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Old Army's Blog

My Life and Opinions about life in Nevada & now Texas!!!

Name:
Location: Texas, United States

I am a Retired Army guy, who is old fashioned and progressive. You know a living oxymoron! My Favorite blogs: http://jetiranger.tripod.com/BLOG/ & http://www.usinkorea.org/

Monday, June 20, 2005

Out of Pocket

All I will be off line for a while as I have to prepare to go to court to help my wife on a problem that has arisen. It is a long story but our date for court is next week Monday. Pray for us as I feel we are going to court for a missunderstanding on the part of a police officer.

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Voters had excellent field of candidates to choose from

Below is an article from the local paper. I think it should be manditory reading for all in the city. Perhaps an eletronic board like the ones on the casinos you read as you drive down Williams St. I wish the author had put his name on the Article.

June 8, 2005

Congratulations to all the candidates who threw in their hats for the Fallon City Council. The campaigns were spirited, yet they never wavered far from the highest integrity. All 12 candidates are to be commended for keeping to the political message.

Running for elected office is not easy. It's a commitment to put yourself out there in the public realm, for good or bad, for the accolades and the criticism. Everyone, it seems, has easy answers for the issues facing Fallon, but it takes fortitude to file for office and beat the pavement.

Every candidate we've heard has one overriding interest - and that's what best for the city and its residents. They didn't all agree on the approach, but that's the democratic process, and voters Tuesday picked the candidate whose message resonated with their own philosophy. The field of 12 candidates for three positions on the city council offered voters excellent choices.

The city council sworn in June 21 will unquestionably have to deal with the growth issue. Streets are becoming incredibly congested. Have you tried to turn onto Williams Avenue on any given afternoon? An updated transportation plan for the city is something we haven't heard much about of late. How is the city's business park doing? All the people moving to Fallon will drive the need for an expanded employment base. We'll want to hear a plan on expanding recreational opportunities for residents. Isn't it about time for a city recreation program for youth and adults?

We applaud the city for filling the interim council seat with a civic leader who had no connection to the council race underway. Truly, that was the best way to handle the situation. Ken McConwell has fulfilled the role fine. Give him credit for offering his time and expertise to keep city government moving forward.

Last but not least, everyone who voted Tuesday - or voted early - also deserves a pat on the back. City elections typically don't attract a big voter turnout. We hope the numbers show a renewed interest in city politics. Certainly there was plenty of talk around town about this election. The old adage is true: If you didn't vote, you don't have a soap box on which to complain.

Thursday, June 02, 2005

County considering tax on new residential construction

I think that they have finally come up with a way to raise taxes eventually on every home owner without politicians taking the blame. As I recently discussed with a friend of mine. Part of the problem with this is like it is in California especially with new housing, that instead of raising tax rates they put a $100000 fee to build a new house to help with area growth ect. This is tacked on by the builder + some profit and passed on to the consumer. This ends up inflating the house prices/property taxes in the entire area but the politicians blame it on the real estate market even though they were the root cause.

Mr Johnson mentions this in his article "A potential risk of the tax is to not impact the market so much that starter homes become too expensive for young or low-income families, Goetsch said. Another challenge is to not create an environment which stymies growth, which Goetsch said may not necessarily be a bad thing given the amount of growth and proposed growth in the county in recent years." Granted the impact fee is not a whole lot but I think first time buyers are already out of the picture as not many young people have $25,000 to put down on a house and if they buy no money down is the cost really within their means? What is the average income for working people in the city of Fallon? I know these houses are beyond the means of the average enlisted person here. But, why care about those people let us just drive the price up to satisfy the greed of investors and not feel sorry for those that actually buy a house to live it that will get stuck with having bought a $125,000 house for $280,000.
Article is below or on the link in the title. Here are some more stories on the subject: Story 1 & Story 2


JOSH JOHNSON,
jjohnson@lahontanvalleynews.com
June 2, 2005

Purchasing a new house in Churchill County could become a bit more expensive if a proposed residential construction tax is approved by county government. However, it could mean the difference between a park miles away or just down the block.

A proposed tax on new, permanent residential construction to fund improvements and expansion of parks within Churchill County will go before the Churchill County Commission next week.

The residential construction tax is the first of an expected series of impact fees to be unveiled by the county over the next few months. Impact fees are levied on developers to pay for the additional demands that come with new growth, such as streets, schools, parks, water and sewer utilities and other infrastructure.

The tax on a single-family home would be 1 percent of the value or $1,000, whichever is less. For multi-family homes, the tax would be 1 percent of the value of each dwelling unit with a maximum of $1,000 per unit or a total maximum of $20,000.

The proposed tax would also be applied to manufactured homes placed on a permanent foundation and the remodeling of any non-residential structure for use as a dwelling. Replacement of an existing residential dwelling is not included under the tax.

Developers may have some or all of the tax refunded if they develop park facilities or dedicate real property to county, pending county approval of such an agreement.

A public hearing for the proposed tax is set for 9 a.m. on June 6 at a Churchill County Commission meeting, 155 N. Taylor St.

Traditional funding sources for parks have dwindled over the last few decades while growth has taken off, said Jim Moore, director of Churchill County Parks and Recreation.

"What we're finding is in the original tax structure, with a lot of the funding we've used in the past, there just isn't much left," Moore said. "Pretty much every other community in Nevada has adopted this residential construction tax."

Realtors in the state are used to paying for such a tax in neighboring communities like Fernley, he said.

While the cost is often passed down from the developer to the home buyer, housing in Churchill County should remain affordable, he said. The real additional cost to home buyers adds up to about $6.50 per month added to an average house payment, Moore said.

Proceeds from the tax will be used to acquire new park lands and improve existing parks within the areas they are collected, Moore said. A goal is to have smaller, neighborhood parks within a mile to a half-mile of most developments. The county would like to pursue another larger, regional park in the next eight to 10 years, he said. Nearby parks should help to increase property values, he said.

The cost to construct an acre of park site in Churchill County runs from $100,000 to $125,000, Moore said.

County Manager Brad Goetsch said county officials researched impact fee systems in neighboring communities and in those as far away as the East Coast when researching a potential residential construction tax.

"We still think our fee structure is very reasonable and is average to slightly below average for the area," Goetsch said.

A potential risk of the tax is to not impact the market so much that starter homes become too expensive for young or low-income families, Goetsch said. Another challenge is to not create an environment which stymies growth, which Goetsch said may not necessarily be a bad thing given the amount of growth and proposed growth in the county in recent years.

"This is really the county's attempt to assure its constituents that the new developments and new people moving in to the area are paying for the growth," Goetsch said. "The ultimate goal here is to make development nice, to preserve the values that the community holds for agriculture, open space and quality construction."

Developers have given positive comments about the proposed fee, he said. They have also expressed caution about other impact fees and the quick pace in which they may be implemented, he said.

Tom Lammel, owner of Lahontan Manufactured Homes, said impact fees like the proposed residential construction tax are inevitable.

"I think the tax will bring (the county) into what other communities are charging," Lammel said. "It's not significantly higher than other areas. It's the reality of our world today that people are coming in and building thousands and thousands of houses."

The tax should have no impact on the business climate for residential construction, Lammel said.

"Would you not buy a new home because of an extra amount of money that amounts to what you pay for cigarettes in a month?" he said. "I don't think any of the developers have been running out and saying, 'Oh my God! This is going to run us out.'"

Developer Arthur Johnson, who is building a couple of homes in the area, was supportive of the tax as long as the money is used as intended.

"I don't have a real problem with that as long as we can be sure that the money goes there, some accountability," he said.

Johnson, who lives north of Fallon on Tarzyn Road, said his own daughters comment that they wish a neighborhood park was nearby. Adjacent parks make selling a home more attractive to a customer, he said.