It's nice to know that at least one sector of the state's economy isn't contracting:
Lafayette employees working at City Hall on Columbia Street are so in need of more space, the city is considering buying a building down the street.
City officials are examining buying a building at 515 Columbia St. in downtown Lafayette because it could add much needed office, storage and meeting space. Plus, the building is close to City Hall.
Lafayette Board of Works members Tuesday approved a contract worth about $6,700 with Kettelhut Construction, a Lafayette company tasked with helping the city evaluate the building.
Lafayette Redevelopment Director Dennis Carson said City Hall is busting at the seams. For example, he said, the redevelopment department has 15 people working in a space designed for eight.
We've talked to a lot of local officials since the General Assembly's property tax refortms. With a couple of exceptions -- both County Council members -- they talked much more about how they could find replacement money than about how to cut spending. Too many in government want it to grow, no matter how many restraints are placed on them. That's a natural tendency in any enterprise, but other enterprises don't have the force of law to compel us to fund their growth.
