The Inside Scoop by Peggy: May 2012

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Where is $975,000 Orem has been paying for Nordstrom's tax break now?

"Orem city told residents concerned about those incentives that throughout a 25-year period of time the city would recoup $33 million in sales tax. Nordstrom has been at the mall just 10 years," consequently Orem can now save $975,000 annually paid to Woodbury. Herald Extra.com

"Getting Nordstrom into Orem did not come easily. From the earliest negotiations city leaders worked up a frenzy trying get these stores here and to keep ZCMI from leaving to go to the new Provo mall.

The city voted to give $2 million worth of property to the Woodbury Corporation for getting the store. The city also agreed to pay Woodbury $975,000 a year for the next 20 years from the excess sales tax revenue generated by the mall."

Herald Extra.com

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

49.4% of Orem Residents are over 65 and under 18

Is it fair to ask the unemployed people in Orem and those living below poverty level
to pay higher fees and property taxes? Orem City has more people living below
poverty than the rest of the state.
What will the impact of increased fees and property taxes have on Orem's poverty levels,
especially the 49.4% of the population that is over 65 and under 18?
Orem Utah

Unemployment rate (2000) 4.6% 3.4%
Unemployment rate (2012) 5.3% 6.0%

Poverty Level 8.4% 7.9%

Area vibes.com

Persons below poverty level 2006-2010 13.5% 10.8%

Persons 65 years and over 2010 8.3% 9.0%

Persons under 18 41.1% 41.0%

Quick Facts.Census

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Keep big pay in City

Keep big pay in Provo

Published: May 18, 2012 01:01AM

Updated: May 18, 2012 11:54AM

Last month, the Provo Municipal Council eliminated the requirement that city department heads reside within the city (“Provo drops residency requirements for department heads,” Tribune, April 3). Salt Lake Tribune

According to the Utah’s Right to Know website, ( Salaries) 12 Provo city employees make more than $150,000 annually; another 100 make more than $100,000.

Requiring that city employees, especially high-paid employees, live in the town where tax dollars pay their salaries accomplishes several purposes: increasing the city’s number of families, having employees with a vested interest in the city and increasing revenue through property and sales taxes.

Provo has a large number of single-adult student residents, a large number of single-parent families and many residents whose second language is English. Thirty-one percent of Provo’s residents are below the poverty line. US Census Bureau quick facts

Consequently, many families, including city employees, prefer to raise their children in communities with less of a college town environment, a smaller urban population, fewer poverty issues and schools with fewer inner city challenges.

But Provo needs the money, stability and family life of its best-paid employees. In fact, the quality of life in all cities would be better if all municipal employees lived in the cities where they work.

Peggy Burdett

Orem

Salt Lake Tribune Letters to the Editor