In a message dated 6/26/07 12:07:59 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > But here we are. We must take the UCD for what is is. We may never > truly come together under a generalissimo UCD director, but that's hardly a > problem. If UCD stayed as it is now getting funded by local businesses and > citizens by choice rather than by surcharge, it could still survive on more > meager > means, it would simply provide less service. The question we need to ask is, > is this a better idea than sucking it and giving some percentage of our real > estate tax to UCD each year so that it can do every and anything we want it > to do? Do we still want to take the recommendation of Wendell and the UCD > steering committee to only take 12% of the annual RE tax from those with 4 or > more bedroom units on the property? Do we want every landowner to maybe pay > 6% > of their annual RE tax instead so that everyone has skin in the game and can > vote to restrain or enbolden specific UCD practices or works. > > Brian's right. This will only work if we will it to work. Lewis Wendell > will do all that he can to keep UCD afloat and hopefully efficient and > productive, but he and th rest of the UCD can't do it without our support. > Eventually we as a community will have to make a deliberate attempt to uphold > UCD or > destroy it. Whatever democratic dialogue has been exchanged on this list for > the past 2 years about what to do with UCD will become purely academic > unless we the citizens of UC either shit or get off the pot. We need to > reconsider > the UCD NID plan. If changes need to be made, then we need to tell UCD what > those specific legal and/or financial changes are and come to a compromise. > Just to be clear, the BID proposal was IN ADDITION to the current UCD services. It was to fund clean and safe operations on MORE streets. What was proposed was not to replace the UCD with a BID; it was to add a BID component to the already existing UCD. So there would have been a BID with a Steering Committee, working with the UCD and its Board - a little bit like what Guy Laren proposed, when he suggested that somebody else could form a BID and subcontract to UCD for workers and services.
So if the frugal landlords prevail and there is no BID, that does not automatically shut down the UCD; it just doesn't allow the expansion of services farther into the western and more residential areas of the neighborhood. Which some folks think is just fine, if they do lots of block clean ups and aren't feeling the need for more safety ambassador patrols. But what's happening now, in this outcry of anger at the UCD, must be making the people who pay for the UCD itself pause. If the neighborhood doesn't want their free clean, safe and marketing efforts - what should they do? Might they feel it's better to get out of the hot seat and quietly go back inside their buildings and do nothing? Would that really be an improvement for us in the neighborhood? Melani Lamond Melani Lamond, Associate Broker Urban & Bye, Realtor 3529 Lancaster Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19104 cell phone 215-356-7266 office phone 215-222-4800, ext. 113 office fax 215-222-1101 ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.
