This article was originally posted on Dearborn Patch by Beth Dabley and can be found by visiting their website here.

DEARBORN, MI – Two city departments have been reorganized to better serve residents and businesses making improvements to their properties, city officials said.

The reorganization plan approved by the Dearborn City Council creates a new Property Maintenance of Development Services Department, which replaces the Residential Services Department. PMDS Department personnel will inspect homes that are for sale, as well as inspect and register rental property.

Through its Neighborhood Services/Sanitation Division, the PMDS Department will also continue to be responsible for compliance of and education about property maintenance codes.

The newly named department takes over some services formerly provided by the Economic and Community Development Department, including conducting inspections when commercial buildings are re-occupied, as well as conducting interval inspections at commercial buildings.

Additionally, the PMDS Department now will oversee plan reviews and issue building permits for both commercial and residential properties.

“Our department is committed to consistently improving our service delivery, while concurrently improving the quality of our inspection, plan review and permitting programs. We want to make it easier for our customers to obtain inspections and permits and reduce waiting time,”Nick Siroskey, director of the PMDS Department, said in a statement.

To provide stability and continuity of staffing in these important areas, 10 part-time positions gradually will be condensed into six full-time positions, among other staffing changes.

With this staffing level, it is expected that the capacity of the department will increase, which will also mean a corresponding increase in revenue.

“By combining the residential and commercial services staffs, and converting 10 part-time positions into six full-time employees, we will create a more stable working environment,” Siroskey said.

“It will allow us to cross-train employees and align processes for both residential and commercial customers that will provide a more consistent and better quality service.”

The Economic and Community Development (ECD) Department will keep its name and Barry Murray remains the director.

ECD will continue to oversee business recruitment, grant administration, and the Housing Division; and coordinate activities of the West Dearborn Downtown Development Authority, East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority, Dix-Vernon Corridor Authority, and the Warren Avenue Corridor Authority, among other activities designed to promote Dearborn’s overall economic vitality.