enforcement details are being worked on. It’s going to take new contractors in town to get with it to know that they can’t just run into Kimball anymore, do some shoddy work and leave; it’s going to take people like yourself letting us know that something is happening.” 

The city is currently putting together a new contractor license ordinance that will help with the issues being discussed.

“It is hard for those small remodels to be regulated; we do have permits for structural changes for remodels but not those small ones,” Brower said. “We are tightening up an actual contractor ordinance which we have never had before.”

Brower said the goal is for the council to vote on the new contractor license ordinance in the next meeting on Dec. 2.

Johnson said: “I’m here for the community, I’m here to build quality for the community, and that’s what I want all the contractors in town to do. That’s all I’m asking, and I’m asking for fair treatment across the board."