Demand is down, so we must raise our prices!

The demand for building permits and the other related “services” that can only be purchased at city hall in Las Vegas has plummeted. The Las Vegas Review Journal reports that building permit activity in the City of Las Vegas is but a third what it was in 2004. So, of course, city officials are proposing a 65 to 70 percent hike in fees for building permits, plan check, and inspections because the city just can’t cut its staff any further than it already has (124 to 49 in the Building and Safety Dept.) and provide “adequate services.”