Talk about a disconnect. The other day we were driving home listening to John C. Scott on KJLL 1330-AM interview City Manager Mike Letcher when what do we hear? Our city manager saying Tucson’s Certificate of Occupancy ordinance is working fine and he’s got a report to prove it. Huh!? That’s not what those in commercial real estate are saying.

The report Letcher was referring to shows issuances of certificates of occupancy are up 33 percent in the past year compared to the previous 12 months — to 369 from 278. What the report doesn’t show is that the city now requires anyone applying for a business license to tie it to a certificate of occupancy. Previously that wasn’t a requirement.

In other words, the city has a better tracking system for its bureaucratic red tape. By Letcher’s standards, that’s a measure of success.

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But that bureaucratic red tape is precisely what commercial real estate agents say is killing their efforts to sell and lease spaces in older buildings and keeping potential businesses — and their associated tax revenues — out.

In the meantime, a group that had submitted a proposal to grandfather existing uses except for health and safety inspections says there aren’t a majority of four votes on the City Council for the idea to move forward.

Depending on how the Nov. 3 election turns out, they say they might try again.