Earth to Clark County Commissioners: Get the permit debacle fixed... NOW.

.
You people are kidding... right?

You think that jacking these permit costs up are going to increase revenue?

Not likely.

People will not ignore the stupendously stupid increase in fees, now borne on the backs of the little guy; and either not build, or build without a permit.

Commissioner Steve "I'm getting the $100,000 'Barnett Owns Me for $100,000' Tattoo on my Butt" Stuart's explanation was typically asinine.

"The cost to process permits didn't cover the cost to the county for engineering and design approvals and inspections, so every permit was losing more money," said Commissioner Steve Stuart.

That, of course, in no way justifies the benchmark of this story; that a $4500 car port not requiring electrical, plumbing or mechanical inspection would have a permit fee of over 20% of the project cost while a 1500 square foot house project requires a permit fee of 2% or less... while requiring at least an electrical and plumbing inspection.

If (and it's a HUGE "if") the costs to review a car port were not met by the previous $334 fee, then the problem is not with the amount collected, but the amount of money it takes to operate the department in charge of reviewing these plans... and subsidizing the costs to review the plans for a house ain't that way.

It is NOT the purpose of the citizenry to support government in a style to which they've grown accustomed: essentially tripling the fees on the little guy while not even doubling those fees on those most able to pay is a recipe for disaster.

The simplest approach here is to call Mr. Snell is and tell him HE has to find a way to get this done with reasonable steps that make sense or you'll fire him and find someone who will.

Among those steps could be either a sliding scale so that the fees for a project like a $4,500 car port would not be a half of the fee for $150,000 house... or breaking out an office for small projects such as car ports and or room additions that would have a completely different staff, inspector, costs and requirements outside those expected now.

Yes, I recognize that this would require an "expansion of government." But the current system, which will cause many, if not most of these small projects to be put off indefinitely, is stupidity.

SOMETHING must be done... because this is insanity.

Kudos to the Columbian for getting the word out.

Commissioners? It's time to act. Rife with unintended consequences, this issue must be readdressed and Snell must be held accountable.