A plan to eliminate the city's own inspectors in favor of a third-party contracted system was met with harsh criticism Tuesday night from area plumbers.

Health and safety issues and concerns regarding accountability were expressed by several of about a dozen plumbers who attended a meeting of City Council.

"Our current inspector is dedicated to the city — he cares about the city," Chad Walton of Conestoga said. "You start dealing with third-party firms and they don't have the city's best interests at heart. They're not going to take the time to do the job right. They just want to come in here and make money."

Mike Mull of Holtwood agreed and said it's important for the city to have its own inspector because "he knows the city inside out."

"He knows the hot spots, he knows the code," Mull said. "I'm just afraid that by doing away with this position you're opening the city to unscrupulous plumbing practices."

Under the new system, property owners would pick from a list of approved private inspectors and pay the inspectors directly.

In coming months, the city will select inspection companies through a "request for qualifications" process that could include limits on fees and timelines for responding to inspection requests.

Lancaster plumber John Long said he has found having one city inspector to be invaluable and worries that a third-party system will result in shoddy work which could lead to health issues.

"If you don't do plumbing properly, you have sewage going where it doesn't belong," Long said. "I understand this is a financial decision, but there's a more important issue here, and I think it needs to be looked at."

Mayor Rick Gray said he appreciated the concerns.

Along with the plumbing inspector, the city will also eliminate its electrical and building inspectors in the move to a third-party system.

Randy Patterson, whose economic development and neighborhood revitalization department oversees inspections, said the move was "not an easy decision" and is strictly budget-induced.

In salaries alone, the city will save $140,000 by eliminating the positions.

Patterson said the new system is expected to go into effect April 1.

E-mail: jtodd@lnpnews.com