Brandon Twp.- The economy appears to be growing again.
The township building department has already this year taken in more than double the amount of permit revenues it received for all of 2012.
The township received roughly $31,000 in building permit revenues last year and had 13 housing starts total. So far in 2013, there have been 17 new housing starts and the township has collected $61,784 in building permit revenue.
‘Building activity has increased substantially this year, creating more work for our building department,? said Supervisor Kathy Thurman. ‘I think it’s a good sign for the economy.?
With more work will come more hours for Building Director Bill Dinnan. During their Aug. 5 meeting, the township board unanimously approved an increase to the building director’s hours from 24 per week to 29 per week.
‘The revenue collected will more than pay for his increased hours,? said Thurman.
Dinnan currently earns $30 per hour. The increase in working hours will raise his annual salary from $37,440 to $45,240.