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Show wow et “THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 3 November 1, 2005 Guest Commentary Letters to the Editor Utah Governor Huntsman Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Durham State Senator President Valentine State House Speaker Curtis Utah U.S. Senators Hatch and Bennett Utah U.S. Representatives Cannon, Matheson, and Bishop Chuck Eddy, Director of Citizens’ Advocate 801-731-1922 Taxation without Representation That is what we are victims of—taxation without representation. But at this point, who cares? We have a far more pressing issue at hand. Yes, fellow residents of Ogden Valley, neighbors, and friends—Weber County has raised our property taxes without any input or agreement from us—the pope who pay those Yes, we did have a tractor rally and parade; it was largely ignored. Then there were those of us who went down to a meeting of the county commission wherein they were supposed to hear our opinions and feelings about the “proposed” tax hike. But to that they replied it was nice to see us there and all that but, hey, it had already been decided to raise our taxes. And the men who have been out and about our streets the last month filling out forms and measuring parts of our homes and properties work for the county, of course, and claim that this survey, or whatever it is, has nothing to do with our taxes. But why am I skeptical at this point? ur forefathers came to this country from England, and some from other countries, just because of this same situation—taxes being raised at will by those in power to do so with no say from those bearing the burden of paying those taxes. That is what prompted the Boston ea Party. Have we come so far only to come full circle? To be taxed without even our expressing our feelings in this matter is highhanded, unfair, and overbearing. Weber County wants more tax monies because our elected incompetents cannot run the county efficiently or effectively. It’s tax and spend, tax and spend! When your taxes, collectively, reach fifty percent of your income, this is the red light that government is not working! We need more efficiency in the spending of our tax monies and the county budget—not more taxes. Yes, our antecedents also came here for other reasons, freedom of religion being one, but we are focusing on what just happened to all of us. Perhaps property values are going up, and it may be reasonable to assume that eventually our taxes will go up, but the amounts that I am hearing from other residents seem to be too much, too soon. It’s more than we can absorb. Or is it that the county and “powers that be” would prefer that only the very wealthy can afford to live here. They would be able to pay even more taxes then (oh, hallelujah!), and this will become another Vale, Park City, or Jackson Hole. But what about those whose families pioneered here for several generations? What about those who love this place so very much for its pristine beauty that they came here for that and the peace and solitude living here affords? What about the widow who has lived here with her husband for 30 years and hopes to continue to live here until she passes on? Can all of these people afford to pay what may be ever accelerating tax bills? Is this fair? These are the people who made this Valley, this community what it is today. But that’s okay; make them sell—to some high-powered real estate investor. Let’s make another Park City! We need more of those. Then we can put in a McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, several traffic signals, billboards, a number of strip malls. And guess what, the peace, quiet, beauty that we all appreciate here will be gone. And gone forever. There is no undoing that once it is done. We can see it coming. These taxes are only the start. When our county commissioners come up for re-election, let’s let them feel the power of the people. =<} trust the courts to resolve disputes wherein money is involved. So, we4 ask that something be done. We suggest that if Utah District Court Judgments are going to be ignored, then we should not permit Utah Courts to adjudicate such matters. e realize that some creditors are given favored treatment by the bankruptcy Courts according to Federal law. However, we feel that State Court Judgments must receive some king of priority consideration over other debt/credit situations. Otherwise, we can no longer recommend the State Courts for such dispute resolutions. If you have concerns about this troubling practice within the state, please contact your government officials and let them know. This letter has been sent to the following leaders, which we suggest you also contact. Development Proposal—Who wins? west side of the mountain? Was it simply a bad idea? Is Mr. Peterson still beholden to Holding, or has he taken up direct competition with his father-in-law? Will Mr. Peterson be able to cover the costs, or will he have the same approach and success as when he was at Snowbasin in transferring private infrastructure expenses to the taxpayer without an environmental study? Is the acreage currently under Mr. Peterson’s ownership sufficient, or are we in for another land exchange? By Jay Hudson There was a time, before the Olympics, when many felt that Ogden could benefit from Earl Holding’s vision of Snowbasin’s future. Some began to wonder when a lowlevel, logical Trappers Loop road between Morgan and Pineview Reservoir was ignored and a more expensive, high route was pushed through to favor Snowbasin at the expense of the taxpayers. We became more skeptical when Mr. Holding’s pledge to build a connecting road to the resort at personal expense was scrapped for one paid by the taxpayers. It became more obvious that Ogden may not significantly benefit, over the long haul, when traffic was directed around Ogden and the old Snowbasin road — accessed through Ogden Canyon — was closed during the winter. The public hearings about the land swap sought by Snowbasin resulted in a proposal by the U.S. Forest Service for 200 acres, which was deemed sufficient to accommodate the Olympics. A congressional act later resulted in a land exchange of 1,300 acres — without an environmental impact study — for a four-season resort yet to be developed. Earl Holding had become the king of the hill! Now we have a proposal from Mr. Holding’s son-in-law, Mr. Chris Peterson, for a four-season resort on the west side of the mountain, including essentially the same user services of skiing, eating and lodging. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The public and our elected representatives have to put their thinking caps on and start asking some hard questions of Ogden’s Mayor Godfrey—who has shown a distinct favoring of the proposal—if we are to protect the historic free access to the west-facing, undeveloped front of Mt. Ogden, and the taxpayer’s pocketbook. For instance: Just how many people will pass up the Olympic-venue skiing for the limited opportunities on a west-facing slope? Which location will the Convention and Visitors Bureau primarily support, and will either of the resorts pitch in on the costs? Will new hotels be built based on the possibility of limited west-facing skiing, or will Mr. Peterson make a living off students and locals on a shortened season exacerbated by a warming climate? If the land associated with this new resort Just why did Mr. Holding ignore the COMMENTARY cont. on page 8 _ GIFT BOUTIQUE = All Hand Crafted Items ~ Large Variety November 11 & 12 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. 4955 North 3300 East Liberty For more information call 745-4132 John and Diana Schraedel, Liberty HOME INTERIORS & GIFTS “SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE” “Dottie ‘Beck’ rec (801) 745-6617 §522 E. 2200 N. EDEN(Next to Eden General Store) PLIST MAS Fabulous Gifts & Holiday Decor NEW INVENTORY J A Unmatched anywhere in the West! 10 Acres on Pineview Reservoir - $2,500,000 Magnificent lakeside estate site with unbelievable lake and mountain views. Close to Snowbasin and all Valley Recreation. Borders Forest Service land. Build your dream Y__|home here! S| Radford Hills $389,000 This one of a kind lot won't last long! 1.16 acre lot with fabulous, unobstructed views of Pineview Reservoir, valley and mountains. 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