Lee, of Stewartstown, issued a prepared statement asking the board of supervisors for a sabbatical "until I have been cleared from the alleged charges concerning my ability to perform my duties as inspector and (building code official)."
Township supervisors said Lee will stop performing building site inspections on behalf of the township effective immediately.
The action followed notification that the "State Department of Labor and Industry has filed charges against Lee that require him to present information or possibly face de-certification," supervisor Joe Newberger said in a prepared statement.
Supervisor Patrick Fero read from a prepared statement saying that, while the township and Lee have agreed to remain at arm's length concerning building inspections, he doesn't think Lee's staff should be involved in handling permit applications.
"I do not believe that this is a long enough arm's length. I also do not believe that there is any overriding compulsion for this arrangement. Therefore, I have concluded that I cannot endorse the board's position," Fero said.
Residents of Overpond Court have been complaining to the supervisors for 15 months that Lee ignored construction defects in their new homes. Their complaints led Labor and Industry to investigate, and the result is a letter to Lee dated Nov. 22 in which he is ordered to show cause to maintain his license.
"We took the action because L and I is looking to investigate and pull Mr. Lee's license. This came after a lot of consideration and discussion," Chairman Supervisor Earl Schuckman said.
Builder Craig Lowe of Red Lion asked the board how it can ask Lee to step down after he has worked for the township and other local municipalities for more than 20 years.
"How can this happen after one group complains?" Lowe said.
Until the issue is resolved, Commonwealth Engineering of Harrisburg will perform site inspections. Township residents were told to continue to submit applications to Lee's office. Supervisors Ed Hughes and Newberger will review all applications and field complaints.
Lowe asked how long builders will be expected to wait for Commonwealth to do site inspections. He said Lee guarantees a 72-hour window for performing inspections.
"Commonwealth can't guarantee anything," Schuckman said.
Schuckman expects it will take at least 30 days for the Labor and Industry department to approve Commonwealth to take over. Fero said it could take up to 180 days for the change to be approved.
Lee, who attended the meeting to give his monthly report, told the board that December is a busy time for final inspections on new homes.
"I have a final inspection planned for Friday. Now it's on hold because there isn't enough time. I have a man who is going to be highly irate when I tell him he can't move on Friday. We usually have 40 settlements in December with people wanting to move in the day before Christmas. This year it isn't going to happen," Lee said.
It is not clear how Labor and Industry's actions against Lee will affect projects in the other communities served by Lee's company, EML Inc.
