Tag Archives: Budget

Hideout’s water rights deficit: a $13-25 million water bomb ?

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After the Hideout Comment exposed in our last story another misrepresentation by Mayor Phil Rubin to the town council, his administration trips over itself in attempts to save his credibility.

In the process, the administration alluded to potentially even a bigger problem looming over Hideout: the approval of development without acquiring water rights, a problem that could prove very costly, to the tune of $13-25 million potentially.

Lack of transparency by the administration and Rubin leaves much of the issues in the dark, including the financial viability of Hideout moving forward.

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Hideout’s attempt to hike water rates by up to 54% tests the Mayor’s credibility

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By Miki Mullor

Forced to roll back water connection fees, the Town of Hideout is now proposing water usage increases by up to 54%. Mayor Phil Rubin blamed the rate hike on an increase in the cost of water charged by the Town’s wholesale supplier, Jordanelle Special Service District (“JSSD”).

JSSD has denied it raised rates on Hideout. Documents obtained through a GRAMA request from JSSD show no rate increase in the last two years.

Hideout’s budget proposal for FY24 shows that water costs are in fact expected to be lower than the four year average and lower than FY21 and FY22. Salaries and benefits cost on the other hand is set to increase by 42% compared to last year, and by 226% compared to FY21.

This might be the second time Rubin is relying on misrepresentation to the council to raise public fees. After we published our story on the use of fabricated data to justify gouging water meter fees, the council voted to roll back those fees and issue refunds to impacted residents.

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Judge hands Hideout another loss in its costly war on Golden Eagle

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By Miki Mullor

In a June 9 ruling, District Court Judge Jennifer Mabey handed the Town of Hideout another legal loss in the court case regarding the denial of building permits in Golden Eagle on the basis of infrastructure reasons.

  • The court ruling leaves the Town no more reasons to wholesale deny building permits in Golden Eagle
  • It is estimated the Town spent around $250,000 on this failed legal fight, and missed hundreds of thousands more in building permit fees.
  • The Town seems poised to continue its war on Golden Eagle, now denying Certificate of Occupancies, on largely the same infrastructure reasons.
  • Higher property taxes are expected, as the Town now runs a $250,000 annual deficit.
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Hideout restates FY23 budget amid legal expenses, revenues shortfall – expects higher taxes

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By Miki Mullor

The Town of Hideout council will be discussing tentative FY24 budget. It also has notified the public of restating the FY23 budget that was “driven by fewer new subdivisions being developed and higher legal professional costs.”

The Town is using a transfer of $156,225 from the its capital fund to close the deficit in the FY23 budget.

FY24 is expected to have a deficit of $455,000 that “will need to be funded by an increase in property taxes and town fees and well as continued control of town expenses and utilization of prior year capital fund surpluses.”

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