Wright City aldermen have decided to hire a private company to perform building inspector duties despite continued objection from the mayor and one board member. The board voted 3-0 to accept the bid from BrickKicker Inspection Services at last Thursday's meeting. Alderman Tom Black abstained from voting. Alderman Jim Schuchmann's motion was for city attorney Leslie Tolliver-Rogers to draft a resolution and an employment contract to be voted on at a later date. BrickKicker is a national franchise with Robert Barclay, of Foristell, serving as a local operator. He currently is an inspector for the city of Foristell and the Lake Sherwood and Incline Village communities. The lone request for qualification received by the city was from Barclay. The bid stated the firm would receive 75 percent of the permit fee designated by the city. The deadline to submit a bid was Aug. 12. The city has been without a full-time building inspector since firing Ron Mershon in July 2008. Tolliver-Rogers commented at the previous meeting Aug. 13 that the city might need a certified individual in place regardless if the person was on city staff or a contractor. Public Works Director Larry Janish handled the inspections last year after Mershon was fired. City employee Harry Harper is handling the inspections this year. Neither is certified to be a building inspector. To become certified, it would take three to four years to complete the required schooling at the expense of the city, according to Schuchmann. Mayor Roy White felt he had the lone authority to recommend an individual or company to be hired, though Tolliver-Rogers said that wasn't the case. "This particular thing falls like any other service you contract for," Tolliver-Rogers said. "You accept the bid, the board reviews them and you put it to a vote. It's a board vote." After the meeting, White questioned the legality of the vote, but declined to comment further. "It's still my policy to say that I'm in favor of doing it in-house as we have to save money for the taxpayers," White remarked. "Larry has been taking care of it the last year. There is no need to go outside (the city)." Both White and Black said previously paying a company would cost the city more since Janish and Harper are already on the city's payroll. Other board members disagree, as Schuchmann said the city would get a "higher level of inspection." Schuchmann previously said a typical home in Wright City requires a $300 building permit, meaning Barclay would receive $225 and the city the remaining $75. When asked after the meeting why he abstained rather than voting against the proposal, Black didn't make his reason clear. "I believe it should be done in-house," Black commented. "I don't believe in voting for it, that's all."