Minutes Electrical Code Board 1 16 09~~.L~~l C~-~~
MINUTES OF MEETING ELECTRICAL CODE BOARD
DATE: Monday, 26 Jan. 2009
TIME: 4:00 P.M.
LOCATION: City Hall, Conference Rm. A
CHAIR: Jim Dixon.
PRESENT: Jim Dixon, Dan Hamel, Ron Mueller,
Elaine Reiss, Bob Schmidt, Paul Uhlrich.
ABSENT:. Kevin Pfohl.
STAFF: Steve Neyens.
MEDIA: None
OTHERS: None
Jim Dixon called the meeting to order at 4:10 P.M.
Dan Hamel moved to dispense with the reading of the minutes of 12.01.08 meeting and to
accept them as typed by staff. Paul Uhlrich seconded and the vote was unanimous in favor.
Agenda
Item 1. Staff reported on status of State of Iowa electrical licensing program:
The locally created Dubuque electrical tests that where used prior to 1991 have been
accepted by the State Electrical Board as adequate to meet the State requirements
for a class "A" license. Presently those persons who wish to have their State issued
class "B" electrical license upgraded to a class "A" can apply on a special form
available online and in the Building Services Office. There is no additional charge or
fee required. There was much discussion but no action was required by the board
and none was taken.
Item 2. Staff reported that the many months of work on the electrical ordnance were nearing
completion. And that there was only one additional change that needed to be made
because of additional adjustments at the state level. It involves the adding. of the
words (install, service,) to the definitions in 83-1 of both classes A and class B master
electrician on the top of page eighteen. The board saw no problem with that inclusion
and began a page by page review of the final draft of the proposed new Chapter 18
which the legal department had returned. The board felt it had turned out the way they
had intended. Hammel made a motion to include the words install and service as
recommended by staff and that this revised chapter 18 be accepted and
recommended to the City Manager and City Council for adoption as the Electrical
Ordinance for the City of Dubuque. Bob Schmidt seconded the motion and the vote
was unanimous in favor.
Item 3. The board took up the discussion of adoption of the 2008 National Electrical Code
(NEC). There was a lot of conversation about the newest requirements in the latest
edition of the electrical code like tamper resistant receptacles, and the Arc-Fault
requirements. There was also discussion of the one modification that the State
Electrical Board is planning on making to the 2008 NEC before it is adopted, they (the
state) is thinking about putting a deleted exception (#2) back into 210.8(A). This
exception #2 was deleted from the 2008 to establish consistency with the GFCI
receptacle requirements in 210.8(A)(7) that were expanded in 2005 NEC. Plus the
product safety standards for appliances covered by this exception require appliances
to be manufactured with insulation dielectric leakage levels that do not exceed the
working trip level of GFCI protective equipment. The Dubuque board members saw
this lessening of the safety requirements as unneeded and would not recommend it.
None of the board members felt that the 2008 NEC needed to be modified beyond
what adjustments are already in §18-2 of the City of Dubuque Code of Ordinances.
Bob Schmidt made a motion that the 2008 National Electrical Code be accepted as
published and recommended to the City Manager and City Council for adoption as the
Electrical Code for the City of Dubuque. Ron Mueller seconded the motion. There
where several questions about a time table and notification of interested parties. Staff
explain that there was still much paperwork to do notifications and the like they had to
be done first. Staff suggested that a council meeting in March 2009 would be
realistic. As there was no more discussion, the motion on the floor was voted on with
a unanimous yes.
Correspondence: None
Unfinished Business: None
New Business: None
Announcements: All Future Electrical Board Meetings will be in Conference Rm. A.
The room is reserved from 4:OOpm till 6:OOpm on the following dates, Mar. 23, 2009, May 26,
2009, July 27, 2009, Sept. 28, 2009, and Nov. 23, 2009.
Motion to adjournment made by Ron Mueller, Bob Sch idt s 'c ed, vote was all i, favor.
Meeting adjourned at 5:40 P.M.
Steven . N s, cre ary
Approved this day of 2
Chairperson