Down The Sewer Pipe – Politically Speaking

One of the many reasons people run for public office is to help the community that they live in. But just how does that work and what does it look like?

Defunding the police has led to an increase of crime in some cities, like Portland Oregon, defunding parks departments has the same effect in other locations, and pandering to a noisy small number of people has unintended consequences.

If your city/town charges for building buildings, then why is the building permit $400 to $1000 dollars? Would not everyone in the city/town benefit from a $40 dollar building permit? This is a good question because a $1000 building permit for a modest 1200 Square Foot three-bedroom house is what 50% of communities would like. But with the cost of building the house, purchasing the land and an additional $1000 for a building permit, the cost of the permit may mean that they are unable to own their own home. Or modify one if they need to because at this point government is the villein in the affordable housing market.

It isn’t that Building permits for build a new home is a bad thing, plans need to be checked for applicable codes an all. But in this day and age, when plans are checked electronically in most cases, why would a building permit for a new house cost more than $40 dollars?

I know that most elected officials are bound by the mantra “the rich need to pay more but making a building permit for a house in order to “rob the rich puts an undue burden on the poor. And your city/town does have poor people who would like a new home, but the city fees force them into a substandard apartment.

Just a thought.