NORTHAMPTON — After 15 years of working for the city, building commissioner Louis Hasbrouck planned to retire at the end of the year — but the financial impacts on the city brought on by the pandemic led him to reconsider and retire in June instead.
“I know the city’s budget is going to be ruined by this COVID crisis,” said Hasbrouck, 71. “The amount of revenue from the building department is falling off significantly.”
Much of the building department’s funding is construction-related from permits, and there is much less building activity because many projects are on hold. The department has brought in about half the revenue this April that it did in the same month last year, Hasbrouck said.
At a City Council meeting last month, Mayor David Narkewicz estimated there would be more than $1.5 million in lost local revenue in the first quarter of the coming fiscal year, and cautioned about reductions such as not filling vacant positions or cutting staff.
“I’m not sure what the likelihood is, but it’s possible there will be layoffs in the city,” Hasbrouck said. “I thought it would be better to leave the people in place in the department … than to risk having somebody laid off, and then we would need to hire somebody back again.”
Hasbrouck added, “Aside from feeling like I’m abandoning the city, it seems like a completely reasonable decision.”
Narkewicz appointed Assistant Building Commissioner Jonathan Flagg to take over as building commissioner, pending City Council approval. Flagg “is more than qualified to be the commissioner,” Hasbrouck said.
In 2005, Hasbrouck became an inspector for the city, and in 2010, he took on the role of building commissioner. “I’ve always characterized my job as making the city safer one tiny aspect of construction at a time,” he said
Narkewicz announced Hasbrouck’s retirement Tuesday. “Northampton has experienced significant economic growth during his tenure and Louis played a critical role in our efforts to ensure that development was responsible, sustainable, and in keeping with the character of the community,” he wrote in a statement.
Hasbrouck will be an intermittent building inspector, stepping in when the city needs someone to fill in. He said he hopes to have more time for his other interests in retirement, including photography.
Working for the city has been enjoyable, he said: “The city of Northampton is a special city — I really believe that.”
Greta Jochem can be reached at gjochem@gazettenet.com.