W. Bountiful questions hike for rec center

The Recreation Center, to be built in Bountiful, is costing one million over the amount of the Bond. Bountiful has offered to pay the million now if the other cities will pay them back. (Where in Bountiful's budget do they have that much money lying around-unallocated?) West Bountiful has questioned why the additional 5-6 percent cost is there? A full board was not present at the last meeting so a decision on the matter has been postponed. When will the Recreation District ratchet up the price-tag again?

W. Bountiful questions hike for rec center

KSL News: Meth Related Crimes on the Rise

Utah is tied for number one!

KSL News: Meth Related Crimes on the Rise

Davis County, Utah :: Official Website :: Hiking

Take advantage of the, low cost, recreational activities that are available in Davis County. Hiking, walking, biking, etc. The Davis County Government website shows 11 trailheads within the boundaries of the County. Why am I posting on this when I could be on the subject of politics? Because many think that obesity, health, and promoting family togetherness fall solely under the purview of the government. Utah, especially, has a massive wilderness and close proximity to nature. Our tax dollars are paying for these parks and trails. Let's use them.

Davis County, Utah :: Official Website :: Hiking

KSL News: Homes Condemned to Make Way For New Highway

Remember the stink that Rocky Anderson made about the Legacy Highway's harm to the environment? Well, now that the highway is about to be built, another possible motive for Rocky's action may be surfacing. 260-410 homes and businesses may need to be torn down in Salt Lake City to make room for the highway. What does that come to in lost tax revenue for Salt Lake City?

KSL News: Homes Condemned to Make Way For New Highway

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Meth is 'biggest' US drug problem

'Meth' addiction is the biggest contributor to crime in the U.S. Crimes directly related to the drug include domestic abuse, burglaries, and assaults. The problem of escalating crime is particularly relevant on the County level.

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Meth is 'biggest' US drug problem

KSL: "Another Viewpoint" Editorial

KSL will air Mayor Brigg's response to a recent editorial by Duane Cardall on the land dispute in the next couple of weeks.

StandardNET/Standard-Examiner

Assuming that Salt Lake City succeeds in condemning the 12 acres of land owned by North Salt Lake how do they justify the cost that North Salt Lake would pay to service to the land? Salt Lake City has no access roads to the land. North Salt Lake would be saddled with the burden of providing emergency services to that area. I believe that this would constitute an arbitrary taxation on North Salt Lake on top of the taxation from invoking eminent domain in the first place.

On another note, North Salt Lake waiting the maximum 30 days before filing the appeal regarding Salt Lake City's decision, giving the negotiations a chance to work.

StandardNET/Standard-Examiner::City files appeal on decision by Salt Lake City

StandardNET/Standard-Examiner::Davis County donates unbuildable land for trail

Am I beating dead horse by talking so much about the land dispute between NSL and SLC? Yes, but I didn't kill the horse. I want to focus, this time, on some positive results that could come if NSL is allowed to do what they want with their land. Davis County has just turned over some land that would be used to build a trailhead giving Utahn's access to the National Forest to our east in Wasatch/Cache National Forest. Will we have this trailhead if all 80 acres in SL County becomes Open Space? No, it would be impossible to build a trailhead on land that is zoned as Open Space.

StandardNET/Standard-Examiner::Davis County donates unbuildable land for trail

Salt Lake Tribune - Utah

More on the land dispute of 80 acres can be found in these two Tribune articles.

Salt Lake Tribune - Utah: Open-space spat a feisty display of mayor's style
Salt Lake Tribune - Utah: North Salt Lake to sue for disputed land

KSL News: A Line in the Sand

Duane Cardall suggests, in a recent editorial, that the benches of North Salt Lake are the final frontier on which, if development were to occur, irreparable harm would be done to the last of Utah's open spaces. He implies that North Salt Lake has succumbed to the "pressure to go higher and denser". What he fails to mention, or realize, is that only thirty out of one-hundred acres would be developed. Ten of those acres would be cemetery which, under the old definition, would have counted as 'open space'. The land in question is no more of an encroachment on open space than an adjacent community known as the 'Avenues'. Certainly, Mr Cardall isn't suggesting that the planners of the Avenues were a bane to 'open space'? And what is beyond the hundred acres in question but more open space, forever protected as Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Utah has more National Parks than any other state in the Union and our National Forests are on par with other states. A legacy we will pass to our children. Salt Lake Cities approach on open space could be better tolerated if they would enforce it everywhere. But they have, arbitrarily, targeted one property owner.

KSL News: A Line in the Sand

Salt Lake Tribune - Utah:Utah not to be affected by property ruling

It appears that the eminent domain case that made it to the Supreme Court has no effect in Utah. The ruling only applies to instances where a local government might seize land in order to sell it for a profit--that is illegal in Utah.

Salt Lake Tribune - Utah: Utah not to be affected by property ruling

deseretnews.com | Salt Lake County offers open-space funds if cities play nice

Let's take a look into the tactics employed by Rocky in preventing North Salt Lake from developing any of it's 80 acres within Salt Lake County. Would he go so far as to condemn all 80 acres? No. That would look bad and it would be costly since the city still has to pay 'fair market value' for the land that is condemned. Rather he's going to condemn 12 acres, on North Salt Lakes border, rendering the other 68 acres useless. The net effect for North Salt Lake is the same as if Rocky had taken the whole thing and Rocky can say, 'we only took 12 acres'.

North Salt Lake has already applied for preservation funds so that open space can be preserved. Rocky can't, justly, argue that North Salt Lake won't preserve the scene on the hilltop. North Salt Lakes driving interest is to preserve open space or they would have made a bid to develop more than one-third of the land.

deseretnews.com | Salt Lake County offers open-space funds if cities play nice

The Sutherland Institute

The Sutherland Institute has made some cosmetic changes and substantive additions to their website-for the better. One of their policy statements revolve around the core function of government.

"A careful audit should be made of each and every state function. If work performed is also being done, or if at a point in time it has been handled by the private sector (businesses, service clubs, charities, etc.), then the state should return this work to the private sector. Many examples abound as testaments to government out of bounds. One such example is when local governments build massive, publicly subsidized recreation centers that compete with the private fitness industry? Why? "

The role of government in attracting business is also discussed.

"Our state government’s role in helping to attract new business to Utah should be limited to its core function of tax and regulatory policy. Specifically, it should work to reduce both taxes and regulations on business."

They say the following on Rainy Day Funds.

"Despite pledges to control spending, government officials seem unable to do so. When revenue exceeds budgetary requirements, then, there is often a call to use that excess revenue to support future spending (by creating a “rainy day” fund). While a “rainy day” fund of state revenues sounds like a tempting option, mirroring as it does the commendable practice of savings practiced by individuals and families, it is not appropriate. The key principle is the fact that state revenues are (unlike family or personal earnings) public monies. They are meant to be used for public business and, if they are not being used for this purpose, ought legitimately to be returned to taxpayers."

For a complete list of topics of concern to the Sutherland Institute.

The Sutherland Institute-Persuasion at Work

Clippertoday:‘It was an ambush’ says irate mayor

North Salt Lake's budget to do legal battle with Salt Lake City is limited-5 million dollars. However, Mayor Briggs is prepared to go to court to get the full market value of our land. In the end we would lose more money by just yielding to Salt Lake, than would be spent defending our position.

“I think Mr. Anderson has forced us to go to court. We’ll have to be the people to fight his condemnation. If we sat back today and did nothing he’d win. That would be socially, morally and fiscally irresponsible for us to do that.”

This article is, almost entirely, direct quotes of Mayor Briggs. It gives a good view of the Mayors real position-that of an open-space advocate.
Clippertoday:'It was an ambush' says irate mayor

AP Wire | 06/20/2005 | Supreme Court sides with city in land case

An analogue to the land debate between North Salt Lake and Salt Lake has recently made it to the Supreme Court. According to the article it may be harder now to argue the unconstitutionality of seizing land through eminent domain as Rocky is trying to do.

AP Wire | 06/20/2005 | Supreme Court sides with city in land case

deseretnews.com | Mayor fights for North S.L. land in S.L.

Mayor Kay Briggs has a profile in today's Deseret News. Briggs has proven himself to be a formidable opponent to, Salt Lake city neighbor, Rocky Anderson.

deseretnews.com | Mayor fights for North S.L. land in S.L.

SLJPP: Testimony on Tax Reform.

The Sutherland Institute president, Paul T. Mero, has testified before the Tax commission and proposed that any tax reform we have should have the family as it's core value. He proposed that there are five things that can be seen as the center point on which any public policy is built.

"Every public policy has a center point, or core, toward which a policy’s application is
directed by certain underlying assumptions. Historically, competition for this center or core
has been among five institutions: the individual, the family, the corporation, the church,
and the state…These [five] center points are at the heart of all public policies."

Mero says Governor Walkers 'balanced system' is centered in the State. Without saying so explicitly he alluded that Governor Huntsman has chosen to place the corporation at the center. Libertarians will place the individual at the center.

He goes on to say that, by placing the family at the center, all of these other values are benefited. Public policy has a tendency to focus on dysfunction in families, rather than what works. It can suffer from a myopic view that misses the broad scope and the long picture. A public policy centered on families should place it's focus on rewarding the ideal family, not the imperfect family. He suggests that taxes should be taken from income, and moved to tax consumption. Exceptions for food could be made so that a family is not made to go hungry.

He also suggests that we move education funding to sales tax.

"By linking the state income tax to public schools, as we have for nearly sixty years, we have created ugly
and unfortunate policy trade-offs. I believe this well-intended, but short-sighted, legacy has done more
than any other single policy to antiquate our tax code. Moreover, we are forced to choose between
education funding and any incentives that require an income tax credit, deduction, or exemption. It is
unnecessary and avoidable."

SJLPP
Tax reform(PDF)

KSL News: Meth Users' Rotten Teeth Hike Dental Bills in Jails, Prisons

The number one way in which the state of Utah would rob Davis County jails is that they don't want to reimburse for medical, dental, and transportation expenses. A disgusting feature of 'meth' use, which runs rampant in Utah, is 'meth mouth'. The drug destroys teeth causing soaring costs for Utah jails. I've posted on the current problem of under-reimbursement here.

KSL News: Meth Users' Rotten Teeth Hike Dental Bills in Jails, Prisons

Utah Planners' Corner

Wilf Sommerkorn is offering his opinion on Rocky's, rocky, rally. (cute, huh?)

Utah Planner's Corner:rhetoric-heats-up-in-north-salt-lake

Americans for Prosperity - Taxes: Analysis of TABOR

I've posted on this idea to limit government that is on a ballot in Colorado here. Dr. Barry Poulson at americansforprosperity.org has written a good explanation of it's benefits.

Americans for Prosperity - Taxes