Builders Association of Minnesota

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency stormwater manual is now available online. The manual is 850 pages long which precipitated the switch to a wiki platform. The Manual is designed to be a user-friendly and flexible document that guides users directly to the information they need. The online manual was developed in an interactive wiki format to make it easy for the user to get to the subject of interest and to move between subjects. More information available here.

Below is a portion of the MPCA's announcement:

"At 850 pages and 25 megabytes online, the Minnesota Stormwater Manual offers a wealth of information on managing urban stormwater that can carry pollutants to lakes and streams. However, the current manual (at right) and its delivery method need updating. The delivery method is improving, thanks to Clean Water Legacy funding and a design team of professionals from public agencies and private firms.

The MPCA is replacing the Minnesota Stormwater Manual with a powerful online version that uses a wiki platform. Wiki is a Hawaiian word that means “quick.” Set to go live today (April 2), this online manual offers quick ways to search for information, provide feedback to the MPCA, and update the contents. This is the first wiki project for the agency and may be the first of its kind in the United States."

Today the Minnesota Court of Appeals heard oral arguments from Centra Homes, a member of BAM, regarding the equity of the City of Norwood Young America's fee schedule for building permits. Joe Springer of Fredrikson & Byron is representing Centra Homes and presented the panel with the argument.

This effort is supported by one of the industry's legal action funds. Within 90 days we will hear the panel's decision on jurisdiction. We will report on the decision as soon as it's available.

Joe Springer                     
Attorney
Fredrikson & Byron

Today, at 1:00pm Tama Theis was sworn in as a member of the Minnesota House by Supreme Court Justice Barry Anderson in the House chamber. Rep. Theis won the special election held to fill seat vacated by former Representative Steve Gottwalt, who resigned last month. Rep. Theis' husband Greg Theis, their son and daughter in law, and Rep. Theis' parents were present for the ceremony in addition to several friends. BAM staff was present and was able to get a few photos and a little video too.

Check it out:

www.facebook.com/BuildersAssociationOfMinnesota

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mfQ1mmtAIs

Just today, the Governor's office published more information on how his proposed sales tax would affect the industry.

In the "Still Exempt" category for contractor and labor are:

1. Construction labor for construction, remodeling or improvement of real property remains exempt. Construction labor includes services such as wiring, welding steel beams, carpentry, laying bricks, cement finishing, pipe installation and plumbing.

2. Repair, installation and replacement of real property such as furnaces, garbage disposals, built-in dishwashers and stovetops, water heaters and softeners, and central air conditioning, or when you work on plumbing or electrical wiring also remains exempt.

In the "Newly Taxes" category are:

Architectural services, engineering services, environmental consulting services and repair labor to "restore tangible personal property so it can be used for its original purpose," such as: furniture reupholstery, electronics repair, and refrigerator repair.

For more information download: http://mn.gov/governor/images/sales_tax_booklet.pdf

Or visit: http://mn.gov/governor/budget/toolkit/

CONGRATULATIONS to builders association member Tama Theis, of St. Cloud, who won her special election race for Minnesota House of Representatives district 14A. She’s now Representative Tama Theis!

Tama retained the Republican seat vacated by former Representative Steve Gottwalt with 54.5% of the vote defeating DFL candidate Joanne Dorsher, who received 42.7% of the vote, and Independence Party candidate Todd McKee, who received 2.7% of the vote. Politics in Minnesota reported that chairman Pat Shortridge and deputy chair Kelly Fenton of the Republican Party of Minnesota issued a joint statement today saying Tama is a “small business owner who will bring common sense solutions to Saint Paul.”

Thank you to all who supported her during her race. We wish Representative Theis great success at the Legislature!

Her win has been reported in several news outlets. See some of the coverage below:

MinnPost http://www.minnpost.com/political-agenda/2013/01/tama-theis-gets-gop-endorsement-special-election-house-district-14a

WJON http://wjon.com/theis-wins-seat-in-mn-house-in-district-14a-special-election/

St. Cloud Times http://www.sctimes.com/article/20130213/NEWS01/302120069/

CBS http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/02/12/theis-johnson-win-minn-house-special-elections/

Politics in Minnesota http://politicsinminnesota.com/2013/02/johnson-theis-win-house-special-elections/

The Builders Association of Minnesota (BAM) is pleased to announce the appointment of Remi Stone as BAM’s executive vice president effective January 16, 2013. Stone brings more than 20 years of extensive experience with the Minnesota state government and the construction industry to her new role having previously worked as a lobbyist, practicing attorney, and director of government affairs for several organizations in 23 states and Washington D.C.

“We welcome Remi’s experience and leadership to the BAM community,” said Chad Kompelien, 2013 BAM President. “She has a unique knowledge of the homebuilding industry, our association, the legislative process, our issues, and a unique perspective of subcontractors, suppliers, building officials, regulators and municipalities across the state. In her new role as executive vice president, she will be responsible for extending BAM’s excellent reputation at the State Capitol and delivering value to the statewide membership.”

Stone has experience representing the Residential Subcontractors and Suppliers and the Association of Subcontractors, the statewide building officials association (AMBO), the League of Minnesota Cities and the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, and the Builders Association of Minnesota and the Builders Association of the Twin Cities. Stone most recently served as the regional director of government affairs for MillerCoors Brewing Company. Earlier in her career, Stone served as Planning Commissioner for the City of Roseville and committee administrator to Minnesota State Senator Jim Vickerman.

Stone earned bachelor’s degrees in political science and sociology from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, and served in the United States Air Force, Minnesota Air National Guard. Stone also earned a juris doctorate from the Hamline University School of Law where she currently serves as an adjunct professor.

“BAM is refocused, recharged, and hungry for success,” Kompelien said, “And Remi is the right leader to move BAM forward, driven by our core focus to represent the Minnesota home building industry in the legislative and regulatory arenas and the courts.”

BAM is happy to announce its 2013 President is Chad Kompelien of Mike Kompelien Custom Homes and Skuttle Tight, based in Willmar, MN.

Chad is a member of both the West Central Builders Association and the Builders Association of the Twin Cities. We look forward to a great year under Chad's leadership.

Read more about Chad here>>

It is with deep regret that the BAM Executive Committee accepted the resignation of Karen Linner, BAM’s Director of Codes and Research earlier this year. Karen’s last day on staff is December 14^th. While we are sad to see her leave the staff, we’re pleased to announce Karen will be contracting with BAM on specific code adoption issues including the fire sprinkler administrative law judge hearing.

Karen has been with the association for 12 years serving as the Director of Codes and Research. She worked tirelessly for the association and has become a leading expert in the area of residential codes in Minnesota. She represented the industry with integrity and determination and worked to create the best codes possible. Karen successfully won the administrative law judge hearing on the 2007 state code, authored several code guides and alternate code methods, designed and ran a federal stimulus rebate program Project ReEnergize, wrote and supervised many successful grants, and taught numerous classes around the state.

At the BAM Board of Directors meeting December 5^th, 2012 President Keith Kylmala thanked Linner for her hard work, dedication, and passion for the industry. We will miss Karen’s strong leadership, can-do attitude, and her laugh, and we wish her every success in her new endeavors.

If you have a code question or concern please contact Katherine Nielsen at or call 651-646-7959.

Congratulations to the 2012 BAM Award Winners!

Builder of the Year - KC Chermak, Pillar Homes

Remodeler of the Year - Todd Bjerstedt, McDonald Remodeling

Associate of the Year - Gerry Traut, Xcel Energy

Rising Star - Sam Horn, Brainerd Savings & Loan

Read more>>

The Builders Association of Minnesota is looking for an Executive Vice President. The full job description can be viewed here or below.

Qualified candidates should send a cover letter, resume and salary history with three professional references by November 16, 2012 to Mike Gohman, Search Committee Chair at .

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is working on an educational program to help Minnesota renovators comply with the US EPA’s Lead Renovation, Repair and Paint Rule and create best practices concerning lead paint safety. To help MDH create the program please click the link below and take a survey if you’ve completed work in the past 12 months in Minnesota that disturbed paint in housing or a child-occupied facility built before 1978.

The survey is completely anonymous and should take approximately five minutes. If you have any questions about the research, please contact the researchers at .

Link to survey: https://survey.vovici.com/se.ashx?s=56206EE3086853E5

The 2012 BAM Award applications are available online at bamn.org/awards.

Our association is lucky to have so many members committed to using their talents to shape the industry. We've celebrated a few of those members, but there are many more unsung heroes that need recognition. Nominate one of your fellow members this year, and give them the celebration they deserve.

The deadline for applications is November 16, 2012.

The awards will be presented at the BAM Awards and Installation Dinner December 5th.

Submit your application today!

The Environmental Protection Agency has delayed its plans to expand the Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule to commercial buildings until 2015.

NAHB continues to voice its concerns that the inequity the rule has created in the residential market may transfer to the commercial market. EPA’s three-year delay in developing the lead paint rule for commercial buildings is in part a recognition by the agency that it has not conducted the required analysis to move forward in the near term.

Read more>>

BAM received an update from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry on the Contractor Registration pilot-program. Beginning September 15, 2012, the next phase of the contractor registration program begins.  In addition to registering, contractors will also need to comply with the subcontracting requirements of the new law.  This includes subcontracting work to registered or licensed contractors unless the contractor meets an exemption specified in the law.

DLI has created several tools to help construction contractors with the registration program. Read more>>

It is with great regret that the BAM Executive Committee accepted the resignation of Pamela Perri, BAM’s Executive Vice President, at the BAM Board of Directors meeting this past Wednesday, September 6. Her last day with the association is October 1.

Perri has led BAM through the most dramatic decade in the history of the U.S. home building industry. She has been instrumental in keeping the agenda of the residential construction industry viable at the State Capitol and at the State regulatory agencies. There is no doubt, if you worked with Pam and her staff, you know their passion and energy for the industry is boundless. She will be missed. While BAM is sorry to see her go, BAM shares her excitement as she accepts a new job opportunity near her family in Chicago, Illinois.

During the BAM Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday, BAM President Keith Kylmala expressed how grateful the members are to Pam, yet at the same time, change means opportunity. BAM is well-positioned for the future and the Board is committed to keeping BAM at the heart of the industry’s political operations.

Kylmala appointed Mike Gohman (2010 BAM President) to head up the search committee to find Perri’s successor.

A decision was issued today by the Minnesota Court of Appeals, in favor of the Builders Association of Minnesota (BAM), with a huge impact on residential construction in Minnesota. Without this ruling, any municipality in Minnesota would have been able to create a policy and use it to override the state building code; diluting the power of the code.

BAM filed suit against the City of Saint Paul in response to their egress window policy which exceeded the State Building Code. The case dates back to November 22, 2010 when BAM sent a cease and desist letter to the City of St. Paul. BAM filed suit when the City of St. Paul did not respond. BAM lost in District Court, brought the case to the Court of Appeals, which just this morning ruled in favor of BAM.

A big thank you goes to BAM’s Legal Action Committee and BAM’s attorney Joe Springer at Fredrikson & Byron for all their hard work on this case.

Read more...

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry has implemented a new construction contractor registration pilot project required under Minn. Stat. § 181.723 as amended (Minn. Laws, chapter 295) effective as of July 1, 2012.

In a letter sent July 13, 2012 the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) stated, “Beginning July 15, 2012, building construction contractors not already licensed by the Department of Labor and Industry can begin registering by going to www.dli.mn.gov/register. We have created what we hope is a short and simple two page registration form that can be filled out quickly by construction contractors.”

BAM put together information on the rule for members including a copy of the letter and attachments here in BAM's members-only Education & Licensing section under "What's New?"

NAHB has been tracking a set of emails that falsely claim that the 2010 health care reform legislation imposed a 3.8% sales tax or transfer fee on all home sales in 2013. NAHB states the 3.8% tax is not in any way a sales tax paid against the sales price of the home for either the home seller or home buyer. Nor is it an additional business income tax for home builders selling a new home out of inventory.

According to NAHB, there is an element of fact underlying the rumor, but for the most part the claim is false. Get the facts here.

BAM sent a letter today, to Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Prettner Solon requesting that she co-sponsor a resolution introduced to the National Lieutenant Governor’s Association and coming up for a vote at their upcoming meeting in Chicago on July 18th.

The resolution calls for the National Lieutenant Governor’s Association to recommend “that the President and Congress act with a sense of urgency to address the nation’s housing crisis in a meaningful and responsible manner, while avoiding any legislation or regulatory actions that will inhibit the recovery of the home building industry.” More>>

The national jobs market report for May, showing only 69,000 net jobs created, continues to stand out as a sign that labor markets slowed in the spring, according to NAHB's Eye on the Economy article published today. Other recent data illustrate that housing faces multiple headwinds as it struggles to maintain a recovery.

However, amid this challenging economic backdrop, housing conditions remain steady. Single-family starts continued their improving trend, increasing 3.2% in May to an annual rate of 516,000. This improvement is consistent with the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index and marks the highest level of builder confidence in five years.

Despite increases in single-family starts, total housing starts in May were down 4.8% to a rate of 708,000 caused by a more than 20% drop in multifamily apartment construction.

Read the full article here.

The Star Tribune reported today that, "Minnesota is scrapping a four-year-old law intended to curb shady employment practices in the construction industry." The independent contractor exemption certificate rule and 2% withholding rule started in 2008 have been repealed and in their place is a new two-year pilot program registration system. The pilot program goes into effect July 1, 2012.

BAM Executive Vice President Pam Perri is quoted in the article. "It was a debacle," said Pam Perri, executive vice president of the Builders Association of Minnesota, which presents residential construction companies. To obtain an independent contractors certificate, construction workers had to present no less than 20 documents. Most found it easier to just register as an LLC. "It was too burdensome," she said of the old system.

For more information about the repeal and new rule click here.

BAM is proud to announce it has endorsed a new members-only general liability insurance solution that offers not only good insurance, but the right insurance for each builder in addition to a special risk management program designed for broader coverage with the side benefit of very competitive pricing. Corporate Four was chosen by the BAM Insurance Committee because they offer the most comprehensive program for the Minnesota residential construction industry specifically designed to increase the insurability of association members.

Read the full release here.

June 12, 2012 Finance & Commerce published a story reporting on the employment outlook for construction in Minnesota according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook survey. For all employment sectors, the article states more employers plan to hire than fire in the third quarter of 2012, and job prospects look especially strong in construction, durable and non-durable good manufacturing, and professional and business services.

BAM's Executive Vice President, Pam Perri, is quoted in the article and states, "The builders that survived the Great Recession are getting more work building multifamily dwellings and custom homes. Rehab projects also are available."

Read the full article here.

The Builders Association of Minnesota participated in a 2010 Residential Fire Sprinkler Task Force put together by the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI). After months of meeting with no discussion about the basic public policy issues regarding fire sprinklers in residential construction, BAM left and submitted its questions in writing to the department.

Two years later, those basic policy questions have still not been answered or discussed. So, in response to a letter sent from DLI Commissioner Ken Peterson to Senator Jeremy Miller on April 27, 2012 asking for compromise on the issue of residential fire sprinklers, BAM resubmitted its policy questions along with a letter. Read more including BAM's letter and policy questions.

Starting June 18th BAM will be announcing a new member company each day that has given $500 to BAM's Building MN Homes - Building MN Jobs 2012 Election Fund, a soft money pac, dedicated to supporting candidates that support the residential construction industry. With a Governor that has shown an disregard for the cost of housing, it is imperative that we work to make sure we have legislators in office that support the building industry. Learn more and become one of the 50 BAM member companies stepping up to the plate!