Govt Greedyness (Sacramento, Yucaipa, Bell: insurance, loan, houses)

[steel7]

The following letter was written to the yucaipa news mirror about govt (state, county & city) greedyness & i couldnt agree more. I knew it was bad but not this bad. Published: Thursday, August 5, 2010. Yucaipa,ca.
Government is destroying state, jobs
The recent media coverage regarding the city of Bell and the blatant waste of taxpayers’ money was the deciding factor for this letter. Last week, I researched the fees, taxes, and costs associated with building a new single family residence in the city of Yucaipa. These are fees paid directly to the city and to the Yucaipa/Calimesa School District. These fees and taxes are described as “development impact fees” and rat*ionalized as monies needed to offset the impacts that a particular development would create on the community. The school district fees were $25,000 and $5.86 per square foot of habitable area. We would receive a rubber stamp approval and be one step closer to our permit after paying the school district.
We then have a plan check fee to the city; this fee is to pay the City to review our house plans. The review process is to ensure that our plans meet state and local building codes. We contend that our professional architect, engineer, and general contractor have better qualifications than those of the city staff. Our private sector professionals preparing the plans would actually charge less money based on scope of work than the staff would for the review. Next are permits. The city will permit us to build on “our land;” this is another fee! An inspector must visit the site several times to ensure that our general contractor is building the house properly and per plan. This is just another fee that comes out of our pocket; we are forced into hiring people and paying fees to a government agency that provides us with nothing, yet we obtain nothing more than a rubber stamp and a cursory inspection..MOD CUT

[nicet4]

Originally Posted by steel7

The following letter was written to the yucaipa news mirror about govt (state, county & city) greedyness & i couldnt agree more. I knew it was bad but not this bad. Published: Thursday, August 5, 2010. Yucaipa,ca.
Government is destroying state, jobs

Government employees are self serving and the only way to reign them in is to completely cut off the money.

Let them try to run a building department with zero funds and they will soon enough be out trying to earn money the old fashioned way like the rest of us peons. Of course they will trot out "we're here with our plan review to protect the public" but that is pure garbage; they are there to collect fat checks and fat pensions nothing more, nothing less.

An architects seal for a residential building should be enough. They know the codes, they are licensed by the state and they know more about inspections than any overfed bureaucrat.

Here is how a building department should operate.

For a fee of $50 the building department accepts and approves plans bearing the seal and signature of a registered architect. If something is wrong let him be the responsible party.

The building department does not review plans they simply issue the permit to build.

During construction the architect performs the following inspections; foundation, framing, plumbing, electrical and final completion. At the completion of the job the architect issues the application for occupancy permit with his signature and seal making him personally responsible.

With letter in hand the owner presents to the building department who accepts the architects letter and issues the occupancy permit. No inspectors or inspections required.

Down the road if something is found wrong the owner can go after the registered professional who carries errors and omissions insurance and perhaps a performance bond.

For residential occupancies a city the size of Sacramento need only one person to be employed by the building department and that can be anyone who can fill out two forms and collect the $100 fee.

The only way to bring bureaucracy under control is to cut off the money and don't wait for your elected politicians to do it. You have to be the one to do it.

[steel7]

You have a great idea but we all know that will never happen. I believe the city of bell scandal has opened alot of peoples eyes BUT in time it will be forgotten just like everything else these dirty crooks do. Yucaipa is not what many people think it is. Fighter1 knows first hand & i may end up next yr having a problem with the city. These are not nice people.

[jimhcom]

Building permits and inspections are designed to protect the banks that create and loan money on the properties. The more costs associated with the building of houses the higher the loan and the more the bank earns in interest. Therefore you will be financially raped and you will tuck your tail between your legs and take it without complaint.
This is no longer a country of the people, by the people, and for the people, it is a country owned and run, of, by, and for the banks and the government lackeys who do their bidding.

[nicet4]

Originally Posted by jimhcom

Building permits and inspections are designed to protect the banks that create and loan money on the properties. The more costs associated with the building of houses the higher the loan and the more the bank earns in interest. Therefore you will be financially raped and you will tuck your tail between your legs and take it without complaint.
This is no longer a country of the people, by the people, and for the people, it is a country owned and run, of, by, and for the banks and the government lackeys who do their bidding.

I disagree. Banks don't care.

All to often building permits and inspections are designed to keep people employed who couldn't make it as a tradesman or contractor.

With just a few exceptions the building departments in Georgia do not have jurisdiction over residential housing beyond local zoning laws and we do just fine. For the few and rare problems we have the fix is not worth building a bureaucracy that can charge whatever they want collecting millions to solve a problem that might cost $100. Besides, that should be the registered architects, the design professional if you will, problem.

I also blame the home buyers who stupidly elect to spend $700,000 on a home yet do little if any research on their own. You can learn a lot about foundations, framing, different grades of wood, electrical, plumbing, roofing and finish work by spending just two or three weeks in the evenings seriously studying the material at your local library. Hey, you are the one to be on the hook for $700k isn't that worth a few weeks evenings to learn what you are buying before you buy it?

If you not so inclined to spend the time isn't it worth the couple $thousand it might take to hire a third party to check for you before you spend the $700k?

As I said the only thing the citizen can do is cut off the money by de-funding the departments.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by nicet4

Government employees are self serving and the only way to reign them in is to completely cut off the money.]

Oh, please! Government workers don't make the policies, laws, regulations, rules, codes, etc. They merely enforce them. It's the legislators, cfounty boards, city councils, etc. that put them on the books.

Originally Posted by nicet4

The only way to bring bureaucracy under control is to cut off the money and don't wait for your elected politicians to do it. You have to be the one to do it.

Well, you got at least part of it right!

[jimhcom]

Originally Posted by nicet4

I disagree. Banks don't care.

All to often building permits and inspections are designed to keep people employed who couldn't make it as a tradesman or contractor.

With just a few exceptions the building departments in Georgia do not have jurisdiction over residential housing beyond local zoning laws and we do just fine. For the few and rare problems we have the fix is not worth building a bureaucracy that can charge whatever they want collecting millions to solve a problem that might cost $100. Besides, that should be the registered architects, the design professional if you will, problem.

I also blame the home buyers who stupidly elect to spend $700,000 on a home yet do little if any research on their own. You can learn a lot about foundations, framing, different grades of wood, electrical, plumbing, roofing and finish work by spending just two or three weeks in the evenings seriously studying the material at your local library. Hey, you are the one to be on the hook for $700k isn't that worth a few weeks evenings to learn what you are buying before you buy it?

If you not so inclined to spend the time isn't it worth the couple $thousand it might take to hire a third party to check for you before you spend the $700k?

As I said the only thing the citizen can do is cut off the money by de-funding the departments.

Of course banks care, they are loaning the money. In our present system home ownership is a bigger financial benefit to banks than it is to the homeowners. If a house stands 90 years, a bank stands to make about 10 times the homes value without putting up a single dime. Now multiply that by the number of houses and you are talking some serious money.

[DMenscha]

Originally Posted by jimhcom

Building permits and inspections are designed to protect the banks that create and loan money on the properties.

Building permits and inspections are designed to provide safe housing according to building codes. This also protects the value of homes in a neighborhood by not permitting sub-standard housing to exist.

[Brenda-by-the-sea]

It used to be that much of the impact of new dwellings was paid for with public revenue. So what ended up happening? Essentially taxpayer money was being used to fund sprawl. So taxpayers revolted and decided that "new development needs to pay for itself." Hence all the impact fees and system development charges. You can have higher taxes and lower fees, or lower taxes and higher fees. There's no free lunch. Some would argue that California has both higher fees and higher taxes than other areas. Overpopulation is an expensive issue to deal with.

[jimhcom]

Originally Posted by DMenscha

Building permits and inspections are designed to provide safe housing according to building codes. This also protects the value of homes in a neighborhood by not permitting sub-standard housing to exist.

Yea, thats the standard montra.... isn't it wonderful we live in a place where the powers that be are so concerned with our well being. Plese pass the koolaid.