Fat chunk of taxpayer cash burns a hole in Boss Godfrey's pocket
This morning's Standard-Examiner provides a timely reminer about tonight's Council/RDA meetings, during which the Council/RDA Board will be dealing out a quite hefty chunk of taxpayer cash. Ace Reporter reports that there are 2.7 million dollars of City and RDA moneys on the table, just waiting to be allocated to deserving projects. We'll briefly go over them one by one, adding our own editorial comments as we move along.
First in order of magnitude is the $1.5 million or so which will need to be immediately allocated, so that the so-far insolvent Junction Project won't find itself embarrassingly in default on payments toward the bonds which funded original Junction construction. We'll call this "The 2008 Junction Bailout" for short, and treat it with a spirit of grudging resignation. Now that the bonds have been issued, and the bond proceeds have been expended, the RDA Board has exactly zero discretion on this matter. As a consequence of the administration's dismal planning, and the project's failure to magically generate "projected" revenue, another million-and-a-half in taxpayer dollars will be committed to the Junction money pit. And here's the kicker. According to Council Vice-chair Doug Stephens, Boss Godfrey's apparent new administration spokesman, we can expect to fund similar mandatory "Junction bailouts" for the foreseeable future.
Next, there's the there's "High Adventure Business Recruitment Scheme" -- "bureaucratese" terminology which translates into common street vernacular as "bribes" and "payoffs." Although we recognise $200 thousand is relative "chump change" in the MattGodfreyWorld big picture, we still wonder why Godfrey believes it's necessary to pay recreation companies to move to a great place like Ogden.
Then, there's the "Ice Tower Project," of course. With all that uncommitted taxpayer cash rattling around, there are still at least four council members who apparently seem to believe its quite alright to blithely drop $100 thousand on this crackpot project. What the hell? It's not these council members' own money anyway. We've already talked about this however to the point that we've now grown hoarse. We'll thus suggest that those readers who'd like to bone up on our earlier ruminations should click this link.
And yet finally, there's an initiative which actually looks to us to be very inviting and appealing. A "Debt Reduction Plan?" How about that? Surely this idea couldn't have originated in Godfrey's ninth floor office. We suppose however that suggesting the $300 thousand in proposed "High Adventure Recuitment" and "Ice Tower" handouts be applied to debt reduction might be asking a bit too much.
Before turning over the Weber County Forum floor for discussion, we'll again furnish our city council contact information link.
If you can't personally attend tonight's public sessions, you can at least email our wise (and hopefully thrifty) city legislators, and let them know what you think. What the heck. Send an email even if you do plan to attend.
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5 comments:
Also worth noting is today's lead editorial in the Standard Examiner. It's headlined "Temper Passion With Caution" and it deals with Clearfield's continuing problems regarding its $100 million [formerly $150 million] downtown mega-development. Seems like a bank is coming after the developer for missing a principle and interest payment on a development loan.
Here's how the editorial closes:
Clearfield officials' enthusiasm should be tempered with caution. Originally, the city planned to provide $22 million in special assessment area bonds to help the developers. Wisely, the city now is renegotiating that arrangement. Such large sums should only be committed to a project that is worthy of the expense. In other words, Clearfield, be careful going forward.
Occurs to me, the SE could have replaced every "Clearfield" in that paragraph with "Ogden" and still have had a valid point.
Do you suppose it's mere coincidence that the SE ran that particular editorial on the very day the Ogden City Council will consider major money legislation involving grand development projects?
Anyway, here's hoping all the members of the Council read the SE's editorial before tonight's votes.
Curm,
Logic and fiscal responsibility lost tonight- 3 to 4.
al:
I take it that means Ogden is getting its popsicle on 25th st., right? Thanks for the early report.
Councilwoman Jeske tried to persuade the other Council members for more than 15 minutes saying that a summary document that they had received Friday had areas of concern that stated the City would be responsible for the construction, the refrigeration and everything else to make it operational. Jeff Lowe's company will turn the $1.6 million over to the City to cover the associated costs, but she asked what if the $1.6 million wasn't enough. Fair question considering how the cost of building the ice tower has increased. Jeske said that she opposed using taxpayer money for project that was supposed to be a private enterprise and was disgusted with the childish game of the City having to give money before donors would give. Wicks voted against it and said that she couldn't see spending taxpayer money for something that so few would use. Doug Stephens also voted against it and said that the Council hadn't been given a business plan or an agreement that there were too many unansweed questions. Jesse would have been better off if he had kept his mouth shut. He said the reason that he had voted for it was because he was the one who had suggested the $100,000. instead of the $200,000. so he felt obligated to vote for it. What a crock! I guess he thinks that we're going to be grateful that the City has to pay $100,000 instead of $200,000. Maybe, but we know that $100,000. is only the beginning of the drain. Only one resident spoke and he encouraged the Council to vote against it.
Jesse needs to go....
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