For the Standard-Examiner hard-copy subscription-impaired readers amongst us, you can read John Wright's fine article, in which he reports what happened in the City Council Chambers Tuesday night.
Coincidentally, the Weber County Commission held its own lively and well-attended meeting Tuesday evening, as was also reported in the Std-Ex. It was during this meeting that the commission approved its new budget, resulting in a 17% across the board tax increase for all property owners of Weber County. We talked about this earlier here. And yes, they went right ahead and did it. Weber County got most of the extra taxpayer funding that they were originally looking for.
I think it was an interesting conjunction of public sessions on Tuesday night. On the one hand, we had the Ogden City Council, wringing out every possible source of funding in a seemingly heroic effort to keep the High Adventure Recreation Center project alive. On the other hand, we had the Weber County Commission, which has generally run a tight ship, and avoided raising property taxes for seven years running, now biting the political bullet and doing what taxpayers like the very least -- raising property taxes. It was inevitable that this day would come, as tax increment dollars from the variety of ongoing Ogden City RDA projects get recycled into new projects, and diverted from Weber County government.
Inflation is a reality in our economy, notwithstanding the government's "rigged" CPI figures. Anyone who buys groceries or fuels-up an automobile knows that. County government isn't immune to the effects of price inflation, of course. And the County maintains a sizeable motor pool. The problem is that the Weber County Commission will take the direct heat from this necessary tax hike, when the real problem in large part originates with Ogden City RDA, which is perceived by Weber County and other local taxing authorities as being somewhat "inwardly-directed" and "ungenerous," shall we say.
I spoke with one of the Weber County Commisioners last week on this topic. He was very gracious and accomodating as to the actions of Ogden City officials, on the surface of the conversation at least. Although he assured me that this tax hike didn't represent the "throwing down of the gauntlet," as I'd suggested in an earlier "open Thread" article, I couldn't help but detect a hint of tension in his voice as he told me that.
While Weber County and the other taxing authorities who show up on your tax bill have much to gain in the long-run if the City administration's grand plan succeeds, these same entities also have everything to gain, and nothing to lose in the short-run, if the Rec Center project isn't commenced by the end of this year. In that event, much of the substantial tax increments from the ten or so existing Ogden City RDA's that would otherwise flow into the Rec Center project for the next twenty years would instead revert to Weber County, (and these other various taxing entities that you see on your Weber County property tax bill,) by operation of law. it's millions of dollars that we're talking about here, folks.
Something tells me that there's a storm brewing between our city and and county governments, that the county belt-tightening has reached the point where no new belt notches are left, and that our Weber County Commissioners are keeping their fingers crossed, and quietly hoping that the Rec Center project falls flat on its face, because of its ever-increasing financial weight.
For those who are curious about the ten or so Ogden RDA projects whose tax increments will be tied up in the event that the Rec Center project goes forward of planned, I'm furnishing a map from the excellent Ogden City website.
Comments, anyone?
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