In what may amount to a bold leap forward, the city’s Planning and Development Review Department announced Wednesday that city building inspectors will now be carrying cellphones. According to a news release touting the change, “Previously, communication was limited to pagers and office phones. Pagers precluded two-way communication, and office phones required the inspector to travel back to the office at the end of each day to retrieve messages and return phone calls.” It continues: “With cellphones, customers can call or text their designated inspector during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. If the inspector is driving or performing an inspection and cannot answer a call, customers can send a text message that includes their name, phone number, permit number, and address in advance of a return phone call.” A list of inspectors, their email addresses and their new cellphone numbers is available online, for your convenience, on the city’s website.
Elizabeth Pagano is the editor of the Austin Monitor. More by Elizabeth Pagano