By Ozboy
Well, I suppose that I am a customer of "Emerald City." I pay them money for whatever services I receive as a property owner in the city. I also, as it seems of late, pay them an annual business license fee for the pleasure of renting said single family property to the same elderly guy that has been there police and fire trouble-free for 12 years.
The fee is a hundred and fifty eight bucks per year. However the city, in a real magnanimous gesture, will cut that down considerably if I pay their cronies at the Utah Apartment Association forty bucks or so to teach me how to be a "Good Landlord", something I have been doing very well without their wisdom for 30 years or so. Also you must give over eight hours of your precious time to these nitwits who are so presumptuous as to think they could teach anyone about successful business. Remember the jokers behind this at city hall are the same gang that can't shoot straight that have blown forty million or more of the public's money in the last six years on a long string of loser deals.
If you don't pay this extortion by January you get a 100% fine right off the bat. Now I ain't gonna BS you and say I didn't know any thing about this new good landlord crap. Hells bells, I raised Cain about it when it was first proposed. In fact that was the issue that first brought it to my attention that the city's mayor was the arrogant little tyrant that I have come to love like a viper and respect like a rat as I do.
Anyway, the very first official notice that I ever received from the city on this newly instituted license was when they sent me a notice that I had missed the filing deadline and I now owed a hundred and fifty eight bucks - times two. No original notice, no bill, no nothing cept gotcha double! So I ponied up the three hundred and sixteen bucks extortion and sent it on in.
This year I get a notification that tells me I now have to go online and prepare my own billing and then send the money in. Why they didn't just send the friggin' bill for the license I do not know. It takes them every bit as much time and effort and money to send me the information on how to go on line and prepare and print my own billing as it would to send the damn bill! I guess it wouldn't be such a pain in the keister, but I do not have a printer. Have no need for one -- probably never will.
The only other alternative the scoundrels give you is to come into city hall and they will help you get on the internet and get your own billing. That is sorta like the gas company telling you to make up your own bills, or come down to our office and we will let you use our computers to make up your own bill, then we will take your money. Bottom line is it ain't their responsibility to make up the bill for what you owe them. Think about what would happen if every business that bills you in any way had such a policy! The only way Boss Godfrey's minions can get away with it is they have a captive customer base that they prey upon.
So instead of being able to just mail in the tribute extracted by the city, landlords and all business owners that are not on the computer, the internet or hooked up to a printer, must come to city hall to generate their own paper work and fork over the dough. In my case it was a 20 mile drive. In a lot of other people's cases it could be hundreds or thousands of miles. Like Aunt Else in Elsinore, California, who has rented out her late mother's house in Ogden for the last five years. She doesn't have a computer, she doesn't want to have one. Does this mean that she has to travel to Ogden each year to pay this obscene tax? How about the hundreds of other people in similiar situations, do they not deserve any respect and consideration from Mayor Godfrey's city government?
So I get down to city hall and sure enough there were a pile of computers in a little room and a bunch of young city employees helping a very large crowd of harried landlords and business owners. Not one of them was happy to be there! Most were very annoyed with this very large inconvenience. The city employees were under a lot of stress, but they handled it very well. They were cordial to angry and frustrated people, they were very helpful to the computer illiterate. They did the city proud under a very unfortunate and stupid set of circumstances. They definitely deserve a more competent elected boss.
Being a bit unaccepting of idiocy, I naturally talked it up with the staff about the situation. I very quickly met a couple of the bosses of that department who were real nice and friendly people. When I said how stupid this whole setup was, they all agreed! They also told me that there had been a very large parade of pee'd off citizens for some time over this very issue. In addition, one boss apologized on behalf of the staff and told me that they had no choice in the matter. This new procedure was a direct order from his honor on the ninth floor. When it was pointed out to the little lord mayor how this would cause difficulties and inconvenience with business owners, he just didn't care. After all, some people have to pay for progress. Seems that the staff had spoken out on the subject and had been over-ruled on the matter. The mayor was bound and determined that local business people were going to be forced into doing business with the city online, and online only, whether they liked it or not. Part of his "vision for the future" thing perhaps.
Just one more example of how totally business friendly is our great (like the wizard,) and lovable (like a snake) mayor of the Land of Oz?
Update 7/16/06 8:43.pm. MT: It belatedly occurs to us that there is a topic left unanswered here. Would any of our gentle readers like to add their own City v. Businessperson horror stories to this thread? Like many disgruntled Emerald City inhabitants, we "have faith" that there must be many of these, considering the gutter ethics of Boss Godfrey. Not to worry. You can always post anonymously here @ Weber County Forum.
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17 comments:
A business license for renting out one's property? Oh, boy, I'm going to claim ignorance and pretend I never read this post.
I think that in this last council meeting, this:
3,500 rental licenses will be "extended one month." Meaning here is that holders of these will be billed in January and pay in February.
means you get another month. I know that doesn't really make it better.
3,500 rental licenses. Lots of revenue there.
This is astounding! Does Ogden City really treat their business people like this? No wonder the place is having such difficulties. What business person would put up with something like this for very long?
This kind of sillyness wouldn't last a day here in Salt Lake. Rocky is hard to take sometimes, but he would never allow something this obnoxious to go on in our city government.
What really sucks...is the fact that they have the Fire Department going out and inspecting apartment and duplex units under the guise of life safety inspections. The information is put into a data base into the Fire Department servers, and I am only assuming....giving the little lord another source of revenue. No new taxes just a lot of fees, and licenses.
Landlords, don't forget you need a CO2 detector in that residence as well or a $500 fine!!!
I thought the point of staggering renewal dates was to alleviate crowds of licensees lining up to pay?
The way this was presented to the Council, one did not get the impression it would be a boondoggle.
Why does this administration have to make doing business in Ogden a hardship?
This is one reason more potential businessmen/women are heading off to Layton and environs.
First, we hear that many are treated rudely and arrogantly by the mayor himself, and then to have to jump through these hoops to renew a license is so assinine.
Ozboy, your wit is delightful. The situation is a pain, but reading about it from your adroit point of view is a hoot.
Yes, get your CO detectors now.
And, also don't be cought washing your car on YOUR lawn!
Beware that your grass is the prescribed short length at all times.
The mayor is making lots of money imposing fines for these serious crimes.
I wonder if these monies go into the gondola publicity fund?
Here come the severance packages!!!
Pay attention to the Weber County Commissioners.
Their headed down the same path as Ogden City.
All three Commissioners just voted to add more administration, thanks to Nate Pierce. According to the Standard Examiner Pierce will have someone help do his job at $50,000 to $65,000 a year? Pierce receives $85,000 a year.
June 13, 2006; Public hearing to consider changing Career Status of the following job positions from Merit to Exempt: Assistant Director, Department of Operations
Property Management, Division Manager
Planning & Zoning, Division Manager
Roads & Highways, Division Manager
County Engineer, Division Manager
Nate Pierce, County Operations Director, stated that at the last budget hearings he had raised the issue of possibly exempting members of the management team in the
Operations Department. The Director and the Solid Waste Manager positions are already exempt. He said that today’s action would allow more flexibility in dealing with individuals, both to discipline and reward, and that it in no way reflected negativity toward any employee.
Commissioner Cain stated that this issue had been discussed for some time. These employees represented a tremendous amount of intellectual capital to county government and the people of Weber County and this was in no way negative toward any employee. The purpose of this was to provide an opportunity for management to actually increase productivity and to complement the work being done in those divisions. She thanked all the managers in the Operations Department for the time and energy they contribute to the county. Commissioner Cain moved to approve the change in career status of the listed employees; Commissioner Bischoff seconded, all voting aye.
This is the same hook, line, and sucker rationale that Ogden City bought into. Look at the severance packages Nate Pierce, and Stuart Reid received! Now these directors will be demanding severance packages when they want to get out.
The Commissioners keep shelling out tax money to all these venders for the county fair, lobbyists, and other special interests. Then when Law Enforcement begs for a raise: are they going to say the same thing as Ogden City? "There just isn’t enough money in the budget."
Watch out taxpayers.
All three County Commissioners bought into it!!!!!!
OzBoy, now we know why the administration wants to stagger the business license renewal dates! Last Tuesday at Council meeting, they made it sound like they were really interested in helping business owners, but now we see it is a way to cover the Mayor's folly(ass) so that they don't have to hire extra people to help the poor landlords who are business men, not computer literate, comply with what should be a simple process, but has already turned into a catastrophe.
BTW, I would really like to know if the Mayor has attended one of those "required landlord training" sessions. If he did, he sure as hell didn't learn anything and most certainly doesn't comply with the "Good Landlord" rules. Anyone seen one of his slummy apartments? He needs to be strung up by his thumbs until he cries, "I repent! I repent! I'll clean and fix up those unlivable conditions. What about it, your honor, how about complying with your own rules and regulations?"
Don E:
Now there is an idea. I know nothing about the mayor's rental properties, but if as you claim they do not meet the same standards of "good landlorship" his administration is imposing on other landlords, that would be newsworthy, it seems to me. Have you tried interesting the SE in that, as a story idea?
Feeling Fine[d]:
There is one major difference between what Weber County is doing vis-a-vis severance packages and what Mayor Godfrey did in the much reported instance of one man who voluntarily quit one city job, immediately took another with the city, yet received substantial "severance" pay. Godfrey arranged the special deal by handshake, without informing the Council, and the special deal was not included, I believe, in the contract the individual had signed with the city. It was simply a gentleman's agreement [politely so called] between the mayor and the individual involved.
Weber County is discussing changing the severance package rules for some up front, as a matter of policy and on the record. I don't know if it's a good decision or not. But it's being made in the daylight, on the record, with full public notice of what the Commission is doing. Very far, as I understand it, from what Mayor Godfrey arranged in at least one instance for one of his hires.
Heads up:
Friday's Standard Examiner has an interesting story about how much the Mayor has been spending [of public funds] to help promote the real estate speculation of his crony, Chris Peterson. Reporter is Scott Schwebke. A very interesting story. Don't miss it.
A second heads-up.
In the Opinion section, Gretchen Fluhart's Guest Commentary "All aboard, FrontRunner is Coming!" should not be missed. She discusses the implications of the economic growth that this will bring to Ogden.
Her discussion of timing as it relates to the Gondola Project is something our City Government should be considering.
On a related note: "Amy, you're my heroine! Thank you."
Matthew R. Godfrey
Mayor of Ogden, Utah
Mayor Matthew R. Godfrey (aka mutton-head) was born and raised in the harrisville area attending Weber County Schools. Went to Weber high. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts, Finance Degree with a minor in Spanish and a Masters of Professional Accounting and idiot trainging. While at WSU as a student he earned the distinction of divide and concur mentality.
He has taught Quantitative Analysis, Business Calculus and Finance which does him no good, because he doesn't know how to use them.
Mayor Godfrey is married and sends all his kids to private schools because Ogden city school aren't good enough.
Mayor Godfrey is the youngest Mayor to be elected in the history of Ogden City. Boy are we sorry for that.
Could some one please link the article in today's Standard on the mayor's spending for the Gondola promotion? It doesn't seem to be accessible on their web site without joining (paying) extra for it.
On another matter: I would highly recommend every one read the guest ediitorial in yesterday's Standard by General Condon. It is excellent and well written. General Condon used to be commander at Hill Field and is now retired in Ogden. We are lucky to have people of his caliber take up residency here, and to think he did so even tho we didn't have a gondola or a high tech rec center!
In his op-ed piece, the General explodes a few of the myths that seem to end up being accepted as facts here in obedience land. He also addresses the importance of having your facts lined up before launching off on rants.
One very important passage I will quote herein:
"....I think the right of free speech comes with a responsibility. That responsibility is to take the time to research an issue, to look at it from all sides, to check sources and determine if bias might have crept in, to collect and analyze data, not just other opinions, and to form opinions based on fact, not emotion and myth."
Sure do hope that the Little Lord, Young Geiger, and all the rest of the Gondolist miss-information gang read this and take heed!
I know I have...
On Ticket Quotas: Article in the SL Trib this morning.
Money quote:
More than half of the Holladay Citizens Advisory Board - a volunteer committee that acts as a liaison between residents and the city's police services - quit Friday.
It's all about traffic citations. Or, more precisely, the Q-word.
The board questions the value of quotas. The city's chief of police services says setting citation targets is one of several measures of deputies' performance....
The board [believes] that Holladay's reputation for issuing citations is driving away business....
This limiting payment of things to be strictly online in my opinion is not a good thing, even though they do give the option of mailing in a check. In addition to the problem of serving customers who have no computer access, there is another one, and that is the security of that online information.
In fact, I myself received a notification last year that my personal information had been compromised. This information had been on an electronic file that had been hacked, and the only reason it was on there in the first place was that I had been employed over ten years ago by a state owned organization that required me to provide it as a condition of my employment.
Nothing bad has happened because of this, but I really think that unless they can insure that one's online information is protected, they should not be requiring it as a condition to pay one's bills. Or for employment, or any other necessary thing in this society. It does put us at risk.
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