The controversy over requiring sprinklers in all new Harford County homes was revived Tuesday during a Harford County Council public hearing on the adoption of the 2012 international building code.

The bill to require sprinklers, which was approved at the start of the year and is set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2012, again drew widespread support from fire organizations, but got some sharp opposition this time from several building industry representatives.

The council was considering adopting the 2012 international building code, which would include mandatory sprinkler systems, and heard a presentation from county inspections, license and permits deputy director Richard Truitt and director Richard Lynch.

The chambers of the A.A. Roberty Building were packed as 19 speakers signed up to testify on the building code bill, while Council President Billy Boniface and Councilman Dion Guthrie had pointed questions for Truitt and Lynch.

"I don't believe anyone on the council wants to go backwards and rehash what has been agreed upon," Boniface said.

He said that he is, however, concerned about unequal charges for the sprinkler installations based on different infrastructure in homes, and also is concerned the inspections, license and permits department had not done enough public outreach or even posted a fee schedule on its website.

"I really think we should do more outreach on the website as far as the reasoning behind [the charges] and where they came from," he said.

Talking to county treasurer Kathryn Hewitt, he also said he wished there was more information on the full cost of installing sprinklers.

"This bill wouldn't be moving forward if it wasn't for state mandates," Truitt said. "We don't have a choice."

Multiple fire officials in the audience said the sprinkler requirement is critical for safety.

Ben Kurtz, of Baldwin Mill Road, said the bill would equalize fire protection between rural and more developed parts of the county. He gave the example of Ring Factory Elementary School, which has numerous fire hydrants, versus North Bend Elementary School, which would get water from Deer Creek or Grimmel's pond.

With the bill, "no matter where have a fire, we have some protection," Kurtz said.

Richard Green, of the Maryland State Fireman's Association, said too much government oversight isn't the issue.

"The minute that homeowner's [house] catches fire, they're going to call 911," he said. "They got the government involved."

Boniface said the bill could cause some homeowners to pay upward of $200 per year, but other fire officials noted the cost of the installation is minimal.

Those in the home industry, meanwhile, said the legislation would further hurt their business.

"One of the major things affecting our industry is over-regulation," Tim Hopkins, a real estate broker from Churchville Road, said. "Government needs to be looking at ways to boost the homebuilding industry."

Dan Whitehurst, of Clark Turner Companies, said the housing market has not improved.

"If we thought housing was going to get better, it hasn't. It's gotten worse, or at least remained in the same downward trend," he said.

Councilman Chad Shrodes said he would have liked to see more information from county officials on how much the sprinklers could cost.

"I do wish there were some more answers," he said. "It all adds up to a lot… You are around people all the time. There's got to be an idea."

Also on the topic of the building code, Councilman Dion Guthrie blasted the scenario surrounding the "Black Box," the county building at 212 S. Bond St. that was abruptly closed for structural problems in January.

"Hindsight is 20/20 but it turned out there was very little wrong with the building," Guthrie said. "I was wondering if in the future we could be more thorough."

Lynch said he erred on the side of caution after an interim report showed the building to be in danger of imminent collapse.

"After two reports from structural engineers, one of which says there is a propensity for structural collapse… that's the one I went with, and I stand by that decision, Mr. Guthrie," Lynch said. "We certainly could have rolled the dice on it, but it was certainly my recommendation not to roll the dice on it."

Guthrie replied, "I hope we don't hire that [engineer] again."

He noted the council moved from a 25-year-old building to one on Main Street that was about 125 years old and seemed in much better shape.

"This certainly was a ridiculous thing from top to bottom, and I don't fault you," he told Lynch. "I fault whoever made the decision."

Post-employment benefits approved

Also during the meeting, the council approved an appropriation to fund post-employment benefits of $1.3 million for Harford County Public Schools.

Councilman Jim McMahan thanked former Bel Air planning director Carol Deibel and Harford County Historical Society director Maryanna Skowronski for helping put the three-day Veterans Day commemoration over the weekend.

"We had a fabulous crowd at the Liriodendron on Saturday," McMahan said, adding two veterans in their 90s joined him at the event.

Councilman Chad Shrodes congratulated Janet and Jim Archer for being named Farmer of the Year by the county's farm bureau, noting he lives next door to them.

"I know firsthand how hard they work," he said.