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Town Hall Meeting

September 23

presentation

- IMPORTANT! -

Feasibility Reviews

We invite you to review our collection of reviews of the feasibiltiy study. Please take a moment to examine them in detail.

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Citizens for a Rural Ogden Valley

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We present you with facts so that YOU can make an INFORMED decision.
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What Is Incorporation

what happens if incorporated?
 

If we incorporate as a city, a resident still pays all the same taxes to the county that they pay now.

IN ADDITION we pay for our own city items such as the following including the salaries associated:

  • Road Maintenance

  • Police

  • Fire

  • Mayor & City Council

  • Government Buildings

  • Maintenance Buildings

  • Legal Services 

  • Planning Professionals

  • Tax Collection

  • Code Enforcement

  • State Lobbyist Fees 

       (professional representation organizations)

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  • Garbage Collection

  • Holding Elections

  • and More

Disadvantages of Incorporating as a City:

 

1. Increased Taxes:

  • The feasibility study grossly underestimated our financial burdens by ignoring actual costs provided by the county which included in part snow removal and road maintenance. We most certainly will have to increase taxes to pay for our current level of service or have a reduction in services. Bottom line, incorporation leads to the imposition of additional city taxes, increasing the overall tax burden on residents.

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2. Bureaucratic Complexity: 

     (bigger government)

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  • The establishment of a city government introduces bureaucratic complexities, requiring the creation of new departments and structures. Two of the largest departments  not completely  factored in are a roads including trucks and equipment and government offices.  Again.....calling for an increase in taxes. 

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3. Regulatory Framework:

  • Cities typically have more stringent regulations, including zoning and land-use restrictions, which will limit individual property rights compared to unincorporated areas. Some of the sponsors have stated they want to limit growth yet the feasibility study justifies it's finding based largely on a major increase of population. What does that mean? Those of us who do live here will pay far more taxes. 

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4. Financial Responsibilities:

  • Cities are responsible for providing a range of services, such as public safety, utilities, and infrastructure maintenance, which will strain financial resources.  Unfortunately LRB did not use County actual provided costs but rather assumptions were made in comparison to other cities in Weber County that are not at all like Ogden Valley in size or basic maintenance needs. Again, this equates to higher taxes and diminished services.

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5. Economic Development Challenges:

  • While cities offer opportunities for economic development, they may also face challenges attracting businesses due to regulatory hurdles and higher taxes. A mayor's primary job is to attract more businesses to offset the tax burden on citizens. Ogden Valley can be extremely hard on allowing businesses to thrive.

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6. Limits Autonomy:

  • Residents will experience reduced autonomy as city governments often have more authority and control over local affairs compared to county governments.

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7. Community Divisions:

  • The process of incorporation will lead to divisions within the community. Rather than all the distrust being focused on the county administration, the city government will become the focus of distrust. The difference is now it's our neighbors. 

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8. Initial Costs:

  • Establishing a city government involves initial costs, including those associated with holding elections, drafting a city charter, and setting up administrative structures.

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9. Transition Challenges:

  • The transition from unincorporated to incorporated status will pose challenges in terms of aligning existing services, infrastructure, and administrative functions with the new city framework.

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10. Pressure for Growth:

  • Cities will face pressure to grow and urbanize, potentially leading to changes in the character of the Valley impacting residents who prefer a more rural setting.

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11. Potential for Conflict:

  • The establishment of a city government will lead to conflicts with neighboring jurisdictions over issues such as boundaries, resource allocation, and service provision.

 

12. Increased Lawsuits:

  • Radical denial of existing land rights will result in eventual legal battles. The feasibility study does not include any legal department or legal fee budget.  

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13. Low income / high density housing required by law

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Understanding these disadvantages is crucial for considering incorporation.

Benefits of Staying Unincorporated:

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1. Lower Taxes:

  • Unincorporated areas have lower property taxes, as they are not subject to additional city taxes.

 

2. Less Regulation:

  • Residents experience fewer regulations and restrictions on property use in unincorporated areas compared to cities.

 

3. Community Autonomy:

  • Unincorporated areas often maintain a greater degree of autonomy, allowing residents more control over local affairs due to less government control.

 

4. Cost Savings:

  • Avoiding the costs associated with establishing and maintaining a city government will result in potential cost savings. The County has service contracts in place that reflect significant savings over what a city might receive.

 

5. Rural Character Preservation:

  • Staying unincorporated will preserve the rural character of an area, avoiding urban development and associated changes. Let's stay more country and less city. We already are limited to a three acre building lot size. That's rural. Huntsville is 3/4 acre requirement.

 

6. Flexibility in Land Use:

  • Unincorporated areas have more flexibility in zoning regulations, allowing for a wider range of land uses. Utilizing an experienced and skilled planning department reduces lawsuits and maintains a fair and balanced land planning process. 

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7. Simplified Governance:

  • Governance in unincorporated areas is simpler, with decisions often made at the county level rather than through a possibly conflicted mayor & city council who likely will be more influenced by neighbors opinions than the law.

 

8. Conservation of Resources:

  • Unincorporated areas benefit from shared county resources without the need to allocate resources for city-specific services.

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9. Low income housing / high density not required

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The truth about incorporation

Did You Know

taxes

will increase

Remaining unincorporated will save us money.

who is behind the feasibility study

Hidden agendas fueled by failed bids for office lead to desperate manipulation.

a city is a city

is a city

We want rural living.

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the illusion of local land control

We'll have less control.

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roads

failure

The study didn't factor in a road's storage building.

propaganda

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Pay attention to actions not just words.

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failed to account for a city hall

The study did not include the cost of the building for a city hall. Why?

local control?

What you're not being told.

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property

rights

Who owns the land?

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Follow us on Facebook to continue the discussion on these topics

About Incorporation

the process of incorporation...

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There are the basic steps that must be met:

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1. To incorporate as a city, there must be a minimum of 1000 citizens.

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2. Up to five sponsors must file a petition to incorporate with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.

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3. The petition must include a map of the proposed area of incorporation.

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4. The petition also must include a specified number of signatures of citizens who own real property in the proposed area. 

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5. The County Office will work with the Lieutenant Governor's office to determination that the required signatures have been met.

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6. The Office of the Lieutenant Governor then hires an independent firm to conduct the feasibility study.

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7. The study begins.

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8. The study is sent for review to the County, the Sponsors, and any other affected government entities within the proposed incorporation.

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9. Edits if any are proposed and sent back to the Firm.

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10. Adjustments may or may not be made.

 

11. The final study is then distributed to all government entities and sponsors.

 

12. The Office of the Lieutenant Governor must schedule a minimum of two public hearings. The first must be within 60 days.

 

13. A petition must be signed by a percentage of registered voters in the unincorporated Ogden Valley to qualify the vote for the ballot.

 

14. If all the requirements are met, the likely ballot would be the November 2024 election.

 

15. Fails or Passes with a simple majority.

 

16. The ballot includes the question to incorporate and what type of government is wanted.

 

17. If passed, we are required to pay back the feasibility study cost of approximately $50,000 and all related costs. (TBD)

 

18. If not passed, the State of Utah absorbs the cost. 

 

19. If passed, the County then partners with the new city to transition services and tax collection.

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Click on the button below to read the actual state statute for all the details.

The feasibility study

The official Feasibility Study - Click on document to read

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