South Ogden City Night with the Ogden Raptors

The Ogden Raptors will be hosting a special South Ogden City night on Monday, July 13th. The game is at 7:00 p.m. at Lindquist Field (23rd and Lincoln in Ogden). You will be receiving two free tickets in your utility bills in July. If you need extra tickets you can come to City Hall to pick them up.

All tickets are FREE of charge and are for General Admission seating. If you would like to upgrade to a reserved box seat you can do that for only $5. The Raptors opponent for the day is the Billings Mustangs.

If you haven't had an opportunity to go to a Raptors game it is a fun time to relax, enjoy the weather, and to catch a ball game. It's also a very family friendly event.

We hope to see you there!

Edgewood Drive

One of our summer projects is a project that has been in the works for a long time. South Ogden City will connect Edgewood Drive to Burch Creek Drive/Adams Avenue later this summer. This road has been on the city's master plan for years. It is a critical east-west corridor for our citizens to get through South Ogden. It should help with traffic flow within the city.

The cost of the project is still in the estimate phase, but it should be out for bid shortly so we will have a solid price to work with. Projects of this nature have been bid lower than usual due to the shortage of projects of there. The project will be paid for with traffic impact fee funds that the city has collected.

Latest at South Ogden

Sorry to make the blog kind of stale. I'll try to do better. I've always wanted to use this as an alternate way to get information to the public, but it's not very effective if I never use it. So here goes.

Joint Gym Facility

Weber School District had their ground breaking for the new South Ogden Junior High this past Wednesday. The school is started and they hope to be done by August 2010. South Ogden City is doing a joint venture with them that will allow us to be part owner of the gym space in the school. This is a project we've been working on for about a year and a half to help create sufficient gym space for our recreation programs as well as having the ability to offer new programs.

The school is handling all the construction and we'll be paying our portion of the cost through a bond. The school got a great bid price so our price was reduced. Because of the reduction in price and the decrease in interest rates (they fell about 35 basis points 10 days before we sold our bonds) we were able to secure a 15 year loan instead of a 20 year loan.

The city will be raising property taxes slightly this summer in order to pay the debt service on the bond. Because we secured a 15 year loan we were able to save over $300,000 in interest costs. Overall we hit the market at a good time and we secured financing at a very reasonable cost.

Splash Pad

It's almost that time of year to get the splash pad fired back up. The splash pad will open on Monday, May 25th at 10:00 a.m. which is Memorial Day. From then on it will be open 7 days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. until Labor Day.

You'll notice a new look as we've added a railing and additional drainage. We're trying to create a little bit of a safer area and we're trying to handle the water better. Hopefully these changes will make the whole splash pad area better.

Pleasant Valley Library

The new Pleasant Valley Library isn't in South Ogden nor is it a city project. But it is worth mentioning that it is now open and it's wonderful. The library is located on Adams Avenue across the street from Ogden Regional Medical Center. It has some cool features (lots of neat stuff for kids) and it has a "new library smell". Go check it out. No pun intended.

Eagle Scout Project

South Ogden City has recently opened its own animal shelter. The new shelter is located at the public works facility. The address is 5590 S. 600E. The animal shelter focuses on pet adoption so we have a need for things that will accommodate while we find someone to adopt them.

A local South Ogden youth, Connor Bradley, is collecting items for the shelter for his Eagle Scout project. The shelter is in need of treats, toys, biscuits, pet blankets, towels or anything that is pet friendly for both cats and dogs. They will also be accepting a cash contribution. Checks will be accepted at South Ogden City, 3950 Adams Avenue, South Ogden, UT, 84403. Please mark "animal shelter" in the memo line or attach a letter.

Donation boxes will be available at the South Ogden Police Department- 3950 Adams Avenue, the Public Works Department- 5590 S. 600 E., and at Idle Wire Pet Care- 5583 Harrison Blvd.

The donation boxes will be available until Saturday, January 24th so please act soon.

We appreciate your help in making South Ogden a better place.

Central Weber Sewer District Rate Increase

First of all a little background about what happens to your sewer when it leaves your house:

South Ogden City has/owns the infrastructure within our city limits to take sewer from individual homes and businesses to the place where it is treated. The place where it is treated is Central Weber Sewer District in Marriott-Slaterville. Once the sewer is treated it is released back into the natural habitat.

When a resident pays their utility bill a portion of that is for sewer (amongst water, storm drain, and garbage). The sewer portion of your bill is calculated in two ways. The first is a base fee in which no matter how much usage you have that portion of the fee remains the same. The second is based on your water usage. Almost all water usage indoors ends up in the sewer. Therefore the more water you use the more effluent you put into the sewer system. Therefore the more sewage put into the system causes your sewer bill to he higher.

When you pay your sewer bill most of it goes to South Ogden City to pay for sewer personnel, maintenance, depriciation, etc. A portion of your sewer bill is sent to Central Weber Sewer District for the treatment of the sewage. South Ogden City collects the fee, but we in turn send it to Central Weber Sewer.

This all leads us to our current situation. Central Weber Sewer District is increasing their treatment fees by 100%. The purpose behind this is to upgrade and expand their facility. Some of it is growth related and some of it is new regulations sent down from the Federal Government (EPA). The cost of their project is estimated at $140 million.

They are using three revenue streams to pay for the bonding on the $140 million. 1) Increased property taxes within their authority 2) Impact fees and 3) Treatment fees. The treatment fees are billed through the cities that use Central Weber Sewer. Therefore if they raise our rates we, in turn, have to raise our city rates to pay the treatment fees.

This coming council meeting on Tuesday, January 20th at 6:00 p.m. we will be having a public hearing to raise our sewer rates to meet the needs of the increase in treatment fees. While the city is still debating on the formula (base vs. usage or a combination of both) the impact could be from $5-$13 per month for most residential users. The whole increase will be sent to Central Weber Sewer to pay for the additional treatment fees. Central Weber Sewer District will have representatives on hand to answer any questions the public may have.

While South Ogden City would rather not raise our sewer rates we are forced to do this in order to make sure proper sewer service stays intact. We would welcome public comment during our public hearing next council meeting.

Road Closed

Due to a collapse in the road on Adams Avenue, South Ogden City will have Adams Avenue blocked off from 4400 South to Kiwana Drive. Signs have been posted and detours are available to get around the area where we are working.

We estimate that the road could be closed up to 4 weeks.

Joint Press Release

South Ogden City is planning on a joint facility with Weber School District for some additional gym space for our recreational programs. I sent a press release to the newspaper last week, but they haven't put it in the paper yet. So I'll post a copy of the press release here on the blog.

Weber School District and South Ogden City
Joint Press Release

Weber School District and South Ogden City will join together in helping create more recreation opportunities for their constituents and maximizing taxpayer dollars as the new South Ogden Junior High is constructed in South Ogden. The joint venture will create more gym space that will be utilized by the school district during the day and by South Ogden City in the evening for their recreation programs.

“We feel this is a great use of taxpayer money to serve the needs of two government entities by building one facility instead of two” said George Garwood, South Ogden Mayor. “This facility is needed to handle the growth of our youth and adult recreation programs. We see it as a once in a lifetime opportunity”.

Weber School District anticipates completion of the new junior high by August 2010 and an interlocal agreement will be made that outlines the time that each entity will use the facility. This is a joint use model that Davis School District has used with cities such as Layton and Clearfield.

“This partnership is a win-win situation to all involved.” said Jerry
DeGroot, Weber School Board President. “The result will be a facility
that provides expanded educational and recreational opportunities at a
cost savings to taxpayers.”

Weber School District has already secured the funding for the new junior high. South Ogden City will implement a slight property tax increase in order to fund their portion of the project.

The new junior high is located south of H. Guy Child Elementary School and will be annexed into South Ogden City.

Employee of the Year

Sorry for such a long gap between posts. The blog tends to be pushed aside as more pressing needs are considered. Now that I have my excuses out of the way, let's move on to the important stuff.

Sgt. Dave Labbe of the South Ogden Police Department has been named the 2008 South Ogden City Employee of the Year. Sgt. Labbe has been with the city for 15 years and has served in numerous capacities and has helped the department in various ways.

Some examples of this are: Developed a Sex Offender Tracking Program, instrumental in training of new officers, leads the Honor Guard, and is well liked and respected amongst his fellow officers and other employees of the city.

Sgt. Labbe was one of four nominees for the award. A nomination must be received from a fellow employee for consideration.

The other three nominees were:

Jaime Butters- Administration
Jason Brennan- Public Works
John McQuade- Building Inspection and Maintenance

Congratulations to our Employee of the Year and the fellow nominees.

Sales Tax- Part II

In an earlier post I delved into the importance of shopping locally, mainly within the boundaries of South Ogden City. In case you missed it, here is a link to that post: Does it matter if I shop in South Ogden?

Sales tax is a vital tax for most cities in the State of Utah. For South Ogden City it represents roughly nearly 30% of our budget. Fortunately for us we have seen good commercial growth in our city that has slowly increased our sales tax revenues.

How is sales tax generated?

Sales tax is generated every time you purchase something whether it be at a retail establishment or a good that you purchase by another means. Sales taxes are sent from these establishments to the State of Utah where they turn around and distribute that sales tax to the various entities that are entitled to it.

How is sales tax distributed?

Once collected by the State, sales taxes are distributed by formula. A certain percentage goes to the State of Utah and a portion also goes to counties. Cities get 1% of all sales taxes generated statewide.

That 1% is then distributed to cities by another formula. This formula says that 50% of the city share is allocated by "point of sale". Meaning, if the store that the sales tax was generated is in your city limits then you get 50% of the city portion generated in that store. For example, sales in stores like Costco, Macey's, Albertsons, or similar places are critical to the success of our city due to the sales tax generated.

The other 50% is distributed by another formula that is based on population. South Ogden's population in relation to the state's population produces a percentage that is used. For example, South Ogden is currently .0059% of the state population. Therefore we get .0059% of the population portion of the sales tax revenues generated state wide.

It might sound confusing, but each month we get a printout from the State that shows our point of sale distribution and our population distribution.

What are sales tax revenues used for?

Sales tax revenues go in the the City's general fund. This means these revenues are used for the general services provided by the City. A good example of this are the parks in our city. We don't charge people to use our parks so we have to figure out a way to pay the cost to maintain them each year. This is picked up through general fund revenues in which sales tax is a large part of that.

What are the downsides to sales tax revenues?

Sales tax revenues are cyclical. Each year when we set our budget we have to estimate our sales tax revenues. Because they are such a large part of our budget we monitor these revenues monthly as they come in. A trend downward could cause us to cut back in some of our expenditures if necessary.

The last few years have been great for sales tax revenue growth due to a robust economy. As we projected our revenues for this year we were a lot more conservative due to the signs of the economy slowing down. Our revenues so far this year are pretty close to what we have projected. But as things slow down nationally we'll continue to monitor the effect that will have on our state and local economies.

I hope this has helped our resident's understanding of sales tax revenues. If there is something else that you've always wondered about local government please post a comment below and I'll do my best to find the answers.

Nature Park Trail Paved

The Nature Park Trail has been paved and is ready for people to use. The 12' wide asphalt trail has three trail heads leading into the main loop of the trail. Two of the trail heads start from residential areas that surround the park. The other trail head originates at the Nature Park.

The Nature Park trail head is still not complete. We're waiting on a permit that is necessary to extend pave our trail over a buried water line. Once the permit is granted we will finish that part of the trail.

Some people have asked how long the trail is. If you don't count the trail heads, the main loop is 4546' for one trip around it. That is .87 miles.

We'll eventually have some signs at each of the trail heads that will have that type of information about the trail. It will also remind people that we don't allow motorized vehicles on the trail nor off-leash dogs.

We also have a few "nature" trails that are 4' wide trails. These trails aren't paved and are great for those that would like to do more hiking. They are more rugged and steep. They are also well suited for someone that wants to take a mountain bike on them.

From my observations we've already have had a lot of people come and try out the trail. For those that haven't had the chance please come and enjoy it before winter sets in. It's a beautiful spot for a trail.

Does it Matter if I Shop in South Ogden?

Sometimes we have choices where we shop and sometimes we don't. The question is: Does it really matter if I shop in South Ogden, Riverdale, Ogden or Layton?

The short answer is "yes". Whenever you shop in a particular city, a portion of your sales tax dollars go to that city.

The formula works like this. Whenever you shop at a store you are charged a sales tax. 1% of your sales tax goes directly to cities and towns. It's called the local option portion of your sales tax. Other portions of the sales tax goes to the county and to the state. I'll delve deeper into sales tax in a later post.

Out of that 1% of sales tax generated, half of that goes to the city that store is located. For example, if you spend $100 at Costco or Maceys then 50 cents will go directly to South Ogden City. If you are a resident of South Ogden and you choose to shop in neighboring cities that offer the same stores as South Ogden you are in essence sending your tax dollars to a neighboring community.

It is understood that South Ogden does not offer all the shopping needs a family may have, but if we do offer the same stores as a neighboring city we would encourage you to shop locally so that your sales tax dollars stay in our city.

As I mentioned before, I will write up a post that explains distribution of sales tax in more detail, the impact of sales tax on our budget, and what we use sales tax dollars for.

Stay tuned.

1550 East Project Completed

Many of you probably don't know where 1550 East is in South Ogden. But if you were given different coordinates then you would probably recognize it.

1550 East is where Harrison Blvd. and Highway 89 (Washington Blvd.) intersect in the southeastern part of South Ogden. It is where Kobe Restaurant is located as well as the new 5 story building that is going up. It is sometimes referred to as "Green's Junction" supposedly after some Highway Patrolman who had a couple of car accidents up there or so the South Ogden lore says. If someone is familiar with the "Green's Junction" story, please share it with us in the comments section.

If you were to drive straight south on Harrison Blvd. through this intersection, you would drive onto 1550 East. This road serves the Village Inn/Wal-Mart/Costa Vida commercial development, various medical and dental plazas, and the residential area including the Falls Apartments.

The issue with the road was traffic leaving (heading north) on 1550 E. to either access Harrison Blvd. or Highway 89. This traffic was often backed up and only continued to worsen as more development occurred. Last week we (in conjunction with UDOT) put in an extra lane of traffic on 1550 E. to help move the traffic through quicker. From my untrained eye it seems to be working pretty well. For anybody that works or lives up there and has to access 1550 E., it should be a nice improvement to the flow of traffic.

Splash Pad Last Day is September 1st

The Splash Pad at the Nature Park will officially close for the year on Tuesday, September 2nd. Monday, September 1st will be the last day that it is open. It will open back up on Memorial Day next year.

Due to some drainage issues out at the Splash Pad we will be doing some minor work on the pad after we close it for the year. You'll see those changes when you came back next year. We are hoping to continue to make it better to serve the community.

Overall we feel the Splash Pad has been a huge success. We realize that we've had people from all over the county and neighboring counties that have been using the pad. I have talked to a couple of communities that have seen the success of our Splash Pad and they are now considering doing one themselves. Once other communities get their own splash pad's it will thin out the crowds at ours in South Ogden.

Until then we welcome all who want to come out for a little relief from the summer heat.

Library Walkway

You've probably noticed the new library in town that is being constructed on Adams Avenue across from Ogden Regional Hospital. At the city, we get asked about it all the time. Maybe I can clarify a couple of things.

1) The new library is being constructed by Weber County. On your property tax notice you pay an earmarked amount that goes into the library system. Because Weber County is overseeing the project, the City doesn't know about their completion schedule.

I have had a chance to tour the facility recently. Once it is done it will be a very nice facility. It is also being constructed to be a "green" facility. They are taking a lot of measures to make it energy efficient. Once the building is finished it will be a nice asset to South Ogden and southern Weber County.

2) The new library is actually in Washington Terrace city limits. It sits on the border of South Ogden and Washington Terrace. In fact directly to the east of the library is our Public Works shops. Even though this library is not in our city limits it is still in a great location for access for our residents.

Speaking of access, the city will be constructing a walkway from Friendship Park to the new library. The access will run along the northern boundary of our Public Works shops and it will be a fenced in path so that people won't "accidentally" end up wondering around our public works grounds. It will be closed during the winter, but will be a nice access for those that live near Friendship Park that want to walk to the library instead of driving.

As a city we look forward to the new library. If you seek further information about it I suggest you call Weber County and they can give you the latest news.

Minor Change to Recycling Pick-up Schedule

In order to accommodate Waste Management in their quest to help keep fuel costs lower, we will be making a minor change to the recycling pick-up schedule.

First of all, keep in mind that the day your recycle is picked up is not going to change. If your garbage is picked up on Friday, your recycle will continue to be picked up on Friday. Also, your recycle will still be continued to be picked up every other week.

What is changing is the week that your recycle is picked up. Starting the week of August 18th-August 22nd, all recycle in the whole city will be picked up that week on your normal pick-up day. This will continue every other week. For some residents you will have you recycle picked up the previous week and then again the week of the 18th-22nd. For others you won't see a change at all in the pick-up of your recycle.

For a new schedule of the recycle pick up and a guide as to what you can put in the recycle bin please click on the following link:

New Recycle Schedule

Please call us at 622-2704 if you have any questions about the new schedule.