A proposed law before Toledo City Council to regulate many low-voltage electrical installations — which would have required a $40 permit fee and subsequent inspections — was abandoned in committee yesterday after dozens of people spoke against the idea.
“It seems pretty clear to me support for this is not there on council,” said Councilman Joe McNamara, chairman of the Community and Neighborhood Development Committee.
About two dozen people testified against the proposal — many of whom said it would create an unfair burden on their businesses and residents.
Chris Zervos, commissioner of the Division of Building Inspections, said the proposed law’s intent is to ensure safety.
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THE BLADE/ANDY MORRISON
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Under the proposal, Toledo property owners who want to run low-voltage wiring through their homes would have had to pay $40 for a city permit and then have a city inspector approve the work after the do-it-yourself job is complete.
It was proposed to council last week by the city’s electrical board of control.
Todd Michaelsen, the Ohio-Michigan chapter manager for the National Electrical Contractors Association, who is chairman of the control board, said yesterday’s 2½-hour meeting was useful since many of those who spoke pointed out deficiencies in the proposed ordinance.
MEMBERS OF PANEL
These are the members of the Toledo Electrical Board of Control, which recommended adoption of the proposed low-voltage ordinance:
Todd Michaelsen, National Electrical Contractors Association.
Jimmie Cisco, construction worker.
Andrew Bryson, Bryson/Tucker Electric, LLC.
James Cisterino, Cisterino Electric Co.
Kenneth Roach, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Daniel Bollin, Transtar Electric, Inc.
Thomas DuBose, Thomas DuBose & Associates Inc.
Eugene Dembowski, chief electrical inspector for the city of Toledo.
“It never dawned on me how this would affect television stations … since they have a lot of low voltage they deal with every day,” Mr. Michaelsen said.
He also acknowledged testimony from telecommunications companies, such as AT&T.
“It sounds to me they would need an exemption because they can’t wait for permitting and inspection,” Mr. Michaelsen said.
Erika White, vice president of the Communication Workers 4319 in Toledo, questioned why cable companies would get an exemption to the proposed regulations while phone companies would not.
“I have never heard of anyone’s home catching on fire from your jack, where you plug telephone service or Internet,” she said.
Even with the city’s proposed low-voltage regulations shelved, there is a National Electric Code that outlines for homeowners and installers “best practices” for all types of low-voltage wiring.
Chris Zervos, commissioner for the city’s Division of Building Inspections, said not excluding television stations was an oversight.
He declined to explain why cable television systems were offered an exemption in the proposal but phone companies were not.
Wally Edwards, owner of Systems and Sound in Maumee, said he never has witnessed problems with low-voltage wiring during 35 years in business.
Joseph Jensen, president of Buckeye TeleSystem, held up two AA batteries and pointed out that they can generate more current than a typical telephone wire carries.
“I have concerns about the basis for this proposed legislation,” Mr. Jensen said. “Yes, there is the issue of fire stops, but we have to be very careful how we approach this … I do not want to have to tell a telephone customer that we cannot repair your system because we have to get a permit.”
Mark Sobczak, council president, said it would be up to the administration of Mayor Carty Finkbeiner to resubmit the legislation with changes.
“It appears to me it needs a lot of work,” Mr. Sobczak said. “Right now, it seems dead in the water.”
A number of council members said they received a high number of complaints from constituents about the proposed law.
Mayor Finkbeiner released a statement last night and also expressed concern about the proposal.
“I am concerned about the divergent positions on the issue, that was recommended by the Electrical Board of Control and the Division of Inspection. I’ll review the testimony heard today, to see if any consensus can be reached,” he said.
Mr. Zervos said the intent of the change was to ensure safety, especially when a low-voltage wire is installed through a firewall — basically a physical barrier that inhibits the spread of fire in a structure.
Punching holes through firewalls may compromise the efficiency of a building’s fire safety if not done correctly, he said.
Those type of installations “are done by unlicensed contractors and not inspected.”
Low-voltage electrical installations refer to those electrical systems carrying less than 50 volts of current — commonly used in telecommunications and data systems, fire security, and energy management.
While homeowners could perform the work themselves after obtaining the $40 permit, a contractor hired to do a job would have to be licensed under the law, said Mr. Zervos, a former builder.
Low-voltage work performed by either a homeowner or a contractor would have to be inspected afterward.
The scope of work would include grounding systems, cable materials and cable installations, cable trays, and ladder racks inside communications service entrance rooms, spaces and closets, and unsecured and unprotected cable penetrations in firewalls. It would cover the installation of commercial burglar alarms, residential fire alarms, public address systems, security systems, nurse’s call systems, lighting control systems, and comfort heating and cooling controls.
Specifically excluded in the proposed law would be cable television systems, commercial fire alarm systems, residential doorbells, residential low-voltage landscape lighting, residential garage door openers, residential thermostats, and wiring on the utility side of the demarcation point.
Councilman George Sarantou called the proposed law “another layer of bureaucracy” and Councilman Tom Waniewski said it appeared unfriendly to businesses.
State Fire Marshal Mike Bell, a former Toledo fire chief, said he was unaware of fires caused by low-voltage installations.
“I guess the concern we would have is that anyone who punctures holes through any type of firewalls, there will be a concern,” Mr. Bell said. “If you have a system that is supposed to keep fire from getting through to another room, we would have a concern with that, but other than that, this has not been a big concern.”
Toledo fire Chief Mike Wolver said the proposed law regarding low-voltage wiring potentially could help with improper installation of the wiring that often occurs.
The chief said he is unaware of any documented fires caused by low-voltage wiring. The hazards exist when people cut holes in walls to install the wires for lighting or communications equipment, which eliminates the fire stopping, he said.
“Low-voltage wiring is reasonably safe,” Chief Wolever said. “If it’s installed incorrectly and in proximity to a higher voltage, it can be dangerous. Most of the problems are going to be around installation.”
Staff writer Laren Weber contributed to this report. Permanent Link
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