Kristen Moulton's morning followup story bears the bad news for the citizens of Ogden Valley. The article is brief, so we'll incorporate it in full:
A House committee this morning endorsed a makeover of a bill that allows town incorporations, but refused requests of impassioned Ogden Valley residents to make the new law apply to Powder Mountain town.Barring floor amendment to add a retractivity provision when debate begins on the House floor in a few days, it appears that the soon-to-be politically disenfranchised folks in Powderville may very well start living under at least two years of corporate dictorship -- perhaps as early as next week.
The residents delivered petitions with nearly 520 signatures of those opposed to efforts of the new owners of Powder Mountain ski resort to incorporate as a town.
"You are putting us in a jurisdiction in which we have no vote," said Darla Longhurst-Van Zeben, who lives in the Eden area set to be part of the new town. "That is absolutely wrong."
The developers filed an incorporation petition in January and included in the boundaries some 60 homes of the Eden area, many of whom do not want to be part of the new town. To incorporate, Powder Mountain needs 100 residents, and the resort does not have that many residents.
The House Political Subdivisions Committee declined to make HB164 retroactive to Jan. 1 or otherwise amend the law so it would apply to the Powder Mountain incorporation.
Rep. Kerry Gibson, R-Ogden, acknowledged after the hearing that last year's HB466 was a "major screw-up."
The Weber County Commission could be asked to approve the petition as early Tuesday.
We link here the roster of the House Political Subdivisions Committee members who wouldn't lift even a finger to fix the "unintended results" of last year's HB466, which one Weber County House member even admitted to have been a "major screw-up." All of these same folks will be coming around in November to ask for our readers' votes. We urge everyone to print out this list, and file it for future reference. Chalk this up as the most shameful day yet, in what's turning out to be the most shameful legislative session in recent memory.
Comments, anyone?
Update 2/21/08 8:29 p.m. MT: Whatever you do, don't miss Minor Machman's latest cranky analysis of today's committee meeting, on his own Utah Wingmen for Property Tax RE-FORUM blogsite. Let there no doubt. The citizens of Ogden Valley have "true grit," which is especially well-demonstrated by a genuine Vietnam War combat pilot American hero like MM, who's preparing to release ordnance now that he's living his life as a civilian, and to do a political bombing run on the greedhead "bad neighbors" of Powder Mountain Development, and those cowardly House Committee Members -- especially those four from Weber County -- who sat on their thumbs throughout today's committee hearing, and delivered the message to the citizens of eastern Weber County: "Screw you!"
