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Show THE Page 2 OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Volume XII Issue XV September 1, 2005 Editors View The OGDEN VALLEY NEws Staff: Shanna Francis Tel: 745-2688 Fax: 745-0062 Cell: 791-4387 E-Mail: slfrancis@att.net Jeannie Wendell Tel: 745-2879 Fax: 745-2879 E-Mail: crwendell@att.net crwendell@msn.com Opinions expressed by advertisers, columnists or letters to the editor are not necessarily the opinions of the owners and staff of The OGDEN VALLEY NEws. Guidelines for Letters to the Editor Letters should be 300 words or less. Let- reserves the right to edit or decline printing of any submissions. Announcements Sought As a community service, The OGDEN VALLEY News will print local birth, wedding, residents to send their announcements The OGDEN VALLEY NEws PO BOX 130 EDEN UT 84310 If you would like your submitted items returned, please send a stamped, selfaddressed envelope. The OGDEN VALLEY NEws, while respecting all property received, will take no is eed for lost or misplaced items, se remember to keep a copy for ee Leadership Needed in Weber County—Not higher taxes Many Weber County residents, including many from Ogden Valley, participated in an exercise in futility on August 23 in response to a public notice advertising a public hearing on a proposed tax increase Weber County Commissioners Ken Bischoff, Camille Cain, and Craig Dearden. The notice, published twice in the Standard Examiner, on August 13 and August 18, invited all “concerned citizens” to come and offer comments on the proposed tax hike. What wasn’t publicized was the fact that the Commissioners had already made up their mind in December of 2004 to raise taxes and have been working off a budget that already incorporated the anticipated funds from the future tax hike. Last week, Weber County Commissioners Bishoff and Dearden unanimously voted to approve the 21% erty tax hike that, according to county figures, equates to an increase of $52.83 per year on a $140,816 residence, or $96.06 per year on a business having the same value. It is anticipated that the tax hike will increase Weber County revenue by 24%. Cain was out of town and did not vote on the proposed tax hike. Bishoff bluntly told the crowd who had gathered in Commission Chambers that, in so many words, he was sorry that everyone had taken time out of their busy schedules to attend the Ogden meeting (yawn, yawn), but the crowd really shouldn’t have made the effort, The OGDEN VALLEY NEws’ liability on account of errors in, or omissions of, advertising shall in no event exceed the amount of charges for the advertising omitted or the space occupied by the error. The OGDEN VALLEY News does not Sd promote or sale of any product or service advertised in i this newspaper. Advertisements are the sole ae of the advertiser. The OGDEN VAL y News hereby disclaims all labile ity for any f any advertisement in this newspaper. The OGDEN VALLEY News is not responsible for any claims or tisements in this newspaper. The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS has the sole authority to edit and locate any classified advertisement as deemed appropriate. It also reserves the right to refuse any advertis- Deadline for material for the is September 5. A $200,000 in 2004; net loss at the county $500,000 that Why the county fair over have budgets for county services While Commissioner Craig Dearden claimed, as the county’s newest commissioner, he would pursue funding for the county from state and federal grants— experience he claimed to possess—the Standard-Examiner reported in -- Author Unknown It is the editor’s view that our commissioners are not adequately representing the tax payers of Weber County, and their lack of skill and leadership ability in diffusing tax increases is sorely leek ing. There are numerous examples of our county representatives’ mishandling of tax dollars. This pattern should be scrutinized by voters and leadership changes made. Budgets within each department should be fully examined by experienced public officials and the necessary changes made. Higher taxes are not the answer to Weber County’s problems—real leadership is. Higher taxes only drive away new business and the commercial revenue needed to sustain community fiscal soundness. Ogden City’s protracted decay is a case in point; higher taxes bring stagnation and decay, leading a community on a downward fiscal spiral. Celeste C. Canning PLLC Attorney at Law Viking, Wolf, 2590 Washington Shag Ogden, a 200 8 Meeting the Legal Needs of Small Business and Their Owners FREE Initial Thirty Minute Consultation. Appointments in Ogden Valley upon request. 5510 East 2200 North Eden, Ut above the General Store Nichole Kester | Paul L. Judd The only name in a Valley Real Estate yow'll am 4 Vem ee FER Utah Local: 801 791-1092 Office: 801 612-9299 Email: ccanninglaw@aol.com Custom kitchens, Custom doors Anderson Windows, Custom flooring Logs, Log railing, Mantels, Siding OM Realtor, GRI (801) 710-3074 a Kir oe et me TS Lint ry This log home has it all. Seasonal river. = folie Ver Carle Me le Ne NUM el @ ntl2 ROM Css) finished sq. ft. 5 BD, 3 BA.2 FR Only $349,900. Call Paul 801-814-5667 or visit pauljudd.net on line. By ROLL a Paes construction. 4 bedrooms, 2.5 Over 2,000sq. ft. Perfect for a Pei og Sees home. Call Nichole at 710-3074 or visit www.nicholeshomes.com on line. 814-5667 Cell Thinking o 710-3074 My Rae OhvrimUitou elim eli Ay 5307 N. 3350 E. Liberty MLS #529064 $285,000 Wow! 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms. Located on large1.23 acres. Basement recently finished. Zoned ro animals. Call Paul 801-8145667 or visit pauljudd.net on line. LENS ete riccem mai sale of over 20 homes, condos, & properties Timea Mos cy ODO Ae amos PATO LIE 801-814-5667 September 15 issue of the OVN The commissioners were asked several times at the public hearing on August 23, “Isn’t there something else the county can do about the budget a than raise taxes? Why are taxes oe County the third highest in the sta such as snow re Inspirational Thought an in the reproduction or miecuibutier atits contents, by any means, without first obtaining written permission from the owners of this publication. we read about the thousands of dollars the county had lost due to mismanagement, including; sized at the same time property assessments have been dramatically increasing? Where are all our tax dollars going? Note: The contents of The OGDEN VALLEY News cohted. Ty sae pyrig P I lication and its contributors from unlawfulecopying, written permission is required before August 22, 2005 article that the county is now considering hiring, for only $10,000 a month, a Washington D.C. based lobbying firm that ‘ “may” be able to secure millions of dollars in federal funding for county infrastructure projects. Cain has been quoted as saying that a final decision on whether or not the county will hire the firm will be made at a public meeting before October 1; but then, perhaps our commissioners have already made a decision and we shouldn’t waste our time on another dog and pony show. assessed Sinclair Oil Corp., that was spent by the county then required by a judge to be returned to the Snowbasin owner; And, of course, the thousands and thousands of dollars in legal wasted to fight a losing battle against the now infamous illegal sale by the county of the Wolf Creek trail and park on Powder Mountain. "You can have anything you want when you give up the belief that you can't have it." Invitation for Articles The staff of The OGDEN VALLEY NEws welcomes the submission of articles by our readership. We invite you to submit seal es pertaining to contemporaryi issues, ae other material that may be of interest to our readers. We also invite you to submit to the paper, or notify the staff of local events. Awards that have been earned by the reader, family members, neighbors or friend l ht. While th f g The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS invites the submittal of information and articles, we reserve the right to select which material will be considered for publication. All material, to be considered, must be submitted with P ber of the person submitting the material. (yawn, yawn), because there was nothing anyone could say or do to change the Commissioners’ minds about the tax hike; they were just holding the meeting to jump a the legal hoops established by state law. Of course, what Bishoff didn’t mention—but can be deduced from his an other recent commissioners’ track record—is, “We lack leadership and budgeting skills. To compensate, we keep turning to the two options that take the least amount of skill and effort—cut- 5993 N. 2250 E. Liberty MLS #476291 Worried about neighbors? This home sits atop a private knoll whhuge deck overlooking valley. 3,245 sq.ft. COU CMM sleKasececd meh kr Fim ty CALI Coe leMiRs UMMC Roce Melm sig el) Ue Haq Ny 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 3,600 sq. ft. on one acre. Granite countertops, copper fixtures, steam shower, alarm. Too many extras to name. $425,000. Call Nichole at 710-3074 or visit www.nicholeshomes.com on line for more TTacedne| (on |