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High Permit Fees Thwart Construction

Posted by: Tim Halbur

9 September 2009 - 6:00am

Clark County, WA increased their building permit fees by roughly 300% on July 1st, and are facing criticism from builders whose projects now won't pencil out.

"'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 meant the county's general fund had to make up the difference, said Marty Snell, director of the development department. That wasn't a problem during a housing boom that peaked in 2005 when more than 7,000 residential permits were issued for new homes and remodeling projects here."

Full Story: Anger builds over fees
Source: The Columbian (WA), September 1, 2009
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Short of erasing existing political and jurisdictional boundaries, citizens and officials need to develop the capacity to work across boundaries according to the "problem-sheds" of the land and water issues we face in the 21st century.
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