We were disabused of that naive notion yesterday morning, though, upon reading a Salt Lake Tribune article which describes the latest Utah municipal neocon fad -- establishing revenue-generating "Justice Courts."
They're "cash cows" folks, as the SL Trib article reports. Read the article yourself, if you don't believe us.
This brought to mind a recent Scott Schwebke Standard-Examiner story we read a few weeks back. One neoCON councilman Safsten quote ought to have alerted us to what the Justice Court scheme was all about, but it didn't truly dawn on us until we compared it with yesterday's SL Trib article.
From Scott Schwebke's June 22, 2005 story:
"Ogden City Council Chairman Rick Safsten said he is confident the justice court would be a financial success... ."
Guess what? The Ogden City Council has just approved its own cash cow. It's going to remodel the old Health Services building at the southwest corner of the Municipal building block, and start raking in the bucks with its own Justice Court cash heifer.
Make sure your license-plate light works from now on, and that your yard's nicely trimmed, fellow Ogdenites.
We feel a new municipal "user-fee" coming up.
The Ogden City Council neoCONS have found yet another reliable -- but heretofore untapped revenue source:
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| Ogden City "Justice" Court |
18 comments:
I watched the inception of this last week at the CC meeting. Is nothing sacred?
I don't know much about this, but why would we let these funds go to the state. Answer me Rudi, or are you just looking for something to oppose.
You apparently misunderstand my role here, Mr. President. What I do is post provocative articles
What you and the others do is try to dicuss them intelligently.
Since you're new here, I'll refer you to the original article #1 on this blog, whixh explains what this place is "supposed" to be all about.
article #1.
This is your place, Mr. President, not mine.
It is my opinion that there is nothing new about city and county governments raking in big money from the court system. It's the distribution of the booty that is at the heart of this justice court scam. The rats are scurrying around the public trough trying to get as much of the spoils as they can from the other rats.
It is the same concept as the RDA incretment tax scam that people like Sasten perpetrate on the public. Get those public dollars away from the town next door and into your own kick for your own ego projects. It is just another symptom of out of touch and out of control government running amouk with public money and no sense. It is all about arrogant politicians building bigger empires.
Your right on making sure your lights are working. The Ogden police department, led by Linduist in law and political insider Commandant Griener, will surely be looking aggresively for recruits to visit the Ogden City version of this age old scam. While visiting they of course will be fleeced of every thing they can afford and maybe some they can't. There will be no financial mercy that is for sure. As hungry as this administration is for cash it will be very dangerous to your financial health to drive in Emerald City from now on. (or until we can throw the bums out)
This whole deal is a kissin cousin to the old southern states speed traps where your fine would always be coincidently the exact amount of money you had in your possesion. The neocon concept of justice is exactly the same as those old southern stereotypes. When these heartless robots capture a cities government any sense of justice and fairness flies right out the window. They are remorseless in their pursuit of empire.
At's right, Ozboy. And, people of Ogden, you'd better keep your yards trimmed and weeded to the nines or some mayorial-vigilante yard cop will issue you a ticket, which you can settle in this "new" court, and watch you like a hawk for the rest of the season and the beginning of next.
And some people call this administration visonairees and far sighted, ready to build a better and more progressive Ogden. Amazing that they think the mayor and the gang of six is on the right track, what with this new card piled onto the already shakey house of cards.
You remember that deal where the Mayor offered a free stable for a horse if the horses's owner bought a condo in one of his downtown projects? Well, I think the mayor's been breathing to much stable air and been hanging out with all those horses underneath the old Ogden Stadium's South side, as he now seems to be riding herd on all of these "cash cows" he's invented.
First came the weed/grass vigilanties, you know, your neighbors who watch your yard and then report you if they feel the grass has grown too much or your dog has slipped over and crapped on his lawn. Second cam that fool landlord program that has identified Ogden's crime problem as the fault of our middle-class renters. Third comes this new court thing that will create another stream of funds coming into the city cauffers.
What has happened here is that the house of cards that the Gang of 6 has built, and believe me, it is a house of cards for it's flat ALL OR NOTHING, everything and I do mena everything, has to work for one thing to work, or it all comes crashing down....the recreation center, the parking ramp, the Union Square, the River Project....
and the whole mess needs fuel.
Cash that is. And these court makings, these impact fees, all of these things will come out of the people's pockets to keep this far sighted Gang of 6's house of cards standing. And there are those who swear by the leadership of this bunch. Amazing, isn't it.
You old farts still bitchin about everything. I'm surprised you have internet access. Quit drooling on yourselves tuck your shirts in, and you'll be surprised how good you will feel. Your old wrinkled balls may even go away.
One other cow for the Mayor's herd that I forgot about: the HUD home shenanigan. Was a time that the common citizen could buy a FHA foreclosure, commonly called a HUD home, in our fair city. Get it for a good price, thousands below market value, fix it up and own a nice property. Until Ogden City made a deal with HUD to buy 'em all West of Harrison. The City fixes 'em up and passes the costs onto you, the homebuyer, at a price that far and away exceeds the value of what you could have purchased it for and fixed up. Ogden City pockets the profits.
Just one more blood sucking thing they call a "revenue stream," that you, the people pay for, to keep their grandiose developmental schemes afloat.
Elected to serve the people? Maybe this coming election, we should re-think that and make some changes.
Oh yeah, President, as your first post under this thread said, "I don't know much about this." No shit! Donn botha to reply to any of this until you do. We're tired of your coarseness and vulgarity.
Yo, president, lionel grieger, viktor, all you foul mouthed hate spewing derelicts, click on Articl #1 by Rudizink and READ & MEMORIZE paragraph #2. It's all about you guys, who insult with no civility or decorum other readers and posters. It's about you guys!
That Roy Bean style Justice Court will look right fine down there just off Historic 25th Street. It'll fit right in with the architecture and history.
Maybe they can put up a gallows too, just like in the real old west, and string up scofflaws who don't keep their lawns up, for the tourists that'll soon be coming to town in our brave new MattGodfreyWorld.
Oh yeah, it'll be a financial success, all right.
Yesiree! It'll be just like the good old days!
A-YUP!
Keeping Watch I mean Bill. I want you to show me the last time someone bought a hud home west of Harrison fixed it up the right way, and had a very nice home, give me an address you stupid fool you know as well as I that those properties are recycled to investors and foreclosed time and time again. Plus the city's profit has to go back into the federal grant fund only to fix more properties up down there. The owner occupant rate is around 16-23% West of Harrison 20th to 32nd that is a tremendous drain on our city, and it must change. These 2 programs HUD, and the landlord program I believe are 2 of many pieces of the puzzle to get the owner occupancy rate there up to 50%-75% Just because it takes from your pocketbook doesn't mean that it is a bad thing. If It takes from my pocketbook I'm smart enough to realize it is ok because It will make my city a better place.
The Landlord Program is the sheer essence of nanny-style neocon government, "Doctor."
To presume that the government is wiser than any individual property owner in the administration of his own private property is sheer lunacy.
Please take your commie ways, and move to Castro's Cuba, you central-planning commie control freak.
I don't interfere with your management of your private property. Please try to show me the same courtesy.
You tell 'em Marko. Seems we have a full load of guys who are swilled away every time the mayor breaths. One look at the state of the city, and Godfrey's quick to blame ALL of the previous administrations, and it's not hard to see that the guy's out of control with this development fever that's hit him, Jorgenson, Safsten, and Stephenson. Poor Donna Burdett, she at least mulls things over before succumbing to this provincial, on high authoritative directive, sits on the fence while the only two with heart and the courage to put the people first and question some of these project, Amy Wicks (bless her pretty heart) and Jesse Garcia (a man who'se unusually keen and perceptive) get over-ridden on each and every vote.
A massive amount of time has been expended, along with frickin' MILLIONS of DOLLARS, on the dirt pile, while underneath the surface our town is decaying at an alarming rate, $140-$150 million to bring the infrastructure up to standard. Why hasn't that been addressed, except for the $5-6 million alloted in this year's budget. It's not as if we can do without water and sewer and streets, etc. How will the mayor fill his surfing pool without water lines (being facitious here, now)? But honestly, when will these Gang of 6'ers begin to pay attention to some real ailments instead of what they're doing with these cash cows and rec center ideas?
Ah Shut up. Try 25 - 30 million for infrastructure repairs.
Hey Anonymous, whoever the hell you are....get your lazy ass to a City Council meeting, obtain a copy of the budget, and then quote some figures. I've never understood the stupidity of people who just throw out a number or fact that they make-up, without doing the research and knowing something about what they're talking about. I wonder if this clown even knows what the city "infrastructure" is. If his figures are any indication of what he knows, he gets a big
FAT F-MINUS! Keep your comments reserved for the bar scene!
It seem pretty obvious that the property owners below Harrison have not done thier jobs. Of course, knowing some people who own quite a bit of property downtown, maybe they are doing their jobs perfectly. They own many run-down homes, rent them and make a profit. There is not much incentive to improve the homes if they are already turning a profit. This is not, however, the downtown housing district that we need in our city. I am not one for big government, but in certain cases I believe that the gov. can step in and help. As I have mentioned before, Ogden has some of those cases. The Jefferson Manisions are a glaring example. Before the city stepped in, that area was the poster for how sad Ogden had become. Since the cities' involvement, it has become an example of how a run down neighborhood can be completely transformed (see a photo essay here. Again, I don't believe that the gov. should step in in many situations, but if the private sector fails, than there may be a need for some help.
utmormon, maybe you should look at some of the houses on the east bench before you so grandly proclaim such negativities about those who live below harrison. To blankey people because of geography and or demography smacks of plain old discrimination. You should know better, even at your young age.
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