Among the greatest lies of the, yet young, twenty first century are: “if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor,” “if you like your health insurance you can keep your health insurance,” followed by “your healthcare costs will decrease by 20-percent. “ To this there is an effort to add “I’m from the Warren County Zoning and Building Codes Enforcement and I’m here to help.”
One only has to read the Vicksburg Post to follow the adventures of the City of Vicksburg’s boards to recognize a puppet theater, where bean counters (AKA civil servants) and other ne’er-do-wells delight in the spastic motions of its unwashed appellate citizenry. County residents do not need harlequin theatrics with either zoning ordinances or building codes.
In an earlier life, the School of Engineering required a graduate minor outside of the School. I chose a Regional and Urban Planning. [I was looking for easy and mindless.] While it is a distant memory several points remain indelible: Zoning, like AIDS once contracted is incurable. Zoning is omnificent. Zoning converts land and building owners into mere tenants; functional ownership and use belong to the state (as do the taxes). Generally, those that support zoning are speculating on financial gain or have a progressive, socialist agenda. Zoning can easily be a most corrupt form of power. At this point I am reminded of the eminent domain seizure of a certain Store by the City of Vicksburg for a casino that has since vanished, poof, gone. That is zoning extremus. What was the net gain in that shenanigan?
The hue and cry for building code endorsement “would make the development business a fairer proposition for contractors of all types,” followed by “you inspect the roads why not the houses?” appears a bit naïve. First, no one ever said life was fair and legislating fairness at the expense of the community is the crux of a socialist dogma. Second, the road argument is thinner than shadow of chicken soup. Roads, as any developer knows, eventually fall to the county’s (tax payers) responsibility. The county maintains roads not houses, barns, sheds, etc., thus the county has a, rightly so, vested interest and responsibility for ensuring tax money does not subsidize developer roadwork.
A system of building inspections currently exists. Generally financial institutions require several in-progress inspections of new construction to protect their investment, without the need of government oversight. This review process has produced millions of homes worth billions, if not trillions of dollars throughout the country. If it’s not broke don’t fix it.
The establishment of Building Codes and Permitting Enforcement is, at best, a bureaucratic nightmare for the home and business owner, and too often makes the homeowner a victim of the infamous good-ole-boys club with membership limited to contractors and the permits department. For example, a homeowner wanting to add a bathroom to his house, could get a permit for the construction on the proviso that he cannot let subcontracts, for say just the concrete slab floor. Instead he would be forced to hire an integrating contractor that would in-turn hire subcontractors. Practices such as this are commonplace where the permitting is followed by inspections. The old wink and nod greasy palm club.
Much of the home remodeling, repair and even construction in Warren County has been done by talented and skilled homeowners and neighbors and family helping each other, an enormous skill pool.
If the contractors feel they need inspections then they might consider changing career fields and if Warren County needs zoning ordinances then pigs need aviator licenses.
Jon Duke
Vicksburg