Why Carlton Should Be AF's Next Mayor

Higher Fees Again?

The American Fork City Council voted to significantly increase the impact fees in American Fork City on Tuesday, July 11, 2017.  I voted NO to this increase.  (Frost, Shorter and Shelton voted FOR this fee increase.)

These are the fees you pay when you go to build a house.  Having higher fees may also mean less house for your money, if you're buying a house in American Fork.

It's rare for the Council to get public input during these types of hearings, so I think it's noteworthy that Deann Huish of the Utah Valley Home Builders Association attended to testify.  Deann mentioned that if the Council adopts these fee increases (which later that night they did), American Fork would have the third highest impact fees in all of Utah County!

To give you an idea of how much the fees increased by, here are some of the changes.  The following fee increases are for the Non-TOD  area (i.e. everywhere but the Front Runner station area):

Single Family Residence:

     Water, was $1,495 will be $2,502  (67% increase)
     Sewer, was $588 will be $840  (42% increase)
     Storm, was $1,020 will be $1,536  (50% increase)
     Parks, was $3,212 will be $3,855  (20% increase)
     Roads, was $2,077 will be $3,548  (70% increase)

A few fees did go down slightly, but not nearly enough to offset the numerous and significant fee increases!  Deann estimates that with all the fees required, building a house in AF will now jump from about $8,000 to $12,000+  just for city impact fees...

Making our city more expensive and less inviting to live and do business in is the wrong direction for our city to go.

We should seek to have a low tax and fee environment, not one of the highest in Utah County!


Carlton Bowen
AF City Mayoral Candidate
Current AF City Councilman

AF Mayoral Candidate Announcement

Today I filed as candidate for American Fork City Mayor

I've been honored to serve as your city councilman these last few years.  I've sought diligently to uphold my oath of office in supporting and defending the Constitution of our great country and state.  I've endeavored to be transparent and to help make our local government more transparent and accountable.  I believe we have succeeded in doing that to some degree.  My votes on every issue have been thoughtful and in accordance with deeply held principles.  It has truly been a pleasure to have a Voice and a Vote on our City Council. 

I feel I can most benefit our citizens and our city by serving in the Mayoral role in the future, and to that end publicly announce my candidacy for American Fork City Mayor!

I have a vision of a debt free city; it's something we can make progress towards and eventually achieve.  I led the fight against the 20 million dollar road bond in 2013 and I want you to know that rejecting the bond was the right thing to do.  I later found out that even without the new bond, debt service was our city's single most expensive budget category per year.  It cost more to service our debt than it cost to run our entire police department for a year!

We have funded road improvements with a pay as you go approach since then, and we have completed some significant road projects, but we can and should be funding our "Capital Improvement Road Accrual" account at a much higher level than we currently do.  The road account needs at least 4 million dollars a year to adequately maintain our existing roads.  I think it's also important that we keep our taxes low for both our citizens and our businesses. 

So with this vision and these goals in mind, I throw my hat into the ring for American Fork City Mayor, and express gratitude to all those who have supported me in the past and who are supporting me now.  Together we can do this!

Carlton Bowen

American Fork City Mayoral Candidate

Agenda 21 in disguise?

The AF Canyon issue came up before our city council suddenly, as if out of the blue.  We had never talked about it and then were presented with a resolution to vote on.  The resolution had parts that sounded radically environmentalist and that called for the Federal government to get involved.  I was concerned about the language of the resolution and asked a good friend, who is a conservative radio talk show host, what he thought of it.  My friend knew a nationally recognized expert on these types of issues and forwarded the resolution to him for his review.  His response (published below) raised concerns about links to Agenda 21.  Agenda 21 is a UN sponsored scheme to limit local control of land through environmental regulation.  The response below is a review specifically of the American Fork resolution on the AF Canyon issue:

Tom DeWeese

President

American Policy Center

www.americanpolicy.org

A Review of the

Environmental Stewardship of

American Fork Canyon

Resolution No. 2015-06-17R

I’ve been asked to review this document to determine if it is related to Agenda 21. Normally, when someone brings up Agenda 21 local officials and planners do an impatient eye roll and start talking about non-existent conspiracy theories. And they assure us that THEIR plans are all LOCAL. So, let’s get that out of the way first. 
 

Here is some history:

Agenda 21 is the culmination of several documents created over a series of UN sponsored events throughout the 1980s and 1990s. It was presented as a final plan – a comprehensive blueprint or the Agenda for the 21^st Century for reorganizing human society.   

          In 1992, 50,000 delegates made up of 179 heads of state, diplomats, business leaders, government bureaucrats and members of thousands of non-governmental organizations converged on Rio de Janeiro, to introduce to the world a document they called a “Comprehensive Blueprint” for reorganizing human society.

Obviously, they thought it was pretty serious stuff.

Then Nancy Pelosi introduced the idea to the US Congress that fall, calling it a Comprehensive Blueprint. (I‘ve got the Cspan video on my website). 

The UN, in a 1993 publication described Agenda 21 like this: “Agenda 21 proposes an array of actions which are intended to be implemented by EVERY person on Earth…it calls for specific changes in the activities of ALL people… Effective execution of Agenda 21 will REQUIRE a profound reorientation of ALL humans, unlike anything the world has ever experienced.”      

In 1994, the American Planning Association (one of the largest and respected planning groups in the nation) put out a newsletter calling Agenda 21 a Comprehensive Blueprint.  

In 1997 the United States issued a 70 page report to the United Nations on the progress the US was making to implement Agenda 21.

In 1998, the Federal Register issued a report on the EPA’s Challenge Grant Program. That report says, “The EPA’s Challenge Grant Program is also implementation of Agenda 21.”

In 2011, the EPA issued a revised report entitled “History of Sustainability.” It details how EPA policy on Sustainability was developed. The Fifth item on that report is Agenda 21, calling it a “comprehensive process of planning and action to attain sustainability.”   

            Since its introduction in 1992, Agenda 21 policies and ideas have worked their way through federal, state and local governments. These are pushed by hundreds of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which helped write Agenda 21 at the international level. They then helped the federal government create a series of grant programs to fuel the policies. ‘

State governments were pressured to pass legislation to force nearly every community and county to create comprehensive development plans. The grants were offered in the classic carrot/stick situation.

This brings to local communities an invasion of NGO (Stakeholder) groups, federal and state agents and planners like the American Planning Association. All armed with identical plans to control development, energy and water use, and much more, all using the excuse of environmental protection.

Agenda 21/Sustainable Development policy attacks the community through three basic directions. 1. The destruction of private property rights and control. 2. The creation of non-elected regional governments and councils, taking government further from the people who have no control over these non-elected entities. 3. The grant programs to fuel it all.

The result of these planning policies is that local communities have lost their independence as the grants force them to comply with strict federal regulations. Agenda 21 is changing the U.S. system of government, creating massive control over every aspect of our lives, resulting in higher taxes, diminished individual life decisions, a choke hold on the ability of private business to exist, and growing corruption in local and state government.   

Finally, the logo used most often to depict Agenda 21/Sustainable Development policy shows three connecting circles. Each labeled. One is labeled Economic Prosperity. The second, Social Equity. The third, Ecology. These are referred to as the 3 E’s. And they clearly show that Agenda 21 is truly meant to control every aspect of our lives.

Economic Prosperity is basically Public/Private Partnerships. These are not free enterprise, but a very dangerous merging of government and selected private businesses.  The government gets to hide behind the independence of the private business so that its policies look acceptable and voluntary to the community. Meanwhile, the specially selected businesses (usually huge corporations) get the power of government – sometimes given the power of eminent domain for projects other businesses would never be allowed to perform. They also get special tax breaks, granted ideal locations for their stores, etc.

Social Equity is the key to understanding Agenda 21. The other term for it is Social Justice.  This simply means redistribution of wealth, and that is what Agenda 21 is really about. Most recently the Obama Administration has issued an Executive Order through HUD to social engineer our neighborhoods to enforce specific diversity requirements. This is Agenda 21.

And the Environment – that’s just the easy, popular excuse to hide the real purpose –  reorganizing human society.

So, this is a very brief explanation of a very complex, very detailed Agenda to change our society. But it is all necessary to understand why the American Fork plan is dangerous to the life of your community.

So here goes:

The first sentence tells exactly where this plan has come from. “Environmental, Economic and Social…” The Three E’s of Agenda 21.  Ask yourselves, what “social” justice issues are there in the situation the document is trying to address? The inclusion of the word Social is a warning that this effort isn’t simply about a concern for protecting the Canyon. The plan, once implemented, will affect every single resident, their homes, and perhaps even their jobs.

The second sentence talks vaguely about establishing “best practices and policies” for the management of the plan. Details are purposely left out. This task will be dictated by any grants taken for the project. The grants, and the necessary federal agent overseers that come with them, will decide. Local opinions will only count if they agree with the federal policies. Before implementing this plan local officials had better ask some very hard questions and research the details of any grants they apply for.

The third sentence talks about “watershed” protection and the quality of water. This language is straight out of EPA Sustainable policies that say it controls all of the water in the U.S. What is the watershed? How far back to the source of the water does this plan intend to take it to “protect” water? The community may find its ability to do normal things with water are now greatly limited. Industry may find it is no longer able to operate because of strict rules on waster use. That will damage the economy and cost jobs and higher prices for good and services.

The fourth sentence, historic preservation. Of course we all want to preserve historic places. As yourselves, aren’t such important places already preserved? What danger are they in? I imagine that this plans lays down boundaries around such historic sites. Beware of those boundaries. Grants may be issued from the National Park Service, for example, into the hands of special interest groups that begin to pressure the local community to disallow certain activity on private property, or to curtail certain businesses as a danger to the historic site. Boundaries have consequences. And so does federal money. Loss of control for the local community and for property owners is the usual result.

Sentences five and six are major warning signs to recreational users of the Canyon. They may soon find that they have no ability to use the areas for recreational purposes as pressure groups move in to protect bugs and critters no one ever knew existed there. If you haven’t guessed yet, the true purpose of this plan (even if not the intention of the city government) is to lock this area away from human use. How is it possible that the intention and focus could be changed? This plan was not written by city councilmen. They were certainly “mentored” by Non Governmental Organizations that claim to be “Stakeholders.”

“The native ecosystems and the collective needs of non-human species must take precedence over the needs of humans.” Reed Noss (a creator of the Wildlands Project) 

Sentence seven is the most outrageous of all. It attempts to use fear mongering to set an image of out of control capitalism bent on destroying everything in its path. Local elected leaders must ask themselves, is this public land or private land? The document says it is public land. If so, no private business can do a thing on it without permission. Attacks on the free market are the hallmark of Agenda 21 proponents.

“A massive campaign must be launched to de-develop the United States. De-development means bringing our economic system into line with the realities of ecology and the world resources situation.” Paul Ehrlich (Professor of Population Studies, Stanford University.)

  Sentence nine is straight out of Agenda 21 as it indicates locking away land use for future generations. It’s interesting that the sentences talks about how early settlers toiled in the Canyon to provide for their families, yet most of the items called for in this document would, today, make such activity impossible.

Sentence ten. Throughout the document is the use of words like reasonable, best practice and local. One must ask, according to whom? What is a reasonable practice? These are questions that ever resident must ask. How will these policies affect them personally? Is it reasonable for them?

As for the solutions called for in the document – again, the language contains the continued use of best practices without defining what they are. Experience tells that these are dictated by planners, NGO’s government agents and fueled by grant programs with specific strings attached. 

Of great concern is the call for conservation easements. These are sold as a positive way to gain tax advantages for farmers and protect private lands. In fact, they are many times used to take control away from the property owner and place it in the hands of a land trust in “perpetuity.” In addition, the easements take land off the county tax rolls and that means other property owners will feel the effects as they are forced to make up tax shortages. It can devastate a county.

And finally, the sentence that calls for cooperation of civic leaders and cities is a direct call for the establishment of some sort of non-elected regional councils that will most likely be manned by NGOs and other private interests.   

“Regionalism must precede globalism. We foresee a seamless system of governance from local communities, individual states, regional unions and up through they United Nations itself.” UN Commission on Global Governance.   

In conclusion, there is nothing local about this plan. It is boilerplate for such policy being enforced around the nation, all designed to sound compassionate and “reasonable” for local control. The result of this plan will be the invasion of an army of planners, government agents, and NGOs (calling themselves “Stakeholders”), armed with rules and regulations to control every aspect of living in the community. There will be higher taxes, reduction in energy and water use, controls on private property, in short a reduction in the standard of living in the community -- the exact opposite of what the document claims it is trying to accomplish.

The best way to counter or to at least balance such a plan is to demand that the private property rights of the owners be protected at all costs.

Here is a definition of property rights issued by Washington State Supreme Court Justice Richard B. Sanders as his court sought to deal with such land control programs.

“Property in a thing consists not merely in its ownership and possession, but in the unrestricted right of use, enjoyment, and disposal. Anything which destroys any of the elements of property, to that extent, destroys the property itself. The Substantial value of property lies in its use. If the right of use be denied, the value of the property is annihilated and ownership is rendered a barren right.”

This definition is based on James Madison’s dissertation on private property. It should be used as a guideline in determining any proposed restrictions on private property and, thereby, keep any such land use proposal “reasonable.”                    

Part of the Problem or Part of the Solution?

There aren't very many occasions where the vote of a city council can impact the national debt, but tonight (November 10, 2015) was one of those nights.  Sadly, the American Fork City Council chose to potentially add $200,000.00 to the national debt.

The issue is Community Development Block Grants (CDBG).  This is where the federal government takes money from you and I, sends it to Washington, and then sends some of it back to local governments.  The problem is, this isn't what our federal government was formed to do. 

Nowhere in the Constitution is the federal government given the Constitutional authority to fund  Community Development Block Grants.  There is no Article 1 Section 8 grant of Constitutional authority for HUD or CDBG's. 

Furthermore, the federal government currently doesn't have the money to do so either.  Our Federal government is 18 trillion dollars in debt, and runs a large budget deficit every year.  Indeed some within the government itself are warning that the out of control federal debt is THE biggest threat to our future national security.

I voted against CDBG tonight.  I voted to not add to our national debt. 

What if the American Fork City Council had joined me in voting against CDBG?  And what if our sister communities did the same?  And what if cities in other states followed suit?  We would be keeping our oath of office to defend the Constitution that way. 

We would also then be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem. 

Why Not Lower Utility Rates?

Tonight the American Fork City Council had the opportunity to lower water rates to 2014 levels, but failed to do so.  Instead they raised rates, again.

American Fork City has realized budget surpluses the last three years, yet Council members continue to vote for tax and fee increases.  Tonight's vote also included dozens of new fees, including a $300 fee to build a residential accessory building (like a shed), a nearly doubling of several construction fees, and new fees for non-city league organized sports to use the parks.  (highlights from the new fee schedule are below.)

During the past two years, I've seen the American Fork City budget go from 48 million to 58 million, yet new and increased fee burdens continue to be placed upon our citizens.  I disagree with these fee increases and have consistently voted against them.  Unfortunately, incumbent Council members Frost, Clark, Shelton and Shorter voted to increase your water utility rates, add new fees, and increase other existing fees: