Blog: Dermot Cole
State agency backs city annexation bid for Fred Meyer West
Published Monday, August 17, 2009
The state Department of Commerce is recommending that the Local Boundary Commission approve the plan to annex the Fred Meyer West area to the city, along with lots along the Chena River for a total addition of .05 square miles.
The state Commerce department staff rejected the borough's opposition to the annexation of the shopping complex.
Fred Meyer did not oppose the annexation bid and neither did Mt. McKinley bank, Taco Bell or any of the other property owners.
The preliminary report is at http://dcra.commerce.alaska.gov/DCBD/Fairbanks_Annex_08-01/Preliminary_Report/08-01_fbx_annex_prelim_report.pdf
In the conclusions on pages 140-141, the state said, in part:
•Based on the findings and conclusions set forth in Section 3 of this report, Commerce concludes that all of the relevant standards and requirements for annexing both the enclave lots and Fred Meyer are satisfied by the city of Fairbanks’ petition.
•Commerce has found that both the enclave lots and Fred Meyer exhibit the need for city government. Both territories would benefit by receiving services from a single integrated provider.
•Commerce found that neither the borough nor the UFSA (University Fire Service Area) could provide more efficient or more cost effective collective municipal services compared to the city.
•Commerce found that annexing both the enclave lots and Fred Meyer would promote the constitutional principles of maximum local self government and minimum local government units.
•Commerce found that annexation would relieve the state of the responsibility of providing local services to the territories such as police, building code, and fire code enforcement.
•Commerce also found that this annexation proposal would not cause a detrimental financial impact to either the borough or the UFSA.
•Commerce finds that the proposed annexation of the enclave lots and Fred Meyer will greatly enhance municipal services provided to the territories, and that doing so promotes maximum local self government.
•Commerce recommends that the Local Boundary Commission approve the December 8, 2008, petition of the City of Fairbanks to annex approximately 0.05 square miles (described as the enclave lots and Fred Meyer).
The State Department of Commerce is about as worthless as they come. Just when a sales tax proposition is about to appear...voila...here's a recommendation from the State. Something definitely fishy here...
If Fred's gets annexed and the sales tax is passed I guess I will begin to shop elsewhere
sales tax is a write-off on your Fed. tax.
What's amazing to me about this whole thing is that I find myself taking pity on a massive corporation.
If the commerce department is so concerned about 'maximum local self government' they should let the individuals being annexed decide whether or not to be annexed. It doesn't get any more "local self" than that. The true agenda on the part of commerce is to relieve the state from having to provide services to the area.
In fact, I haven't felt this sorry for a huge company since McDonald's got sued over a cup of coffee.
When is enough enough? I was playing with #'s tonight comparing income/expenses and such. It is insane the amount working people are paying in taxes. It does not hit ya until you start adding it up. A buck here, nickle there, $4k in property tax, 911 tax, beer tax, capital gains, FICA, the list goes on and on. The only way I'll get a break is if there was a tax on good looks. But then they would come out with an eye-sore tax. I am not saying that taxes are not needed or that I do not think that I should have to pay. I am just sick of all the pet projects and lack of value for my tax dollar. Oh and I'll still shop at Fred's. A place where I can get fine tomatoes, good beer, decent service, and accessories for my 2nd ammendment can not be too bad. Just don't place a lady at the door with an Adams Apple! Take note Sam Walden. Vent DONE!
Don't feel too bad TAC. That was the hottest thing that had spilled on her lap in a long time.
You can only reach the conclusions that Commerce did if you are high on drugs, or ignorant of the facts.
Just wait until the first law suit against the city when someone dies of a heart attack at Fred Meyer after waiting for 20 minuutes for the city amubulence to arrive (when it would have taken 3 minutes for University to respond)
Shouldn't the people that are directly affected by this proposed annexation be the ones who decide what is best for them? 204 pages of garbage!
If the city annexes Fred’s West, then you can bet the city voters will institute a sales tax. Why on earth should they pay the same amount as everyone else for services like schools, road maintenance and fire when these costs can be born by everyone else who needs to shop for groceries? It will not simply be tourists. I, like many others I'm sure, will begin to order many of my non-grocery items off amazon and other places online to avoid the tax. I agree tripwire - It is unfair that those affected by the decision do not get to vote on it. Can the city guarantee that police, fire, and medical services will respond just as fast as what is in place now?
Yes, you can deduct sales taxes from Federal taxes, but honestly, do you really want the hassle of keeping those records all year long?
Sales tax is an unfair tax in that is disproportionally affects those least able to pay. Yes, a gallon of milk has the same tax, so it is fair right? Not really, because lower income people making minimum wage have to pay more % of their income to buy that milk. For those 50k+, it is no big deal really, but for those making 15-30k, it can be a big difference.
This is complete garbage. Why would a state agency be needed to determine whether an individual city should annex territory? This is a blatant attempt to get Fred's in line now that they hope the sales tax goes through. What a crock of crap!
University can't provide better or more efficient coverage? When their station is fully staffed and NEXT DOOR to Fred's West?
Is there any way to protest and stop this annexation? Is there a planned protest, a city meeting, anything? I don't live anywhere near there, but I find this whole thing disturbing in a very big way.
This seems to be an example of governments doing....whatever they want...this just seems like they threw out whatever lame ass excuse they could for annexing Fred's West. What else are they annexibng? Anything?? Sounds like the sales tax is their biggest pipe dream ever...God willing that will get voted down too!
wow rushed that second "annexing." Oops.
Alaska and Fairbanks has simply the largest population of malcontents, complainer's, whiner's and ill informed/misinformed bellyacher's of any State in the Union. Ironically, I can't believe I have stooped so low as to complain about the complainer's, God help me.
Its not about government doing what it wants it doing what its told to do by state law and statute. Please read our constitution, the statutes and the case law then blog. BTW the UFSA does not publish its response times so they might beat FFD to a call or not they have not provided the data. Response times to the area across the street from freds are 3-4 minutes. Closer is always a good argument but its really response times that count. Go to the city web site and read the annexation proposal it has all this information in it.
1. My understanding from this is that the rest of the land discussed - the lots along the Chena River that make up the balance of the .05 sq. mi - are residences. Is this correct?
2 If so, my further recollection is that about 4-5 years ago the state passed a ruling....(or was it a bill that became law?) that ensured a one-sided annexation cannot occur within the state - that is, that more than 50% of the inhabitants of a targeted annex would have to approve by referendum any annexation.
SO - if the above is correct, then:
1. Do residents get the last word, OR
2. Has the City gerrymandered the proposed annexation such that, while Fed Meyer remains the plum that is sought, the rest of the annexation is padded out so as to appear to be a logical city extension.... but in reality, those other Chena lots are, in fact, presently home-less ( ;-) ), OR
3. Did my aforementioned residents-need-to-approve apply ONLY to BOROUGH annexation, and not to CITY annexation?
The Mob must have infiltrated the Department of Commerce , and the City !!! The question is , who is getting the kickbacks ?
Response times to the area across the street from freds are 3-4 minutes. Closer is always a good argument but its really response times that count.
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Its 3.5 miles from the Fire Department. Since response times are measaured from the time that the department is notified by 911 and it takes a least a minute to get out the door, they would have to average 100 MPH to achieve the 3 minute response time.
Thulefoil - I think your data is suspect. If I am someone having an emergency at Fred's, I would take my chances with the University Fire Department.
The sales tax replace about 4.5 mil city property taxes, people will still have to pay the borough property taxes. The city tax is equal to what many borough residents pay for road service area. Most borough residents pay 7 to 13 mils for road, fire and ambulance services, not to mention the transfer station that the city people use. This has nothing to do with services, but everything to do with the fact the city has too many retirees and can not pay retirements in the future. So in exchange for a sales tax, every business located in the city of Fairbanks will get a free ride from not having to pay a city property tax. One thing, shopping on the web and having it delivered to your home in the borough means no sales tax. Everyone in the borough should not buy one thing in the city for one day and show the city, what they think will bring them money may just in the long run cost them plenty. Think of it, it no one bought a thing on a Tuesday next week, what a message borough residents would send to the city of Fairbanks government.
Of course, Thulefoil, we should go to the CITY website to access information that benefits the CITY budget if this annexation passes.
I've asked before and I'll ask again...why aren't they annexing Chena Ridge, Chena Pump, any of the places that UFSD serves now but are not commercially huge payouts?
What are they going to "NEED" to annex next? The Goldstream Valley? I mean, Ivory Jack's, The Vallata, the Goldstream General Store...sales tax galore!
Most of us learn to live within our budgets very early on in life. The FNSB needs to do just that...live within the budget already given, give up the sales tax idea, and move on to more creative ways of cutting costs and making ends meet.
O you are confusing and issue of apples to apples. Response time is actually measured from time of response to arrival. You can also add to that dispatch time and turnout time for total response time. I was addressing the time to get from point A to B. As there is no data on UFSA’s its anyone’s guess at to what the numbers are. Mamabear it has all the information or you can go to the state at http://dcra.commerce.alaska.gov/DCBD/Fai...
I eagerly await the new Fred Meyers and other businesses to build in Ester and Fox. At that point avoiding the "benefits" of city government, will go hand and hand with not having to drive as far, or having to deal with city congestion. Let us just hope an Arbys or a Village Inn comes along with it.
Oh I forgot Mamabear I checked with the weather service..the sky is not falling.
Yikes I will take a burger at the eagle any day over that. BTW the west freds is the only large "box store" outside the city limits.
Power_Of_The_O,
To travel 3.5 Miles, it would take the following:
2.1 minutes @ 100 mph
3.5 minutes @ 60 mph
5.0 minutes @ 42 mph
I think your calculations requiring 100mph to get 3-4minute times is incorrect.
My neice recently finished her first math homework...see if you can answer this one:
An ambulance travelling at 40 mph average speed leaves the University Fire Station #2 and travels 1.2miles to Fred Meyers. At the same time an ambulance leaves the City Fire Department travelling at 40mph average speed, encountering 7 stops lights each with a 5 second delay, and travelling a distance of 4.3miles to Fred Meyers. Which one arrives first. Humm...that is a hard one.
It sucks that the City is now going to make the borough tax payer bend over backwards for their financial woes. Now that every grocery, hardware, and retail store will be in the city limits, I will have to pay a sales tax on top of my borough taxes. Like Arctic Lynx...what benefits would I gain from a City sales tax.
If Commerce wants a single govt. idea, then it is time for the City and Borough to combine...that is the biggest waste of local government control right there.
Ester has a nice chunk of real estate on the Parks Highway that is just ripe for a box store...would clean up all the junk around Goldhill Liquour.
Thule - you are saying the response time doesn't include the "turnout time". If true it makes no sense. The response time should be the time from when the station is notified by dispatch. Otherwise how is the response time even calculated? One of the fireman carrying a stopwatch?
Power_Of_The_O, it's pretty simple: response time equals the time it takes from notifying dispatch that they are responding, as in the wheels are turning, to the time that they notify dispatch that they've arrived at the location.
trippwire - I get it...the question of course is why is it done this way? To try to make response times look better? I think the general public would not agree with this definiton of "response time".
Does sometimes the station tells dispatch that they won't respose. Like if there is a good football game on?
Of COURSE the businesses didn't oppose annexation. They would LOVE to pay lower property taxes if a sales tax passes. They are big chains that already have the mechanism in place to do the sales-tax accounting that local businesses wouldn't, and they own lots of property. Another fine way to balance the bills on the backs of the little guys who can least afford it.
O it’s an ANFIRS ”Alaska National Fire Incident Reporting System” thing. They can then identify the weak links in the response curve from time of call to dispatch to the actual dispatch to the response. There are national standards for each phase of the response.
Thule - Ok with your description of "response time" which turns out to be driving time...isn't it intuitive that that UFD "response time (i.e. driving time) would be far less than FFD since it is 3 miles closer? In your ealier comment you indicated that FFD might beat UFD to a call. Going by your "response time" definition how is that possible (short of UFD tuning right out of their station instead of left)?
They could be responding from the station on campus. We just don’t know what the times are because UFD does not provide them. The dispatch and turnout times could be significantly longer than for FFD. The thing is we can debate it all we want but the point is immaterial to the annexation.
However you slice it it's the consumers who will bite the bullet for this one. Leaving Fred's West outside of city limits screws up their sales tax proposal knowing people will drive across town to avoid it. Fred's West might not care since it would mean lowering city property taxes (which it doesn't pay currently) and giving the tax burden to the shoppers but the consumers who live near the university, chena pump, ester and west faibanks biting the bullet.
Ooops again...my grammar was way out of whack on that one...apologies again.
The thing is we can debate it all we want but the point is immaterial to the annexation.
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Why is it immaterial to the annexation? It seems like public safey should be the number one concern. If UFD would respond faster, which reasonable people would believe, there should be no further discussion.
Thulefoil - Is there any doubt who would respond the fastest. Really? It is a matter of simple physics. University Firefighters ride the short truck. Therefore they would arrive in half the time.
Just follow the money,, services be damned, we need more police and fireman,, someone has to pay for it'''
Someone has to pay. It's either you or me, them or us. The proposed development onward from the Johanson Expressway is already on the move. I foresee more homes and businesses continuing up the valley, which will require more police and fire service. The expense is either derived from property taxes or a sales tax, so take your pick.
Ditto Bugger.
Its immaterial because it has very little to do with the annexation. It may be an emotional issue but ultimately the services provided by the city are the same or higher. That is what state law and the petition require. So debate is all well and good but since the commerce commission was the only chance really to block this you are looking at fate acompli. Is riding the short truck like the short bus? Tinpan you missed my point the UFSA is not providing the information so we really don’t know. Get on your foil hat because is it a conspiracy not to provide basic response numbers? What would they tell us? But just remember it has almost no bearing on the annexation. Read the case law.
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