Why would we prefer to leave control in the hands of 3 people who don’t need to live in the Valley? We have seen decisions that ignore our Ogden Valley Planning Commission and public opinion. At 3% of the county population, valley residents have little or no influence on election outcomes. Thus, the commissioners often make decisions that may not represent the best interest of our community, which is very economically, geographically, and demographically distinct from the rest of the county.
Let’s be clear: incorporation will not raise taxes. Two independent studies, one commissioned by the state and one by opponents, show that incorporation would create a tax surplus. Though only 3% of the county’s population, we contribute 9% of its taxable property value and 56% of the Municipal Services Fund (MSF) with a surplus of $3.6M from Ogden Valley revenues over the past 5 years which was an excess of 10.2% per year. With incorporation, we also gain access to new revenue sources—like short-term rental taxes, grants, and impact fees—without raising our taxes.
Incorporation ensures our tax dollars stay here, in Ogden Valley, allowing us to invest in local infrastructure, community projects, and services that directly benefit us. This isn’t about adding more government but transferring control from a distant county bureaucracy to efficient, local leadership.
The elected officials will be people who live within the boundaries of the incorporated area. They will be elected by registered voters who are full-time residents in the newly incorporated area. Local elections will be held one year after the incorporation is voted upon by the community. You will elect your local Ogden Valley representatives as a local resident.
While the name proposed on official incorporation documents is Ogden Valley, the newly elected City Council will have the power to name the new city with input from the community.
A great deal of effort and public input went into developing Ogden Valley’s general plan. However, the leaders of Weber County are not honoring many of the desires and goals outlined in the plan. One of the aims of incorporation is to ensure that our community-adopted general plan is used as the vision and guiding element of community administration, including the adoption of planning and zoning ordinances to support the general plan.
We do not support explosive growth or no growth. We are not advocating for high-density housing or high-rise buildings. We want well-planned, sustainable growth as outlined in the Ogden Valley General Plan. After incorporation, the City Council may consider revising the general plan to reflect changes that have taken place and new needs and interests expressed by the community.
State law holds that when a new city or town incorporates, the current zoning ordinances remain in place until such time the community chooses to change them through established legal means, which includes public hearings.
A simple majority of full-time registered voters living within the boundary of the incorporated area, meaning just one vote over 50%.
The feasibility study provides a full breakdown. The study shows that the following funds would cover the operational costs of an incorporated Ogden Valley.
Additional revenue sources not included in the study could be sought, including:
With the exception of roads maintained by UDOT (Highways 39, 158, 166, and 167 (Trappers Loop), the city is responsible for maintaining roads in the incorporated area. The state and county will continue to be responsible for roads outside city boundaries. The city can contract with Weber County and other providers for maintenance and snow removal services. Maintenance and snow removal will be paid for the same way the county has been paying for it: city tax (unicorp fund tax), UDOT Class B and C funds, sales taxes, and various other state and federal funding sources. Studies by both LRB and the Utah Foundation agreed there will be more than sufficient funding.
First, there shouldn’t be “hard feelings” because incorporation is the natural progression for unincorporated communities in county areas. That’s why state law provides clear guidance for the process. We continue to have positive and friendly relationships with county representatives, some of whom have participated in the incorporation town hall series at the library.
Apart from these amicable relationships, the county has a strong incentive to contract with us. Incorporation means they will lose some of our taxes, prompting them to seek the city’s business to sustain operations and their workforce. If the county charges too much, we can seek other vendors, both public and private. Instead of being an obligation for the county, we’ll become a customer with bargaining power.
The new city will be responsible for city services, including engineering, planning, zoning, building inspection, public safety, city road maintenance and snow removal, animal control, and weed control. City services can be contracted with other government entities or private contractors. A prominent example of contract services is the Weber County Sheriff’s Office, which provides public safety services under contracts with many other cities in Weber County.
The judicial system, jail, schools, libraries, elections and fire departments.
Mark Ferrin is the primary sponsor of this initiative. Mark is a long-standing resident of Ogden Valley and is interested in ensuring Valley residents have more influence over the governance of their community. He is supported by several established Valley residents. The other sponsors are Nick Dahlkamp, Shanna Francis, Brandi Hammon, Richard Webb, and Jeannie Wendell.
The Lieutenant Governor’s office covers the costs of the Feasibility Study. These funds, if incorporated, need to be paid back, and are included in the estimated new city’s expenses. The survey of the newly proposed city boundary is funded by supporters and sponsors. Legal support has been provided pro-bono up to this point and all other support has been donated.
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Ogden Valley residents represent roughly 2.8% of Weber County’s population and only 1.8% of its registered voters. It is time for locally elected leadership that is dedicated to supporting the Ogden Valley community and the vision and values as adopted in the 2016 Ogden Valley General Plan. In other words, it’s time that Ogden Valley has local representation where our voices are heard.
All talks are 6PM to 8PM at the Huntsville Library
| Title | Date | Cals/Vids |
|---|---|---|
| Overview and Q&A | Video | |
| Advantages and Disadvantages of Contracting Services | Video | |
| Land Development Process | Video | |
| Taxation and Revenue Raising | Video | |
| Transition Plan | Video | |
| External Relations (County, State, Fed, etc.) | Video | |
| Contributing to the Well-Being of My Community as a Citizen | Video | |
| Forms of Government Options | Video | |
| Guest speakers: Jeff Silvestrini: Millcreek mayor & Ryan Arbon: Weber County Sheriff | Video |
The petition was completed and accepted by the Lieutenant Governor’s office. This required the signatures by private landowners representing 10% of total acreage as well as 7% of total private property value in the proposed incorporation area.
The Lieutenant Governor’s office hired an independent consultant (LRB Public Finance Advisors) to complete the Feasibility Study for the proposed incorporation of Ogden Valley. The study analyzed whether the five-year projected revenues for the proposed incorporated area would be able to cover, by more than five percent excess revenue, the same level of services currently provided by the county. The Feasibility Study was completed December 7, 2023. The findings of the study indicate that incorporation will likely result in, at least, a five-percent budget surplus when comparing available revenues to expenses. This surplus allows the incorporation process to proceed.
LRB Public Finance Advisors (LRB) will present to the public, in two sessions, the Feasibility Study methodology and findings.
In addition to the two public Feasibility Study presentations, sponsors will host a series of open house presentations further explaining the process of incorporation and items for consideration. While this is not part of the official process, sponsors feel it is important that the community be informed as we move toward a vote.
After the presentation of the results, a second petition round begins further establishing the support of the community for incorporation. The “Petition for Incorporation” is a request by the community for the Lieutenant Governor’s office to place the issue on the 2024 ballot. This petition requires signatures by private landowners representing 10% of the total private acreage and 7% of the total private property value. In addition, signature needs to include at least 10% of the registered voters in the proposed incorporation area.
The vote will be on the November 2024 ballot. A simple majority is required for incorporation to occur, meaning one vote over 50%. The community’s desired form of government will also be on the ballot. Additional information will be made available on these options as the process moves forward.
In the year that follows a vote for incorporation, an election is held to elect the city government officials who will represent the residents of Ogden Valley.
In 1976, lifetime Valley resident Laverna Burnett Newey published her landmark book Remember My Valley, which recounts the history of this bucolic Valley from 1825 to 1976. She references in the first paragraph the “shimmering man-made lake” that forms a mirror for the surrounding mountains…
