Coachella: Spending strangely!

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written by Laramie:

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      The City of Coachella, a community of mostly Latinos, near Palm Springs, has come up with a new way to put money in their pocket. A city ordinance was recently passed that requires all developers to provide public art or pay a fee in lieu of it. This includes any new commercial or industrial building or remodeling, and residential subdivisions or developments of 2 or more units, or new single-family units in an existing development. The fees are either one-half of 1 per cent or 1/4 of one per cent. A 1000 foot mural is now underway in one construction site to avoid a possible fee. It depicts the Battle of Puebla. It is hoped that sculptures can be added as time goes on. Recently a new Walgreens was built and the fee for failure to provide public art would have been $4,038.

      The fees will be used to repair and maintain the art work provided, and some "administrative costs." Doesn't this seem like a strange way to spend money in these tough economic times, or in any time?