Residence Requirements:

CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST AND MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT. 

There is one current vacancy in the Town of Amherst. The annual salary is $102,250 - $128,626 annually. (*Salaries vary among municipalities and districts.)  The eligible list resulting from this examination will be used to fill this vacancy and other appropriate vacancies which may occur in municipalities or districts under the jurisdiction of Erie County Civil Service while this list is active.

Preference may be given to successful candidates who have been residents of the municipality in which the appointment is to be made for one month preceding the date of the certification of the eligible list and who are residents of the municipality at the time of appointment.  Non-residents may be required to become a resident of the appointing municipality if local law so states.

Examples of Duties:

A Commissioner Of Buildings develops and secures compliance with Town building and plumbing codes; oversees the inspection program; reviews land development

programs intended for building purposes; plans and supervises the activities of the building department; 

Reviews and recommends revisions in building and plumbing codes for commercial, industrial, and residential buildings and associated  out buildings;

Reviews building permit applications to assure conformance with the building code, plumbing code and zoning restrictions of the town;

Confers with and advises builders, architects, property owners, land developers and engineers regarding local building and plumbing codes and laws;

Supervises (through the Assistant Commissioner of Buildings) the review and approval of all building permits, sign installations and plot plans;

Coordinates the activities of the building department with other Town departments such as Engineering and Town Clerk;

Attends meetings of Town Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board;

Investigates complaints and violations of the Building laws and makes corrections or prefers legal action;

Serves as Secretary to the Plumbing Board;

Prepares and gives examinations for the licenses of plumbers;

Under the general direction of the Town Supervisor and/or special committee develops and carries out special programs involving construction, such as sidewalks, including contract review and recommending contractors;

Makes field inspections to verify compliance with codes and regulations and the use of proper construction materials;

Formulates the administrative and technical procedure for the department, including the conduct of the building and plumbing inspection work;

Prepares reports and annual budget of the building department.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet one of the following requirements on or before the date of the written test: 

Graduation from a recognized college or university with a Bachelor's degree in engineering and six years of satisfactory field and office engineering experience.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT: License to practice Professional Engineering in the State of New York.

Notes:

1. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting the experience requirements.

2. Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. A grade of "D" or better is necessary for a course to be credited as successfully completed. If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.

Notice to Candidates: Transcripts will now be accepted by the Department of Personnel ONLY at time of application.
All subsequent transcripts must be submitted at time of interview.

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However,candidates may find information in the publication "How to take a written test" helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at: www.cs.ny.gov/testing/localtestguides.cfm

Subjects of Examination:

Subjects of Examination: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

1. Administrative supervision

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices involved in directing the activities of a large subordinate staff, including subordinate supervisors. Questions relate to the personal interactions between an upper level supervisor and his/her subordinate supervisors in the accomplishment of objectives. These questions cover such areas as assigning work to and coordinating the activities of several units, establishing and guiding staff development programs, evaluating the performance of subordinate supervisors, and maintaining relationships with other organizational sections.

2. Principles and practices of civil engineering

These questions test for knowledge of engineering concepts and their practical applications to the construction, operation and maintenance of public works projects, including roadways, bridges, buildings, water and sewage systems and similar types of infrastructure.

3. Engineering plans, specifications and estimates

These questions test for knowledge of and the ability to read and interpret construction drawings and technical specifications, and for the ability to calculate cost and quantity estimates from technical presentations and/or engineering and construction drawings. Knowledge of estimating techniques and the proper method of construction for specified projects will be required.

4. Construction, reconstruction and repair of streets, sewers, waterlines and other related structures

These questions test for knowledge of the engineering concepts, practices, testing procedures, materials and computations used in the installation, repair and upkeep of streets, curbs, sidewalks, abutments, retaining walls, sewage and water systems, and related appurtenances.

5. Building construction principles, practices and materials

These questions test for knowledge of the engineering concepts, computations, proper procedures and materials used in the design, construction and renovation of building facilities and may include such areas as structural members, walls, roofs, windows, doors, floors, foundations and electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems.

6. Principles of project management, including contracts, contract administration and construction economics

These questions test for knowledge of the concepts, terminology, proper procedures and computations used in the planning, scheduling and oversight of contractual agreements for public works projects, including economic and scheduling techniques such as cost/benefit analysis and the critical path method.

7. Preparing written material

These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES:  Unless otherwise noted, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculators.  Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited.  You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.