The City Café

I received my utility bill and found Logan city’s latest “good idea.” Beginning May 1, 2008, Logan city will enforce an ordinance that won’t allow us to park on our own front lawn. This is an outrage! This is the latest example of incremental socialism...Will we allow the government to take away all of our rights and bind our hands behind our backs before we attempt to stop it? Letter to the Herald Journal.  KVNU Blog Post.

Is parking on grass really a right? I guess it depends on how we define rights, but I’m finding this discussion intriguing (38 comments responding to this letter). And according to some commentors not only is this a violation of personal rights, but a violation of God’s plan. “Its funny how they can go to church on Sunday and know how bad Lucifer’s plan was yet they practice the same plan by making tens of thousand of little local laws that force us in every little aspect of our daily lives.” (comment from Pat).

Really? City ordinances are now part of Lucifer’s plan? Does this mean “God’s plan” requires no rules or compliance?

The Florida Legislature last week in special session passed an interesting tax cut in two parts… First, the tax-cut requires cities and counties to hold tax rates at 2006 levels – and then cut up to another 9 percent, depending on how much they raised taxes over the past five years. Those that raised the most will have to cut the most.

However, the more interesting (to me) component will come in January. In January FL voters will vote on to change the state’s constitution to increase the property exemption for primary residential homes. It will take 60 percent of the voters to approve the measure, which would exempt 75 percent of the first $200,000 of a home’s value from property taxes. Homes valued between $200,000 and $500,000 would get an additional 15 percent exemption.

I’m curious how the campaign will go the next few months…of course we all want lower property taxes, but what are we willing to give up? Or will this just cause a shift in public finance (higher impact fees for developers, higher sales tax for residents, etc)?

A few interesting articles from across the state the last couple of days:

• Community Budgets have many facets using your taxes (Spectrum): “Sometimes we feel our tax bill is too high - but we all want certain community services in place and delivered in a timely manner. Understanding the priorities in our city budget may help us know if we are “getting our money’s worth” for our investment in our communities.”  Great op-ed  from Georgia Beth Thompson
• 10-story building planned for Provo (Daily Herald): This article describes a mix-use development in the heart of downtown Provo that indicates the a great example of economic development.
• Big-box or not? Layton Council debates issue (Davis County Clipper): An example of a debate the occurs within city council chambers across the state…and illustrates that cities do care about more issues than just pursuing big box developments.

I keep hearing about America shipping more and more manufacturing jobs overseas (to China), and the American economy becoming more dependent on foreign countries. I agree with some of this, but not to the extent as the sky-is-falling-critics (you know who you are).

Anyhow, it appears in the midst of this global economy there is a growing demand for local products. Trendwatching, a great independent firm that seeks to forecast consumer trends (through their 8,000 “trendspotters”), has an interesting analysis called (STILL) MADE HERE. They define the (Still) Made Here trend as a comeback of all things local, all things with a sense of place, and how they’re surfacing in a world dominated by globalization. Or to quote Trendwatching, “a growing number of consumers are seeking out the local, and thereby the authentic, the storied, the eco-friendly and the obscure.”

Obviously this doesn’t signal the end of globalization, but it does create an interesting discussion regarding the future economy and the role of municipal economic development. Cities play a vital role in assisting local businesses; the health and development of locally owned stores are definitely an area of economic development where municipal governments have significant influence.

Apparently scooters (think of a suped-up wheelchair), designed primarily for disabled users, are being rented by able bodied tourists in Vegas. I can just see Mark Fenton, from our April conference, going crazy over this article. The city of extreme gluttony is now adding another item to the list…hopefully the trend doesn’t catch on.

Vegas Scooters Are The Latest In Lazy

Speaking of Mark Fenton, the walking guru will be back in Utah for our Annual Conference, September 12th - 14th .

A more positive article in the paper today: League Helps Teach Kids About Cities This curriculum project has been a collaborative effort for close to two years. If you have questions about the curriculum please contact Brian Hall in our office at: bhall@ultc.org

One great thing about summer in Utah is the number of festivals and weekend events across the state. I know summer doesn’t officially begin for a few weeks…but the city festivals are now in full swing. I thought I would feature a few city gatherings throughout the summer–beginning with the Garland City Fire Department Salmon Fry.

This Saturday (June 2nd ) marked the 30th annual Garland Fire Department salmon fry. The fire department flew over 7,000 lbs of salmon in from Alaska. Over a hundred of volunteers pitch in to serve to serve almost as many customers and city residents. If you weren’t able to enjoy the fish this year I suggest you mark your calendar for this annual event early.