Sharp drop in permits results in city job cuts

The City of Spokane will cut nine jobs in the building and planning departments, saying the number of permits issued is down dramatically. “For the fourth quarter of 2008, the city posted the lowest number of new housing permits on record as well as a sharp decline in all permit types,” the city said in a news release today. The jobs to be eliminated include the deputy building official, four building inspectors, two plan reviewers, two clerks and a part-time accounting job. Cutting those jobs will save the city about $500,000 annually, the release said.