By Dan Schroeder
1. Full Ogden City Council agenda packets are now online!
As we were recently promised, the City Council web site now allows citizens to download not only the bare-bones agendas for upcoming meetings, but also the full “packets” of detailed information that are provided to the council members themselves. Check out the information for this coming Tuesday’s meeting here.
The council’s main agenda item for this Tuesday is the annual Capital Improvement Plan, authorizing expenditures on major new projects and infrastructure. As you review the CIP, remember that most of it is merely an unfunded “wish list”; what matters most is the proposed budget for FY 2011, highlighted in gray on pages 34 through 60 of the agenda packet pdf file.
Some of the CIP items proposed for funding include Urban Riverway Enhancements ($50,500), Downtown Signage and Amenities ($98,950), River Run Neighborhood Park ($533,000), fire station seismic retrofits ($2,227,400), “Critical Project Contingency” ($101,000), various street and sidewalk projects, Lorin Farr Pool Drain Replacement ($139,855), MWC Pool Drain Replacement ($12,250), Tennis Court Resurfacing ($55,400), Downtown Equestrian Trail System ($2,020,000), Ogden City Velodrome ($14,140,000), airport improvements ($310,175), Renovation of Mt. Ogden Golf Course ($505,000), sewer projects ($1,043,000), and water projects ($255,750). The Ice Climbing Tower is also down for $1,500,000, but it appears that the City Council intends to delete that item based on the administration’s admission that it is “no longer a viable project” (pdf page 10).
I highly recommend that readers download the full agenda packet (2 MB), review it carefully, and discuss its details in the comments below.
2. Tour de Drome coordinator contract
Speaking of the Velodrome, I recently obtained from the city a copy of the $5000 contract with Cindy Yorgason for coordinating the recent “Tour de Drome” fundraiser. Most of the information in this contract was previously reported, but it also clarifies that in addition to paying Yorgason’s $5000 fee, the city will reimburse all documented expenses for the event. I hope to follow-up and eventually learn the rest of the financial details about this event and about the Velodrome more generally.
3. Historic Building Scavenger Hunt ends Wednesday!
Meanwhile, I’m about to head out on my bike to try to finish up this year’s Historic Building Scavenger Hunt. If you’d like to participate, you can download a pdf of the brochure here. Using the map and clues for guidance, try to find all 12 of the historic buildings shown in the closely cropped photos. Turn in your completed brochure by Wednesday, May 12, to be eligible for a prize drawing. Everyone who finds even one building is eligible for most of the prizes, but only those who find all 12 are eligible for the grand prize. This annual event is sponsored by our friends at the Ogden City Landmarks Commission and the Weber County Heritage Foundation. You can pick up a paper copy of the brochure during business hours in the Planning Department on the ground floor of the Municipal Building.
26 comments:
I should think that retrofitting fire stations to make them earthquake-safe would be #1 on the list.
If we were to have a serious quake here (my Geology professor loved to tell us it would be a Richter 8-9), fires would most likely break out from broken gas lines. Geologists predict that if you live on the Wasatch Front all your life, there is a 25% chance you will experience a major quake.
We would need our firefighters, not need them buried in a heap of rubble along with their trucks.
Ogden Lover, The chances of firefighters being trapped in the non-seismic safe firehouses is slim. Since Godfrey got away with it the first time I predict firefighters will often be out conducting various surveys and code enforcement hunts.
Well, I'm delighted to report that I found all 12 of the scavenger hunt buildings. (Found 5 the day I picked up the brochure, 4 more yesterday, and the last 3 today.) Most interesting: The last one I found is a dilapidated building with boarded up windows that (amazingly) is still displaying one of those Lift Ogden banners: "Restoration and Renovation underway/pending due to opportunities from Gondola, Resort and Recreation Center!"
So let's see if I have this right.
Cindy Yorgason, a few days ago, was saying how great the mayor's schemes are, and how he was going to visit her in LA or someplace.
Some folks on this blog were excusing her for being naive.
Come to find out, from the contract, she had $5000 of city taxpayer's money still warm in her pocket from Godfrey handing it to her.
All she had to do for the money was arrange this bike rally and talk up Godfrey's latest contractor sop, the velodrome.
Hmmmm. Not so naive after all, me thinks.
So patterson lied aabout the Veledrome ride, and who was fronting the expenses for the fundraiser. He said in a council meeting a couple weeks ago that Ogden Community foundation was responsible for the event, and that they were handling the money.
Pureheart Patterson is a liar again.
I cant find the recording of the Council meeting, but if i do I will post it.
very skepticle,
I haven't had time to download and listen to the recording of that meeting, so I'd very much appreciate a transcript of the relevant part.
The picture I got, from my interviews with Patterson, Yorgason, and Brierley, is this: Ogden City ran the event, but the proceeds went to OCF. OCF is expected to reimburse Ogden for costs. However, there is no written agreement between Ogden and OCF regarding the use of the proceeds.
I suspect that the costs ended up being slightly more than the proceeds, so OCF should be writing Ogden a check for the entire amount raised. Ogden will have to cover the remaining expenses, but that amount shouldn't be much.
I intend to obtain all possible documentation of how these transactions are handled.
All existing council videos are available via this link
Ogden City Council Videos
The meeting you'll be looking for is the RDA meeting of April 13, 2010.
I can only find the video for the council meeting, it was on March 23,2010. Towards the end of the meeting Vice Chair VanHooser asked Pureheart about the planned event for the fund raiser bike ride and veledrome.
very skepticle:
Just open this link and select the March 23,2010 meeting from the lower menu. It's definitely there. I just checked.
Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, the Ogden City IT Department has remodeled its website, and older council videos seem to be no longer available, either by links or keyword searches.
Imagine that.
Rudi, I found that, but you have to watch the video until the end to see VanHooser ask Pureheart about the Bike event. I was looking for a printed document from the meeting minutes.
If you watch the video of March 23,2010 you can see the questions and answers concerning the fund raiser.
OK, I believe I've "got it," very skepticle. I believe however the council colloquy you're mention occurred at the end of the April 27, council meeting, wherein Councilwoman Van Hooser asked John "Pureheart" Patterson this:
"1) Who is the major sponsor; is it Ogden City?
2) If it is Ogden City, where are the funds to be kept?"
Here's a link to the WCF article in which we discussed this:
Standard-Examiner: Tour de Drome Fundraiser Kicks Off This Morning
Unfortunately the written minutes from that meeting don't appear on the Ogden website either, surprise of surprises.
You are correct Rudi, I was wrong about the date. But Patterson made it sound like the OCF was the ones doing the fundraier, and no monies from the City were at risk. He's still a friggin little snake and liar.
Ok, I just watched the video of April 27th, Patterson did say that the City was paying the 5k to the chair of the event. Sorry Pureheart I guess that you didnt lie (on this one).
But he did say that the city will be re-imbursed for their expenditures from registration fees, so the city wont be out any money.
The event didnt raie enough to cover that.
It question and answer is at 42:10 through 46:13 On the April 27th video of the Council meeting
very skepticle:
Here's a WAV audio track file I clipped from the pertinent portion of the April 27 council meeting video. For those who are following this discussion, I'm sure everyone will marvel at Patterson's obfuscatory prowess, as he rambles along in train of consciousness style, and skillfully dodges Counculwoman Van Hooser's very pointed questions:
Patterson rambling.wav
What a shame it is that nobody on the council has the skill to ask followup questions.
I just listened to the tape, Rudi, and to me it's obvious that Patterson isn't a mere rambling fool, but rather a crafty con man who's learned to take the discussion off track with his illogical mindless chain of "stream of concious consciousness wanderings.
Do people like Van Hooser just leave council meetings thinking to themselves "I could have done better?"
Or will they ignore their poor performance the last time and again ask (before the end of any particular Emerald City council meeting:
John "Pureheart" Patterson! You haven't answered my questions"
I won't hold my breath for this.
Van Hooser's questions were a good start. When I saw Patterson at the start of the event, I asked some more detailed questions:
* Is there a contract between Ogden City and OCF governing the collection and use of the funds? (Answer: No, but they're good people.)
* Who's in charge of OCF? (Answer: They don't disclose that information.)
Oh, and thanks, Rudi, for extracting that audio excerpt!
I was there, and as soon as he stated that he had answered the six questions, I knew he was covering something up.
The problem I see is that I believe the Council knows they are getting jefked off, but no one has the balls to stand up and throw the Bullshit flag.
I imagine that it will take more citizen outcry to get this nonsense addressed. Thanks to people like Dan S and Rudi for bringing these matters to the public eye.
"The problem I see is that I believe the Council knows they are getting jefked off, but no one has the balls to stand up and throw the Bullshit flag"
Too bad Jsske is no longer on the council
Over the last four years, Jeske was the only one who consitently demonstrated that she had a "set."
JFP
It is a "pair", not a "set"
And yes, Jeske was the only person on the council in a long time who actually had a pair and wasn't afraid to shine a light on the Godfreyite bull shite.
It would be nice if her health improved enough for her to take on that Godfrey lackey Stephenson next election. It would be grand to see her back on the council with her excellent bull shit detecting skills intact.
@Dan: * Is there a contract between Ogden City and OCF governing the collection and use of the funds? (Answer: No, but they're good people.)
* Who's in charge of OCF? (Answer: They don't disclose that information.)
since Patterson wouldn't answer your questions, here is what I found:
Here is the list of "good people" who are running OCF:
Principals are:
Director: John C. Patterson, 1027 E 4975 S, Ogden
Officer: Mark L. Johnson, 1660 22nd Street, Ogden
Registered Agent: Blan H. Johnson, 2036 Lincoln, Ogden
Trustee: David Harmer, 4337 Bobwhite Ct, Ogden
Trustee: Matthew R. Godfrey, 2549 Washington Blvd, Ogden
The address of record for the entity is 4723 Harrison Blvd, Ste 200, Ogden - which is the listed address of Lincoln Title Insurance Company and Smith Knowles Attorneys, PC.
TLJ
thanks Jennifer
Is that the same address that was used by these same Godfreyite gangsters with their other piece of fiction called FANURE?
If so, isn't there something in the Utah Code that deals with houses of ill repute, known gang houses and other properties that pose threats to a well ordered society?
You'd think Ogden's Home Town Paper might begin wondering about now whether the Godfrey administration has entered into other handshake agreements [sans contract] to provide financial support with public funds or the time of public employees for a non-public body like OCF which is not similarly subject to public scrutiny or accounting.
Of course, that question should have occurred to Ogden's Home Town Paper when apparently Envision Ogden was permitted to use what were then still city-owned properties at The Junction for a fund-raiser. And didn't funds from Envision Ogden eventually find its way into the campaigns of Administration-approved Council candidates, and even a bit into campaign assists for the Mayor as well? Or have I mis-remembered? I don't think a contract ever surfaced in that instance either, nor was it ever made clear who carried the liability insurance for the event on Ogden City public property.
And now again, there seems to have been a handshake arrangement in which Hizzonah and Pureheart Patterson arranged, in their capacities as Mayor and CAO respectively, to provide city support for themselves in their capacities as Director and Trustee of the OCF.
Not even a quiver of curiosity, SE news editors, about the propriety of that? Not even a twinge?
Curm,
I asked for a copy of the contract for the use of city-owned property (i.e. The Solomon Center) by Envision Ogden -- Guess what!? There was no contract initiated! And Ogden City's insurance covered the liability issue.
Dorrene:
Ah, thank you. As I suspected. We [the taxpayers] carried the liability risks for a fundraiser for a private organization whose head, as I recall, said it was an election fund-raising group and had been intended as such from the beginning.
Can't imagine why I thought that might be newsworthy.
Thanks, Dorrene.
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