South Ogden City - Too Much Spending? Standard Examiner Reports.

I have not been able to attend a city council meeting for sometime due to my schedule; however I wish I had attend this last meeting to have heard the explanation for our current situation.

According to the Standard Examiner and reporter Gentry Reinhart, South Ogden City has some budget issues. South Ogden City has spent a monster $700,000 with no revenue to match it. Brent Litz of Litz & Company, performed the audit and said,

"You're in a challenging position for the general fund. You haven't got a revenue stream that's going to support all of your cost structures you've got in the general fund, and so it's going to be a challenge for you to play that game of balancing revenues and balancing costs and making sure that you keep the equation appropriate."

Some points of concern - Maintaining Facilities and also paying for a new recreation center.  OH WAIT!  If you remember from our previous meetings, the City Council told us this isn't a recreation center it is a gym facility!  Which even back two years ago they predicted we would lose money and few people would use.  See My Posts Here: Gym Facility and Rec Center Meeting (Mayor Garwood admits he will never use it.) 

It will be intersting to hear the cost cutting ideas the city has and how we will get back on budget.  So far, the city has been dipping into their general fund to make things work.  But this is not an endless pool of cash.  We need some better budgeting skills and maybe reconsider how we are going take advantage of our $2.5 Million money pit of a gym facility that we all are paying higher taxes for.

St-Ex Letter to the Editor Calls for New Leadership

An interesting letter to the editor from a local South Ogden resident - Jim Daily. Jim is an off and on visitor of city council meetings and always has an opinion or two about government. He sounds off today in a little letter to the editor that I found interesting (See Here)

Jim attacks the decision to building the new rec. center gym facility with the new South Ogden Junior High. He is a little incorrect with his information, I don't believe sales tax was ever an option to pay for this, but a property tax increase was. However I do agree with him that we should not have raised our taxes to pay for this. Especially since it is going to be a basketball gym that many have admitted they will never use (including the current Mayor). Remember, citizens of South Ogden took a survey in 2007 and said they didn't want a tax increase for something like this. (See Here) 65 percent said a rec. center gym facility was not worth a tax increase. Your leaders didn't listen to you and then raised your taxes.

One more thing to consider as you vote this year.

What is going on in South Ogden?

It has been nearly a week since we have had a quality post on the From Where I Sit blog. That is no guarantee this post will be of top caliber. I took a hiatus from posting last week to accomplish some personal goals around the home. However it is time for a summary of what is happening:

SB 208 - We have been following this piece of legislation closely with a number of posts an quality debate between Joel Campbell and myself. The idea is to move public legal notices to an online website managed by the State of Utah.  This would essentially pull it from newspapers whom are understandably hesitant to the change.  Today the Utah League of City and Towns has endorsed the legislation giving it a huge boost. Of course they would, the savings to SLC alone would be $100,000. Lincoln's Legislative Blog (blog of ULCT) has a nice post explaining some more details of the bill. You can check out their post here (See Here).

HB 274 - Our Esteemed Rep. Wallis has been trying to push his first piece of legislation through.  It seems to have been bounced around the legislature.  During the House Political Subdivisions Standing Committee they discussed the bill regarding some of the issues.  It appears Mr. Wallis has done some good work to update the bill to make it an effective piece of legislation.    Rep. Wallis gave a great presentation with some guest speakers explaining how better use of the impact fees will protect and save the state money.  Everyone agrees impact fees is very confusing and this legislation will help clarify some of the confusion.  Mr. Wallis was praised for taking the time to work with everyone involved make the bill a top quality piece of legislation. The bill passed through committee with a favorable recommendation.   The overall feeling was Rep. Wallis has done such a great job on his first bill and people are very impressed at his work ethic. We made a great decision voting him to the legislature.

HB 66 - A funky property tax bill that threatened public education was defeated today.  No worries there. I have been receiving great emails about this as of lately.  People were passionate about this one.

$2.5 Million South Ogden Basketball Court - As far as we know this is a go, even thought South Ogden City Council admits the majority of South Ogden will not use the dang thing.  I hope we don't come back and wish we had done more on this one.  With the Municipal Elections coming up, it will be interesting to see what issues are brought up.  Raising taxes in election year is usually not popular.  

South Ogden City is having a short city council meeting to discuss the 2008-2009 fiscal budget.  I am excited to hear how we are doing fiscally going into this year.  Will Council member Bradly and Scott Darrington stick to their methodology that South Ogden is not in trouble financially? We will see tomorrow, however I will not be in attendance for tomorrows meeting.  I will be relying on the minutes and blog readers to fill me in on the conversation.  I will be attending our Weber County Lincoln Day Dinner and hope to Twitter and Blog about the night.

We will keep you posted soon.

$2.5 Million Basketball Court Should Be More.

Interesting letter to the editor in the Std Examiner yesterday.  (See Here) Kim Schmeling  is asking South Ogden City and Weber County School District to join forces and build a recreation center/pool at the new South Ogden Jr. High.  Little does she know that the City Council is already planning on building something with the WCSD--A $2.5 Million Basketball Court.  Sorry Kim, you will still have to drive to Clearfield.  

On a personal note, I am torn on this issue.  As much as I would love a rec. center, now is a tough time to be raising taxes.  However if we are set on building one then we should do it right. Otherwise we will look back five years from now and wish we had done more.  I think our city council is not seeing clearly on this issue and apparently the public feels the same.    When 10 people at a public meeting said they hated skateboarders, the outlawed in South Ogden.  When 20+ people say they want a pool the say, "sorry we no better." Why do the continue to push this basketball court?

Confusing isn't it.

$2.5 Million For a Basketball Court

South Ogden City Council held a public hearing for the proposed rec. center gym space basketball court to be built in connection with the Weber County School District and the New South Ogden Jr. High. As expected the majority of the comments were directed against the proposal. Though a few people did speak out in favor, the general consensus from the comments was we do not want a tax increase and if we must then let's make it worth it.  Finally we learned this gym space will be no more than a glorified basketball court for the bargain price of $2.5 million.

    Mr. Darrington presented an outline of how the facilities would be run, explaining it would closely match the Central Davis Junior High/Layton City Gym Facility. You can see a diagram of the facility here (See Gym Facility). (I have also added the Gym Facility to our download section.) However as the night continued we found out, it will not be as close to this facility as we may have been lead to believe. For instance there will be no pool, no fitness equipment, and no walking track. Once citizens heard no walking track, the whispers in the room quickly turn to the realization this [the gym space] is a $2.5 Million basketball court, nothing more. Granted our kids do have to drive all over Weber County to play basketball, but is this really a smart move with taxes?

Mr. Darrington presented a cost breakdown by property taxes to help us understand how much we would be paying, he used an old salesman approach in explaining the cost:

• If your house assessed for $100,000, you pay $2.19 a month.
  
• If your house assessed for $175,000, you pay $3.83 a month.
  
• If your house assessed for $250,000, you pay $5.47 a month.
  

Most of the attendees saw right through this math and pointed out we don't pay property taxes monthly, we pay them annually. So in reality it should look more like this:

• If your house assessed for $100,000, you pay $26.28 annually.
  
• If your house assessed for $175,000, you pay $45.96 annually.
  
• If your house assessed for $250,000, you pay $65.64 annually.
  

The cities financial planner for the bond answered an interesting question from one of the concerned citizens. This citizen pointed out it would be cheaper to pay a general obligation bond than it is to pay a sales tax bond. The financial planner corrected him by saying thought this is true a sales tax bond allows you to avoid the cost of an election. 

Is the city council looking to avoid an election because they know the citizens of South Ogden would not pay for $2.5 million basketball court? Is that why they are rushing into this bond? This kind of decision should go to the general public.

A few people spoke for it. One in particular was Mike Junk, Ogden City Attorney (and he taught my business law class at Weber); was for the proposal and gave a good lawyerly argument in the gym/rec basketball courts defense. Interestingly most of those who spoke for it also said they thought we should expand this. The resonating theme: Why just build a basketball court for Jr. Jazz and Volleyball? If we are going to spend the money let's do it right.

Conclusion: Though this idea has merit and will be of use, only a small percentage of South Ogden citizens will use this. It is extremely limited in what it can be used for and is a waste of money. If people are going to raise their taxes, then let's do this right. Mayor Garwood himself said he would never use the facility. So why are we raising taxes for everyone if no one is going to use it? In the end as one citizen said, "This is in the bag," and he is probably right; the council has made up its mind regardless of what the majority of those who attended had to say.

On a darker note, right after the council was done explaining how this was the smart thing to do and could afford this, they went ahead and made an announcement they are cuting the city budget by 5%. Ironic, don't you think. If the city can't afford its own budget, how are we going to afford this basketball court?

 

South Ogden City Council Will Not Be Canceled

The Standard Examiner reported yesterday our City Council meeting was canceled.  I thought this was incredibly odd since this Tuesday's meeting is a crucial meeting in South Ogden raising our property taxes.  Fortunately it was retracted today.  (See Here) Council Meeting is still on! I 

As many of us prepare to attend the meeting, feel free to review the multiple posts I have had regarding the rec enter gym space:

• South Ogden Survey Results (Reporting that people do not want a tax increase).
• City Council Meeting 9/2/2008 (Rec Center discussed and fee increase proposed).
• City Council Meeting 12/16/2008 (Mayor Garwood changes it to a gym facility).
• Utility Bill going up on top of a property tax increase.

Do not miss this meeting! If you are not happy about a property tax increase during a recession (which is economically counter-productive) then come to this meeting.  I understand the benefits of this gym space, but am against a tax increase.  Also, are they still considering adding $500,000 for a new building at the City Works offices?  Come find out at the City Council Meeting tomorrow at 6 pm.

"Don't Call it a Rec Center, it's a Gym Facility!" City Council Meeting 12-16-2008

At the beginning of every city council meeting there is a chance for public comment on any concerns about South Ogden City.  I took this opportunity to mention my concern about the upcoming potential for a property tax increase for a new rec. center in connection with the new South Ogden Junior High. If you don't remember you can see the following posts:

South Ogden City Council Meeting 9-2-2008

City Council Meeting Minutes (It was called a recreation facility)

Then I began mentioning a survey done by South Ogden City Council where 65 percent of residents have said they would not like to see a tax increase for a rec. center.  For more info, see my post on November 15, 2007 (See Here). 

As we continued with our reasonable discussion about the tax increase, Mayor Garwood interrupted me to say the following:

"We are not building a rec. center, it's a gym facility. Why are people calling me about a rec. center. We were never building a rec. center.  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to build a gym facility for your kids. Your kids won't be around for 60 more years to see such a great opportunity."

Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of a nice recreation center gym facility with a pool and other features.  But I am not for a rec. center gym facility that has very limited use, is not open until after 5 pm and is raising property taxes during a recession. (Have we not heard of counter cyclical economic policy - lowering taxes in a recession).

A few minutes later the financial advisor for the city council came forward to speak about the bond for the new rec center gym facility.  He said, "We will need to change the wording in the documents to not say rec. center."  

Throughout the night this was the case, any time someone said rec. center, they were told to change it to gym facility.  Finally councilman Wayne Smith made a motion to set a public hearing for the proposed rec center gym facility.  He too called it a rec. center (while shaking his head in confusion) and was politely told to change it to gym facility.

What is the difference between a gym facility and rec. center?  According to Mayor Garwood--gym equipment.  Since there is no gym equipment this is not a rec. center.  

Come on people!  I have been in all the same meetings as you Mr. Mayor!  The city council has been calling this a rec. center for months! See the minutes from September 2, (See Here), it was called a recreation facility.  You all called it a rec. center at least a dozen times in your conversations.  Now people are questioning the rec. center; so we are now calling it a gym facility. Does this seem right?  

We all took the same survey and said we didn't want a tax increase for a rec. center. But we are fine with a tax increase for a gym facility?

Personally I am disappointed in how this is playing out.  I did not appreciate the response from the Mayor and it was VERY OBVIOUS the council, the lawyers, the financial advisers, and EVERYONE else was calling it a rec. center.  Also did I mention tax payers will being paying on a $3 Million bond for a rec center gym facility with limited use.  

For even more information about the rec. center gym facility, check out the press release on Scott Darrington's blog, (See Here)

Once Again - No Agenda -

Yes, South Ogden City Council will be having a meeting tonight; even though their agenda is not in the paper again.  Maybe this is kind of nit picky, but tonight they are discussing a resolution to begin a bond of $3,000,000 for a rec enter.  Tonight is an important meeting.  So wouldn't we want an agenda.

To see the agenda you can go to the Public Meeting Notices website (See Here)

To learn about the law that requires South Ogden to post it's agenda in the paper, (See Here).

I will be blogging tonight about the council meeting; in addition I will be speaking about the rec center and my feelings.

Retail Sales and Budget Meeting

South Ogden is not immune to the affects of our current economy, I am sure we will begin hearing about it soon.  If all goes well, South Ogden will be just fine; however I am worried tough financial times for our city are approaching.  

  City Manager - Scott Darringinton, in a recent post on his South Ogden City Managers blog, explained why Sales Tax is important to the budget process.  (See Here)  With the recent Ogden Sales Tax Revenue news, as reported in the Standard Examiner (See Here), I can't help but wonder were South Ogden sits. 

   There is an important budget meeting on the 18th where many of these things will be discussed. My concern lies in the recent talks of a Recreation Center that will be clearly unprofitable and limited in use. (See Here)  What other projects are in the works?  What will need to be cut? What should be cut? Are retail sales down in Ogden? I recommend we all attend!

The budget meeting will be on the 18th of November at 6 pm in the City Council Chambers.  

City Council Meeting Canceled

I should probably check the South Ogden City website more often to avoid such situations. There was a Public Notice posted on the city building announcing tonight's meeting was canceled.

Since the meeting is canceled, what will happen to the discussion of a bond for a new rec center? The way they talked at the last meeting, this was an urgent matter and things need to happen right away.  Are they just going to move forward now with out notifiying the public of what is happening? For more information see my post from the last city council meeting (See Here)

Random Thought:

As for the public notice, the word "canceled" caught my eye.  One might think the word is spelled wrong.  Though both are technically correct (See Websters Dictionary Here), it is always interesting to see the word canceled spelled with the letter "L" twice.  

South Ogden City Survey Results

I have made a few posts in the pasts about the South Ogden City Survey. 766 households responded to the survey with a rate of return of 14.5 percent. I am excited to report that the results are now available online. South Ogden has prepared a power point and an excel sheet detailing the results. They are truly worth a read. I am posting a few items of interest from the survey on the blog.

Website:

First I thought it was interesting to see the results of people's opinion with regards to the South Ogden City Website. Personally I have really enjoyed having the a city website, but the results echo my feelings with how it is run and managed.

• 38% knew we had a website.
• 62% didn't know we had a website.

• 40% thought the website was somewhat helpful
• 32% thought it was moderately helpful.

• 31% felt that the website needed to be updated or have more information.

Again, I am happy we have a website and sometimes South Ogden is very good at updating the site and other times not. Along with the occasional misspelling, I wish they would post a little more information and keep it more up to date. Maybe even have RSS feeds from the Standard and other South Ogden News.

Open Space:

One of the open space questions received a low score, but the rest received very high responses from the citizens of South Ogden.

On a scale of 1 to 7, asking if South Ogden should develop or improve certain areas, Open Space scored the highest with a 5.6. Also on the section asking citizens, for planning purposes, are there development issues you would like to comment on for consideration, open space scored the highest percentage in the following three categories:

• Intermediate (this year or next) 23%
• Coming up (3-5 years) 18%
• Long Range (5 Years out) 23%

Based on this survey, Open Space is a BIG DEAL! Well hopefully with the new addition of Sallee Orr to the council we will be able to work on this. (She has a Bachelors of Science from the University of Utah in Recreation and parks management.)

Pool/Recreation Center:

One last question I thought was interesting: Are there any facilities, services, or amenities that South Ogden is not currently offering that you would like to see offered? 36 percent of those surveyed said they wanted a swimming pool or recreation center. This question was asked in similar ways about 15 times through out the survey, in fact 3 times it was asked twice in the same question splitting the vote. Only one time did it score the highest. Citizens were also asked how much people are willing to pay in property taxes to pay for a pool and 65 percent of us said it was not important enough for an increase. I would love a place I could take my family and not have to buy a membership, but I am not a fan of increased property taxes.

Overall the survey results are very interesting; however I think some more time could be spent in organizing it a little better. Please take some time to review the results further, they are very interesting.