Let's have some fun - throwing a monkey wrench in local government...

mameye · #1 09-14-2005, 09:42 AM

OK All, I have accepted a position on my local land use planning board for redesigning the County's 20 year land use plan.

I am looking for constructive ways to monkey up the works and get some protection in place for private property owners. And maybe educate some of the other board members on the finer points of the actual responsibility of grubberment...

This is going to be an 18 month to 2 year process and I will keep the forum updated with the goings on. I will also take under advisement any and all suggestions made here upon discussion of Suijuris members.

Let's have some fun -

Mike

wisper · #2 09-14-2005, 12:59 PM

Sometimes we may throw out the baby with the bathwater. From experience I can attest to real value in land use planning. The thing I consider most important is finding a way to get people involved. Its the same old apathy problem!

Why is planning of value? For one, the tremendous damage awards it costs municipalities when planning was not attended to. For instance, it became a medical and phsychological fact through the post jet years that any noises in a zone on a continued basis can cause all kinds of problems for animals, including the human type! The neighborhood sprawls in Las Angeles is (like Chicago) a situation where the planning did not have mitigating alternatives. The laws, because of the medical research were updated, and the FFA and EPA to note just 2 of a larger number, were involved in the planning requirements for all areas where federal funds would be involved. There is a law in the environmental arena that staes that noise maps must be a part of the planning. Noise greater than 65 DBm is sufficient to trigger serious health problems.

As a member of your planning group, be aware that in LA the people who went to court to sue the Airport authority, recieved an average of $250k, AND THE COST, (Inflated) for their property, under eminent domain
I was involved in an environmental Impact assessment and to protect the airport authority, the county, and the state, we had to buy up or attempt em. dom. to *protect* the people from damaging noise.

wisper · #3 09-14-2005, 01:29 PM

I don't know about others, but my concern would be Planning and zoning. Can you affect things they do from the planning assignment? P&Z all over the states seem to become the powerful people who can put so many wrenches in the citizens' works, that they can literally bankrupt the business, or stress out the property owner just trying to get a home. Each step in their processes can make one have to go back over and over! I have been trying to go through the process, in my business for going on a year this fall. My option would be to hire a design firm with professional engrs. to do something as simple as a driveway, or placing a septic tank in the ground. Over all, the stuff I am doing would cost me more to get the Engr. firm, than my two acres, a manufactured building, parking lot, and sidewalks, total!!! At what point does good old common sense kick in. Dumb question- the question should be, how an one fight the system? In the courts?

dadmoonbunny · #4 09-15-2005, 08:05 AM

find an artful but fun way to insert a rule/staute/regulation that ANY corporate servant, employee, city, state, county, etc, must have either land owners permission (in writing, signed with a lawful signature, 30 days in advance), or a LAWFUL search warrant IN HAND to enter on, make ANY assessment of, or bother ANYTHING or ANYONE on Private Property.

mameye · #5 09-16-2005, 11:11 AM

Wisper and dadmoonbunny,

Thanks for the input. I agree with wisper on the planning and zoning issue. One of the members of the group is also on the P/Z commission. I will try to work with him to see what their "agenda" will be.

As for the permission issue... I'll have to see how that could be fit into the Usage Plan structure. One of my concerns is making sure that eminant domain is NOT considered the easy out for the county.

Please keep the comments and ideas coming.

Thanks,
Mike

wisper · #6 09-26-2005, 03:57 AM

I spent the majority of the day reading from the download section. I got through the anti-gov handbook. Wow. SJ, you and the rest of those who help, all I can say is,"thanks!"

I learned that if property is given to the FED and then comes back from the fed, the new owner will most probably have to pay taxes.
This is one situation, and I guess it is almost logical (the way govs operate).

But this is becoming a dilemma for me; in the case where the Fed had all title to the land (BLM), and then it is patented to the rail roads, then sold off and divided and sub-divided, The patent didn't say a thing about taxes, and the people over the past 40 or 50 years have been paying taxes,and as I accept patent and tell the world i have done so, I am not certain where to go at this point to get immunity from prop.taxes.This property did not belong to the state first as in the case above, and it is obvious the title cos. just drug all the buyers over the years into the assessors' web, and I did not have to pay taxes yet, but they are coming due, any suggestions??? No one has gone after perfect perfect title, that I can find in any of the over 35000 acres that Pres Wilson patented to the RR.