Is it just me, or does anybody else have the nagging sensation that the Ogden city administration does almost everything at the very last minute? We read in this morning's paper that the Ogden RDA board is scheduled on Tuesday evening to consider approval of an administration-drafted "development agreement" with New Mexico-based Ernest Health, Inc., for construction of a 40-bed long-term acute care facility, within the Ogden River Project.
Although the River Project has been on the drawing board for some four years, administration officials are only now getting around to submitting this proposed contract before the RDA Board for approval, a mere thirty days before some of the purchase options begin expiring. "Time is of the essence," says Chief Administrative Officer John Patterson.
Time is of the essence, indeed, chimes in Rudi. The timeline is terribly short. It has a very particular odoriferous essence about it, methinks.
Assuming at least a 15-day public notice requirement prior to RDA Board approval of terms for the required $3.6 million dollar loan, this would leave the RDA Board only about two weeks to start and complete their "due diligence," and digest and analyze the proposed contract document, even if they were to "table" the matter for consideration in a future RDA session.
It seems a "bit much," to expect the new RDA board to make a rushed decision on such a proposal, a mere five hours after they're sworn in. The Ernest contract may well be the best thing for Ogden since the coming of the railroad, but it seems to me that the RDA board needs a little more time for adequate study and deliberation.
I'd suggest that the matter be "put over" for at least another week; and I'll add that it would be nice if the RDA Board could "run the agreement by" an independent attorney for a private opinion. The City Attorney's office has a conflict of interest here, as far as I'm concerned. City Attorney Norm Ashton and his crew simply can't adequately serve two masters -- the RDA and the administration.
I'd also urge the new RDA Board to order up a complete RDA accounting at the earliest possible moment, just to determine exactly where the RDA stands financially. This is uniform practice any time new management takes the helm in private business; and there's no reason that the new RDA Board shouldn't follow the lead of private industry, as long as they're 'dabbling" in that area.
Maybe it would be better, for the administration to start negotiating option extensions, in fact.
I'll also add, parenthetically, that this rush scenario presents yet more evidence that public bodies like RDAs DO NOT BELONG in the property development arena. Commercial realities are such, in projects like these, that they do not promote the ideals of good government. Perhaps the Utah legislature will do something about this in the upcoming 2006 legislative session.
And what say our gentle readers about all this?
© 2005 - 2014 Weber County Forum™ -- All Rights Reserved
6 comments:
Ye Gods!
Ogden is back to its old mindset of giving away taxpayer funds to attract new business.
It is financial insanity to go into debt another $2.1 million to bring a NON-PRODUCING hospital to town.
We need businesses that are paid for with private capital.
Scott Brown has to go. His mindset is to bribe a potential business with a subsidy and give away needed tax dollars.
Scott Brown and the Lord Mayor have no concept of free enterprise and what makes the capitalistic system work!!! That is why Ogden is in debt some $50 million and digging out will take another 25 years at least.
They even give away our tax dollars to established businesses like Fresenius that aren't about to go away.
I believe the new City Council members are more astute than this.
The vote Tuesday evening will determine if they are.
These "option" agreements that are going to start expiring in Feb were for the most part optained under duress - the threat of eminent domain siezure. Therefore, I believe that those obtained in that manner are immoral at their core and should be allowed to expire.
Under this plan the city will be subsidizing this hospital (rest home) to the tune of $2.1 million dollars. Just how does the administration propose that the tax payers of Ogden will ever recoup that expense? What is the formula and time span anticipated, assuming this is another one of those infernal TIF schemes. There certainly will not be the big "sales tax" carrot that drives so many of this administration's dreams and schemes.
And is a rest home a suitable anchor for a major redevelopment scheme? Are we all going to want to go shop and eat there because of a rest home next door? Especially when we can go two blocks and have lunch next to a penny arcade!
This is merely business as usual for the Ogden City administration. It seems their quote should be, "Time is of the essence because we don't really want you to know what is going on."
This is the same game that they played with the last council with some complicated and critical information for the rec center only receiving 30 minutes of discussion. I would hope that these tactics would be transparent to the new council. All projects of this magnitude should be given a thorough examination by the city council, as they were elected to watch out for the taxpayer interests.
Redevelopment has major impact for every resident in this city, and a hurry-up approach means less scrutiny of the overall plan, contract, or project.
I would urge councilmembers to reject any large project that is not given the time for due diligence and serious discussion with full disclosure to the citizens. This would send a message to the administration that you are watching out for our interests and will not be bullied into making decisions that may well harm your constituency.
Opportunity always abounds in this country, and we shouldn't be asked to sign on to any project because we will lose whatever it is to another city if we don't sign immediately.
As a follow-up... while we don't want to cut off our noses to spite our face... this may be an opportunity for the council to regain a solid footing in the development of this city without the Mayor in the driver's seat...
To quote Rudi...
Maybe the "council" will have to thump him in the forehead a few times in the next few months, before he "gets" it. Who knows?
I would comment on all this, but I'm too busy trying to figure out how the special services hospital/convalescent home [pick one] fits into the Mayor and Lift Ogden's "hub" concept. Perhaps the idea is people hurt trying to ski the west face of Mt. Ogden at Mr. Peterson's resort will be whisked down to WSU on Mr. Peterson's gondola, transfered to the city's gondola, and whisked to the Intermodal Hub, where they can board a city bus to the the hospital where they can recover well enough to stroll along the Riverwalk project and have lunch in a riverside fern bar?
Now that's high concept thinking with a vengeance, I'll grant them that.
Attended the swearing-in ceremony today for our new Council members. They have all now sworn to uphold their positions with fidelity.
First order of business after the swearing in was to appoint a new council chair and vice chair. They are...
Jesse Garcia: Chair
Amy Wicks: Vice- Chair
Thought you'd like to know that.
New comments are not allowed.