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9/10/2011
Boyd Hubbard's Questionnaire to All Candidates
Do you support Envision Utah/ project 21 --sustainable
development policies?
How far should a city go in mandating design and construction
policies of home and businesses. Also landscaping, fencing etc.
Do you support the new city hall building?
How do you feel about any Nibley tax increases? Did you support
the increase for parks or the latest property tax increase?
Have you read Ezra T. Bensons speech titled The Proper Role Of
Government?
Were you a Bennett supporter?
On a scale of 1 to 10, how liberal or conservative are you. With
1 being an Obama supporter and 10 being a Tea Party Person?
Candidates' Responses To Questionnaire:
Kathryn Beus
1. After researching more of the Envision Utah I like the idea of
creating programs to encourage quality growth with a sustainable
future. The idea of us not allowing for the growth of our children
and future grandchildren would force them to leave Utah. Not wanting
that to happen, I would like to see how Envision Utah has developed
their ideas focusing on their 7 main goals of air quality, mobility,
critical lands, water, housing, infrastructure, and community.
However, whenever we are dealing with land and personal property
rights, we need to make sure that some people's rights are not being
forfeited at the expense of other's. Growth in this state is
inevitable; we just need to plan for it responsibly.
2. A city can have ordinances in place (ie weed policy) for the
betterment of the entire community. Many times communities set up
their own restrictive covenants that mandate these same type of
requirements. Zoning laws can enforce them, too. We give up a part
of our rights to belong to a community and in return can expect
certain services from our local government. Part of those rights is
some of our construction styles, sizes, and weeds for the good of
all.
3. As I stated in the meeting, I support the new city hall building
out of a necessity for the city. Our needs have outgrown the current
city offices. Some of our employees work out of a closet and others
in a garage. The interest rate that was secured for the bond was
affordable at 2.9% and I feel that a new building will help the city
run more efficiently.
4. No one wants to pay taxes, nevertheless they are necessary to
maintain our services and infrastructure. The latest tax increase
affected the average Nibley resident by about a few dollars per year
but was necessary to maintain our services and infrastructure. After
the Council reviewed the budget a few months ago in council I feel
that they approved a budget that would not be excessive.
5. Yes.
6. Having been personally associated with Senator Bennett and his
staff while I worked in Representative Rob Bishop's office, I was
always impressed with his level of professionalism and his
intelligence. He is an incredibly smart man. He was true to his
beliefs and I feel that he was willing to work for the good of the
nation as a whole. What this has to do with Nibley City politics, I
don't know.
7. I feel that extremes on either end of the spectrum are, indeed,
scary. I feel that I am a conservative person by nature having been
raised in the "pioneer" mentality. As far as identifying with either
of these groups, simply put, I don't.
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Carry Cook
From what I have had a chance to be a part of on the Envision Cache
valley project and see some of the ideas I do think they are nice.
What I like about the planning part of city government is that we
are taking the opportunities to be proactive, building from a plan
is always best. I do hope that in the planning process we can get
enough feed back from the citizens that they feel they are getting a
say in the making of these plans.
Planning on the future is an obligation for a city.
I am willing to work for the citizens and be a active part in the
City Council.
I have not read the Speech by you asked about, however I have
printed it off and I will be reading it.
On your scale of 1 to 10 I am probably more Conservative but not on
either side extreme. I like to look at each situation and decide for
myself with out bias or preconceived thought.
I did support the city hall building.
Taxes, I have to look at each one individually.
Bennett, not so much.
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Joshua Frazier
1) Do I support Envision Utah/ project 21 --sustainable development
policies?
NO!
I am vehemently against project 21, Agenda 21, ICLEI or
membership with them.
I am also against their common allies, which come disguised in such
terms as “smart equity”, “smart codes”, “smart growth”, “sustainable
consumption”, “sustainable development”, “sustainable land use”,
“open space” etc…
If Agenda 21 is fully implemented we would lose basic fundamental
rights. Our ability to live the lifestyle we desire, own land,
property, raise a family, and the means or types of transportation
would be gone. All these are in jeopardy so long as elected
officials and local government adhere to principles and protocols of
Agenda 21 and sustainable development.
Our forefathers understood that freedom and property rights are
inseparable. Personal liberty is consistent with property rights.
The state can control the people so long as the people are on
government controlled land.
George Washington said “Private property and freedom are
inseparable”
John Adams said “Property must be secured, or liberty cannot exist”
I have written a letter, on this issue, to my Senator as well as
representative Curt Webb, voicing my opinions, and urging them how
to vote and how I wish to be represented. I urge others to do the
same.
2) How far should a city go in mandating design and construction
policies of home and businesses. Also landscaping, fencing etc.
I believe that less regulation and
less mandates are best. When regulations do happen they need to come
from the voice of the people, NOT from the personal opinions/agendas
of those voted in to run the city..
I believe that some regulations are good. I moved to Nibley for what
I liked about it, not for all the change that I hope to make to it.
I’ve seen how out of control a city can get. I have built, and
currently own, a business in one of the high regulated cities of our
nation, West Palm Beach Florida (specifically the city of
Haverhill). These cities have taken regulations to a level that I
did not know were possible. They regulate every level of
construction and landscaping down to the very last blade of grass;
literally. They mandate, the colors, shape, size, height etc.. of
your entire property, beginning from subdivision, construction and
into how you run and maintain your business. I never knew that there
were over 2,000 varieties of palm trees, and I certainly never
anticipated that I would be told which variety I would be forced to
plant. My coco plumb hedge has to be maintained at 24” and the very
grass blades must be St Augustine. I am required to have a retention
pond and to sod it with the more expensive St. Augustine grass.
Seeding was not allowed, it had to be sod. Those with a little
experience know that St Augustine does not do well in a flooded area
such as a retention pond. It will die. Bahia grass is more suited
for that environment. The city, however, did not care if their rules
made sense to the conditions, they simply “liked how it looked”.
Sitting at, and ruling from, a government desk can give way to
luxuries in which common sense and practical application cannot
afford.
I could create a never ending list, but here are a just few
interesting things that we had to deal with because of excessive
city mandates.
- Cell towers are only permitted on city property. Cell towers
can provide private property owners with a nice source of
income. The city voted to eliminate the competition and corner
all of that income for themselves. I have cell towers on some of
my commercial properties and enjoy the income that I can receive
from them, but not at my Haverhill business!
- It is against the law to hold a garage sale on the same day
that the city holds their garage sale. They figure people will
run out of money by the time they get to them, so they have
eliminated this competition. I would like to eliminate my
competition, but respect for my neighbors freedom, my
conscience, and Sherman Anti-Trust law prohibits me from doing
so. Government consistently believes that they are “above the
law”. Whatever happened to our system of Checks and balances?
[Sherman Anti-Trust law: A federal law which applies to all. The
basis of this law is that competition is good for the economy
and for society as a whole. Anti-trust laws prohibit monopolies
and conspiracies that could unreasonably restrain trade.
Behaviors that interfere with the free flow of goods and
services in a competitive marketplace are violations of this law]
- The city inspector would handwrite things on the building
plans and make his own changes regardless of what the licensed
engineer had designed. These changes often made no sense, and
would add new un-foreseen construction costs as well as create
lengthy delays in construction. Design changes would fluctuate
and consistently interrupt the building process. As a result,
the project completion date kept getting extended. The city had
just raised tax rates on businesses and was anxious for us to
provide them more revenue. Each day that our business was not
open they figured they were losing money. So the city calculated
how much revenue we would have generated, had we finished by our
original projection date. They then charged us the sales tax
that they would have received! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? They impede
us from finishing (which increases our cost), and then they fine
us for it (which increased our costs again)! I wonder what my
business would look like if I ran it like the government. I
could close the competition, force everyone to use my service,
and then fine them for doing so. And I wouldn’t even have to
worry about customer service! Ronald Reagan said: “Governments
view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases:
If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it
stops moving, subsidize it”
- The neighboring city of Wellington, inspired by the movie
“Truman Show”, wanted their city to have a similar look and
feel. Consequently a 6 foot hedge became a mandatory visual
barrier. However, since that did not create an actual barrier,
they had to additionally require, by ordinance, a black coated
chain link fence to be put up behind it. Many residents did not
feel that either of these provided a sufficient barrier and so
they would build a third, more solid fence inside those 2. Now
you have half of the properties in that town with 2-3 fences.
You can imagine the complication that ensued as compliance dates
began to expire and some had obeyed the ordinance and others had
not. It became an enforcement nightmare.
Those are just a few examples of regulations gone wild.
Most ordinances seem more applicable to private or gated communities
in the form of HOAs and CC&Rs. HOAs and CC&Rs also have been known
to get out of control. Examples of this have been the forcible
removal of patriotic flags, flag poles, etc… or the placement of
liens on homes because the grass was not green enough. But at least
in this format you know that you personally and freely choose your
death by regulation.
I believe that controls and regulations should be on the lowest
levels possible, in the hands of the people. That people should
wisely and carefully delegate certain rights and controls to the
city. Cities, should then cautiously delegate certain items to
larger government and then those state governments should delegate
rights to the Federal. (as long as those powers don’t violate the 3
basic rights of Life, Liberty and Property. Always remember, it was
state governments who created federal government, not the other way
around. Also keep in mind that a larger group should never be given
power to do something that is within the ability of the smallest
group to do. Controls should always be kept at the most local level
possible. The most local level is the person and their property.
Smaller cities have challenges because they may want all of the
benefits of the larger cities, but don’t have the recourses to
accomplish it. This can lead to micromanaging, over regulating, or
giving up some local freedom for some scraps from the larger
governments tables. City employees and government workers often fall
into the trap of feeling like it is their duty to create new rules
and to regulate. In that light, citizens quickly become people who
“don’t understand”, or are “unable to govern themselves”, and
therefore need to be governed.
Remember that Jefferson said, in the declaration of independence,
that “…Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just
powers from the consent of the governed.”
Here is a totally random tidbit: Did you know that beekeeping, in
the beehive state may become a past time? For a while it was illegal
to even have them in the states capital city! Despite the fact that
beekeepers are naturally losing up to half of their bee population
each year, many cities are creating ordinances that either regulate
beekeeping or prohibit it entirely!
3) Do you support the new city hall building?
No
As I recall, there was overwhelming public opinion trying to stop
it. It seems the majority of opinion was NOT to do it. So that begs
the question: Why is it getting built? It seems public opinion had
no effect on the agenda of those running our city. Feeling that they
knew what was really best for us, they decided to overrule local
opinion, and do what they felt was best. This is a classic example
of the disconnect that happens between government and the governed.
It seemed that “We, the people” don’t know what is best. How
fortunate that the intellect of the elected knows what we really
need. J Again, T.J. knew best when he said: “Governments are
instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of
the governed.””
I have not been a part of the budget or decision process that
decided on having a new city building. If I may simply speak from my
gut, I feel that it does not match the economic situation that we
are in. Sure it will be a beautiful building, and there may even be
a need for it, but in times of crisis, you analyze every need and
act with extra caution. Too often “wants” are confused with “needs”.
At a time when many are struggling, home values still falling, and
the future unstable, it seems irresponsible and reckless. Even if
the budget can sustain it, it is terrible timing and sends a wrong
message. That decision is one of many that continues to make me feel
less connected to my city. I feel like I have less in common with
those running my city, and even less like I have a voice in my own
community.
Most everyone I know is struggling in some fashion, why isn’t the
City? How are they upgrading and where did their surplus come from?
Let’s suppose that there actually was room in the budget for such a
new building. The members of the community still need to be the ones
to call for it. I’m sure the citizens would’ve spent their money
differently, given the freedom to choose. In tough times, friends,
families and communities who pull together and become one, will be
stronger and survive longer. I’d like Nibley City to be that kind of
a model community. I am optimistic, but there are too many
indications that show that the storms of winter are not at an end.
There is a difference between 1) blind optimism through crossing
your fingers and just believing that the badness and the sadness
will go away, and 2) educated optimism because you have studied the
storm and prepared for things which may happen, but you still hope
to avoid.
4) How do you feel about any Nibley tax increases? Did you support
the increase for parks or the latest property tax increase?
I disagree with the tax increase and I
showed up and voted against it. I have not looked at the issue of
parks and will have to spend some time on that..
(If you have studied parks
or have opinions on it, I would love to hear it, please send me
information)
I was one of only 2 citizens who attended that meeting earlier this
month (Aug 2011). Both of us gave compelling reasons against raising
those taxes.
However Nibley city unanimously voted in favor of resolution 11-09
to raise the property tax to .001677, stating that
1) it was not a big deal since it was just a little raise.
2) they had already budgeted for and pre-spent that money, so now
they had to vote on the increase.
If decisions are made and votes pre-decided before the debate, why
even have a debate? The show and pretense is just a waste of
everyone’s time.
I guess, technically, time was provided for “public opinion” but it
felt like a show was being put on to give the illusion of public
involvement. Our comments did not open up discussion on the topic.
Instead, a vote was taken and a raise in taxes passed unanimously.
That made me feel, once again, disconnected and out of touch with my
own city.
I do not believe that during a recession or depression that any
taxes should be raised.
I think that spending should be cut back and focus should be put
into how to survive the economic “winter”. In times of plenty you
plan and prepare for times of want, which always come. In times of
want you especially live within your means. Wisdom would have you
live below your means because you never know exactly how long this
winter will be.
You cannot tax your way out of a recession/depression.
5) Have you read Ezra T. Bensons speech titled The Proper Role Of
Government?
Yes, and isn’t it amazing that it sounds like he gave that speech
yesterday instead of 1968??
I have learned a lot from him over the years. I have I have both
read and seen the video “The proper role of government”.
There are so many core foundational principles in that speech.
Failure to understand those basic principles leaves you vulnerable
to float along with any wind of popular doctrine.
We should base things on sound principles, not on how popular an
issue is. But you need to know and understand what sound principles
are! For example: The most core principle that exists is that all
men are created equal.
The most important role of government is to protect the God given
rights and liberties of its citizens. You cannot be effective in
life if all you are doing is defending your life, your liberty and
your property all the time. We delegate the defending of those
rights so that we can be free to pursue happiness. I like the quote
in the Alabama constitution “That the sole object and only
legitimate end of government is to protect the citizen in the
enjoyment of life, liberty, and property, and when the government
assumes other functions it is usurpation and oppression”
Once the principle of protective functional government gives way to
the aggressive or redistributive function, then forces are set in
motion that drive the nation toward totalitarianism.
I have often noted that the laws being passed today generally have
little to do with the topic they are addressing. Instead, their core
is rooted in redistributive change. In the end, re-distribution by
force has nothing to do with the issues they are attached to. They
have nothing to do with equality of all, but everything to do with
the separation of people into 2 classes; The global elite, which are
few, and the subservient class, with are many.
I prescribe to the “15 principles which make for good and proper
Government” that are listed in that speech.
Watch or read the speech here:
http://nibleycitycouncil.com/proper_role_of_government.html
6) Were you a Bennett supporter? No
I was present at the State Delegate convention when Bennett was
voted out. It was amazing to see the voice of the people rise up and
say we are taking back the control. I believe that a clear message
was sent declaring that that if you don’t represent the people, then
the people will remove you.
7) On a scale of 1 to 10, how liberal or conservative are you. With 1
being an Obama supporter and 10 being a Tea Party Person?
10. I’m conservative.
Ronald Reagan said “The trouble with our liberal friends is not that
they’re ignorant: it’s just that they know so much that isn’t so”
I hold with the principles that created our Republic (the rule of
law). Our rule of law is the constitution and each person in
Government takes their oath to defend it. Just how many keep that
oath is debatable.
I think we have been duped to believe that we are a Democracy (rule
of the majority). Currently we are being taught that we are
progressive, or socialistic etc… (the rule of few)
When Benjamin Franklin exited the constitutional convention he was
asked by a woman “Sir, what have you given us?” to which he replied
“A Republic, Ma’am, if you can keep it.”
I also do not believe that our freedom should be so far to the right
that there is Anarchy (the rule of none). Understanding that statement from Benjamin Franklin is a
foundational step in the right direction.
I am very conservative. Considering the current surge towards
change, for the sake of change, without questioning the cost or the
result, gives me cause to NOT change, or to question with boldness,
any change. When your foundation is weak, you do not look towards
remodeling the upstairs. My intention is to first do no harm. Stop
the growth, stop the spending and focus to protect basic rights and
liberties as it is now, more than ever that they are under full
attack. Being conservative is a core principle that is not
understood or practiced enough. Too much attention is given to wants
and needs, too little attention given to what resources we actually
have. Forgotten is that wise old saying “Use it up, wear it out,
make it do or do without”
Its nice to have dreams, but in the end you need to return to your
resources and do what you can with what you have. I love the movie
Apollo 13 where they had to find a way to put the square peg into
that round hole. They put all of their items onto the table and
said: “We need to find a way to make this…(pointing to the square
filter) fit into the hole for this… (pointing to the round filter)
using nothing but that. (pointing to their inventory of materials on
the table)”
There are a great many programs, wants and needs, but those should
never hold us, or our children, hostage by driving us into loans,
debts, and deals which we cannot repay; that is not responsible. I
think we have the ability to accomplish a great many things, and
stay within a budget while doing so. “Success at any cost” is not
the value we should be passing on to the next generation.
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Larry Jacobsen
Do you support Envision Utah/ progect 21 --sustainable development
policies?
I am unclear about the "progect 21" (or "project 21") part of this
question so I will set that bit aside and come back to it. I
supported and participated in the Envision Utah process, and more
importantly, the Envision Cache Valley process because I believe
they aim to honor and preserve our rural heritage while ensuring
prosperous, healthy, and attractive communities for future
generations. I was pleased with the amount of public input
cultivated and received during these processes.
If the "project 21" part of the question attempts to connect
Envision Utah with Agenda 21 of the United Nations Department of
Economic and Social Affairs, then I fail to see that connection.
Perhaps you can help me..
How far should a city go in mandating design and construction
policies of home and businesses. Also landscaping, fencing etc.
I believe our current ordinances strike a decent balance. We do not
have design standards for residential housing and we do have design
standards for commercial and institutional applications. The same is
true for landscaping. Because one person's fence can have a major
impact on neighboring property, we have what I consider to be a
reasonable fence ordinance in our residential zones.
Do you support the new city hall building?
As an incumbent, I am on record as supporting the new City Hall.
Admittedly, it was a difficult decision. It came down a logical
long-term solution to a problem -- lack of space for Public Works,
Water, Sewer, Parks, and Roads supervisors and employees --
employees that keep our city running. The current City Hall will
solve that space problem by moving the office employees to the new
location. I believe the decision-making process was sound, starting
with a needs assessment required to do the city's business. It is
possible that we might have waited for a couple of years before
needing a new City Hall, but the thirty-percent decrease in costs
associated with slow construction demand, along with very favorable
financing, convinced me that we should move ahead.
How do you feel about any Nibley tax increases? Did you support the
increase for parks or the latest property tax increase?
Nibley city has traditionally maintained an even property tax rate
of 0.001667, and the City Council voted to keep that rate again in
the coming year. I supported that decision. Although the tax rate
did not change, the total property tax revenue will increase as a
result of inflation and increased property values. This requires
(rightfully so) a non-changing tax rate to be advertised as tax
increase. By comparing Nibley's tax rates to other Cache Valley
communities, going over the Nibley City budget line-by-line, and
evaluating the employee efficiency of providing services to our
residents, I believe the historic 0.001667 is a fair property tax
rate.
We do have a new, and admittedly energetic, parks plan (http://www.aswn.com/clients/status/nibley/pdf/Nibley
Master Plan.pdf -- please be patient, its 33 Mbytes), and funding
that plan will be a challenge. However, we have not increased
property taxes to fund that parks plan. Instead, we expect to fund
the new plan with impact fees resulting from new growth.
Have you read Ezra T. Bensons speech titled The Proper Role Of
Government??
Because I usually look to government leaders for guidance on
government issues and to religious leaders for guidance on spiritual
matters, I was not aware of President Benson's speech. However, your
question changed that, and I have since read it. Thank you for
pointing it out to me.
Were you a Bennett supporter?
It is not clear to me how this is germane to the upcoming Nibley
City Council election. However, since you asked, I will answer. I
was not a supporter of Senator Bennett, and I have not voted for
Senator Bennett.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how liberal or conservative are you. With 1
being an Obama supporter and 10 being a Tea Party Person?
I believe the issues of our Federal Government are completely
different than the issues before Nibely City. For example, Nibley
City has never failed to adopt a balanced budget. Nibley City
elections are non-partisan and I believe that is the way they ought
to be. For these reasons, I hesitate to answer your question.
Because you asked, I will do so. I give myself a five.
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Shawn Platt
Do you support Envision Utah/ project 21 --sustainable development
policies?
* Simply put - No. The Envision Utah concept reminds me of communism
a bit - in that the overall concept sounds good but the actuality is
terribly wrong. I believe we do need to plan for the future but we
cannot take away from our rights, liberties and freedoms that we are
so blessed with in this country. This project needs a serious
overhaul to be viable.
How far should a city go in mandating design and construction
policies of home and businesses. Also landscaping, fencing etc.
* It depends on what the people of the city want!
The citizens of the city are free to decide what they will accept
and not accept with landscaping, fencing, business and construction.
It is the job of the elected personnel to carry forth the citizens
wants, wishes, ideas and decisions into policy. If the elected fail
to do that, they should be removed from office, again by the
citizens.
Do you support the new city hall building?
* No, no and No again!
This is a prime example of government abuse in my opinion.
The clear majority of the people who voiced their opinions said no,
but our dear Mayor and city council basically told us that they knew
what was best for us peasants and did it anyway!!
Did the Mayor and friends tell us about the extra costs the go along
with this new building? No!
The extras costs were paying the railroad for a few more feet of
property to expand their maintenance sheds closer to the RR and that
they are going to spend over $100,000 to remodel the existing city
building anyway?
Did we not elect these people to listen to us, the citizens?
Obviously they didn't hear us or don't care.
It would have been great to have a debt free city by paying off our
existing building and other loans.
How do you feel about any Nibley tax increases? Did you support the
increase for parks or the latest property tax increase?
* Strongly against tax increases and NO, did not support the parks
issue.
From my perspective, where is the R.O.I. - the Return on Investment
for these parks?
I see a huge money drain to build and maintain all the parks with no
sustainable revenue stream to pay for these in return. So, they turn
to every ones favorite resource - us, the citizens and tax us even
more - gee, aren't we lucky! Great strategy there.
Have you read Ezra T. Bensons speech titled The Proper Role Of
Government?
* I had a few years ago and after reading your question, went back
and re-read it again.
I believe he hit the proverbial nail on the head and his words will
ring true for generations to come. Great words to heed and I will do
my best to do so if elected to the city council.
Were you a Bennett supporter?
* In some cases yes, others no.
I think he started out with the right intentions but as time wore
on, he lost touch with those he was representing.
His is a good case of having Term Limits for all elected officials!
I think every elected official be it city council, mayor, senator,
congress - whoever, should only be there for a set amount of time
decided by the people. Being elected to a position should never be a
life long job, but one that you give your all to and then return to
being a citizen and choosing the next person elected.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how liberal or conservative are you. With 1
being an Obama supporter and 10 being a Tea Party Person?
I feel like I would fall into an "8".
I don't like those who go too far in either direction. Going to
extremes is rarely a good thing.
I am conservative in nature, but believe we can learn from listening
to differing points of view. However, we should never compromise our
core values. I believe strongly in taking a stand early when I see
things going against what I believe and hold dear, not waiting till
it is too late to do anything about but complain. That is a big
reason I am running for city council, in that I do not like much of
what has been taking place and want to stand up for what I believe
in now.
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Mike Smith
Do I support Envision Utah / Project 21 - sustainable development
policies?
As it is written - NO.
How far should a City go in mandating design and construction
policies of home and businesses? Also landscaping, fences, etc?
- Only through a committee of citizens of the community. Same way
on landscaping - fencing. This is our city.
Do you support the new city building?
- Opposed it from the beginning.
How do you feel about Nibley tax increases? Do you support the
increase for parks or the latest property tax increase?
-I don't like it. Proper role in government was not followed, and we
are going to pay for it.
Have you read Ezra T. Bensons speech titles "The Proper Role of
Government"?
-Yes
Were you a Bennett supporter?
-Up to a point. He was in to long.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how liberal or conservative are you? With 1
being Obama supporter, and 10 being a Tea Party Person?
-The Tea Party is full of radicals that are misguided, but on the
other hand stirring the political pot (so to speak). No, I am not an
Obama supporter.
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