Big Emerald City Council Meeting Tomorrow Night

Proposed CIP ordinance amendments would reduce Emerald City government transparency, hand Boss Godfrey even more discretionary power and much more...

On the heels of the 2/15/11 Ogden City Council meeting, we'll provide an additional heads-up concerning tomorrow night's Regular Council Session, wherein the Council will give further consideration to pending proposals to substantially (and detrimentally) amend Ogden City's Capital Improvement Project rules.

As we noted in our 2/14/11 article on this topic, these proposed amendments for the most part fall into two chief general classes:

1) Raising of Capital Improvement Project Limits. The Administration proposes to raise the threshold for discretionary Administration capital expenditures "from the current $10,000 to $30,000 before the administration is required to go to the City Council for permission to spend additional taxpayer dough." Raising this threshold would have the obvious effect of allowing more money to be spent by the Administration on projects without prior public knowledge, of course.

2) Establishment of "Slush Funds." The Administration proposes the establishment of an array of new self-administered "accounts":

• Contingency Fund (Cost overruns - $100k expenditure cap)
• Future Projects Account (No $ cap)
• Study Account ($60k cap)

We've of course taken the liberty of characterising these as "slush funds." But given Mayor Godfrey's cavalier disregard for the boundaries of various departmental accounts over the years, we believe such characterization is apt. We contend the establishment of such accounts is a very bad idea... "a frightening proposition, given the Little Lord's well demonstrated "spending propensities."

For those readers who'd like to consult the Council Packet for tomorrow night's meeting, click the link below:

• 04/05 City Council Regular Session

Once you've had a chance to check out these documents we're certain you'll agree that these ordinance changes would reduce transparency, allow more money to be spent on projects without prior public knowledge, substantially and detrimentally relinquish existing Council financial oversight and and unreasonably hand even more discretionary spending power over to Boss Godfrey.

We'll invite you all to throw in your 2¢; but before we do, here's a little something extra, a query tossed into the CIP ordinance amendment discussion in one of our lower comments sections:

Currently as the CIP budget is now put together the projected expenditures are of some 2.25 mil for next year, with 1.0 mil of that amount being for the field house.
Why would we be committing this much money to the field house when we haven't even decided whether we're going to build it or not?"

Great question, Ogden Resident, BTW! How the hell DID $1 million in Fieldhouse Project funding wind up on the CIP list, actually?

The floor's open, O Gentle Ones.

Who will be the first to chime in?

Update 4/6/11 7:33 a.m.: Scott Schwebke reports that the Council bought the full proposed CIP amendment package, hook line and sinker, by a 6-1 vote:

• Ogden amends CIP ordinance

Fiscal prudence in Emerald City? Fuggedaboudit.

Live Blogging From The Ogden City Council Chambers

Check the comments section below to catch Dan's live reporting

We've just received word from Dan Schroeder, who informs us that he'll be live blogging from tonight's Ogden City Council/RDA meetings, where the Council will discuss BDO Bond refinancing, a revamp of the rules governing capital improvement expenditures, and Ogden City's still under construction anti-discrimination ordinance, among other agenda items.

Check the comments section below, as the Council meeting is about to be called to order.

Ogden City Council/RDA Meeting Heads-up

Remember... the world wide blogosphere is sitting on the edge of its seat, waiting to find out what our gentle WCF readers think

In accordance with our regular practice of providing advance notice of pending Council/RDA Board agenda items, we'll provide a heads up concerning several items of interest coming up for tomorrow night's Council/RDA meetings:

1) BDO Bond refinancing. According to tomorrow night's council packets, the Administration will be delivering reports at both a Special RDA Meeting and the regular Council Meeting, concerning an Administration-proposed refinancing of Business Depot Ogden (BDO) bonding. For your convenience, we'll display both council information packets here:

• Ogden City Council/RDA Joint Study Session
• Ogden City Council Meeting

At first glance, the Administration's proposal seems innocuous enough. Although the principal loan balance will increase to around $6,150,000 from the current $5.79 mil after the refi, with interest reductions the whole deal is projected to save the taxpayers around $120 thousand.

So what about it gentle readers? Is this a good deal for the taxpayers... or are we missin' somethin'?

2) Capital Improvement Rules Revamp. Among other things, the Administration proposes to raise the threshold for discretionary Administration capital expenditures from the current $10,000 to $30,000 before the administration is required to go to the City Council for permission to spend additional taxpayer dough. Another troubling feature of the Administration proposal... the establishment of an array of "slush funds," a frightening proposition, given the Little Lord's well demonstrated "spending propensities," we believe. How about it gentle readers? We invite you to read the applicable City Council packet, and tell us what you think about this:

• Ogden City Council Work Session

3) Non Discrimination Ordinance. In the wake of last month's chirpy announcement that Boss Godfrey was finally onboard with Ogden City's long-awaited anti-discrimination ordinance, it seems that the Administration has now thrown a wrench into the works. As set forth in the Council Work Session Packet (linked directly above), the Administration has now suggested amended language to the still in-the-works ordinance, which would create a legal loophole for "moral or religious" objections.

Rather than go through he whole rigmarole, we'll link to this gay activist website, which forcefully (even if not elegantly) explains the main issue which now seems to be on the table:

• Ogden Mayor Takes Last-Minute Potshot at Non-Discrimination Ordinance

Here's the suspect language in Boss Godfrey's newly-proposed ordinance text:

This chapter shall not be construed to limit or prohibit the expression of a person’s moral or religious beliefs, opinions or views. Evidence of a person’s moral or religious beliefs, opinions or views, or expression thereof, shall be inadmissible to prove violation of this chapter.

At risk of seeming overly long-winded, here's our additional take on this new wrinkle in the anti-discriminitation ordinance story. The above carefully-crafted language would unfairly prevent a complainant from offering evidence of moral or religious bigotry to prove discrimination under that ordinance; yet there's nothing in the proposed language to prevent an accused respondent from offering the same evidence to prove any act of discrimination does not fall within the ordinance. That's our interpretation, in any event. In legal parlance, the ordinance as proposed, would allow the respondent to use the ordinance "as a shield," while a complainant would be prevented from citing an incidence of moral or religious discrimination "as a sword."

We do hope our City Council is careful with this. Boss Godfrey's newly proposed ordinance "exception," would render the new ordinance entirely unenforceable as practical matter, wethinks. It would be a real shame to see a council which has been working on an ordinance for almost a year, to ultimately enact one with no teeth.

Please don't hesitate to chime in on any of the subjects relating to tomorrow night's Council RDA meetings.

Remember... the world wide blogosphere is sitting on the edge of its seat, waiting to find out what our gentle WCF readers think.