Is Las Cruces Business Friendly?

Jim Harbison
We continue to read about declining GRT revenues, increased unemployment, declining home values, and increasing numbers of our citizens’ dependant on multiple government assistance programs. The city has not met its growth rate goals this budget year, retail sales continue to decline, and construction GRT was down 12.9% this month and down more than $1 million this budget year. If you talk with business owners you will hear how difficult it is to open a new business or operate an existing business in Las Cruces.
Yet, our City Council continues to champion policies that have not improved jobs or returned economic prosperity to the City. Instead of finding real solutions they have embraced a rigid, environmentally oriented anti-growth agenda that undermines real economic development. Rather than working with business our Council adopts policies that are decidedly hostile toward them and implemented with a lack of customer service and an obstructionist attitude.
Las Cruces City Hall
Impact fees have made it more expensive to open a business or buy a home. Contractors wait unreasonable periods for permits to build new facilities or remodel existing commercial space, which is a key component for business and job expansion. Single-minded focus on regulating development by some restrictive smart code/smart growth theory must seem effective to academicians in council chambers, but it hurts businesses on Main Street struggling to survive.
The Council is currently considering increasing the park impact fee from $800 to over $4,000 on new single family homes and nearly $3,000 per new apartment. These Impact fees adversely impact young and low-income families by potentially adding nearly $14,000 to new home costs and will, in turn, undermine their chances to become homeowners. This will also cause apartment rents to increase. Read rest of the column here: News New Mexico

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1 comments:

Jaxon said...

You know what I'm tired of? I'm tired of hearing about how bad unemployment is in Las Cruces, how the city council is made up of communist progressives and how the economy continues to worsen under their stewardship. YES, of course all these things are true. HOWEVER, WHY didn't any credible business people organize campaigns to throw the bums out of office? How is they WON the recent election? WHO is taking charge to remove the Marxists from power and FINALLY put together a trusted team of pro-business, pro-jobs candidates that are willing to roll up their sleeves and expose this incompetent city council? This entire election cycle was a waste of time. Of course things will continue to worsen. And, you can believe this city council will continue to blame everyone but themselves for the dismal local economy. They're taking a page right out of President Obama's play book; "BLAME EVERYONE ELSE". Need a job? MOVE to a pro-business community! Want to make it easier to open a business in Las Cruces? Care enough to do something about it. Things won't improve until leadership is changed. It's that simple.

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