Weed watch.

anA reader "Just Here" suggested it, and now it's time.
The new weed ordinance has been in effect for about a month. What do you think? Has it done any good? Let's see.

Take a drive around. What businesses are there out there that have weeds less than 12 inches high?

Maybe if we do post them here someone in the Village will read this blog and act on the information. Maybe...

police per capita

Did you know? What is the police per capita suggested numbers?
Who knows. It is hard to know because of the large number of variables. (Crowded conditions, apartments, etc) But.

Here is one look at what the police per capita might be with big cities, large cities, larger cities, but aren't the numbers in here interesting?

Big cities with bigger crime rates, higher rates of people squashed into together have a lower police to citizen ratio. In fact, no matter how you look at it, police to citizen or police to square miles Bosque Farms is on the top of the charts of the places this author looked at.

And they are hiring another one to help patrol Peralta?

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/26/weekinreview/26chan.html




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washtenaw_County,_Michigan





http://www.ncsociology.org/sociationtoday/review2.htm

This author realizes it is difficult to pinpoint what the exact number should be for patrolling officers. If you have 4,000 people in 1 square mile it might be harder to patrol than 4,000 in four square miles or swap it who knows? It just seems that 12 officers for a four square mile area is a bit much.

Now add Peralta and you have what? An 8 square mile area. How many officers do you need?

Any thoughts?

Keep This in Mind

"Information is the
currency of democracy."

Thomas Jefferson

Compare McCain vs. Obama

This author didn't write it, supposedly the man who signed his name below did write it. This author simply did a little bit of checking to see if it was accurate. Every point one of the authors checked was accurate.


You have my permission to forward this financial information to everyone on the planet. See below. It might affect you.

Keith Wilsdorf, PE 19777
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Make sure you know the facts and your vote can make a difference!
INTERESTING DATA RECEIVED ON TAXES
This is something you should be awareof so you don't get blind-sided. This is really going to catch a lot of families off guard. It should make you worry.

Proposed changes in taxes after 2008 General election:
CAPITAL GAINS TAX:

MCCAIN 0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples) McCain does not propose any change in existing home sales income tax.

OBAMA 28% on profit from ALL home sales
How does this affect you? If you sell your home and make a profit, you will pay 28% of your gain ontaxes. If you are heading toward retirement and would like to down-size yourhome or move into a retirement commu nity, 28% of the money you make fromyour home will go to taxes. This proposal will adversely affect the elderlywho are counting on the income from their homes as part of their retire mentincome.

DIVIDEND TAX

MCCAIN 15% (no change)

OBAMA 39.6%
How will this affect you? If you have any money invested in stock market, IRA, mutual funds, collegefunds, life insurance, retirement accounts, or anything that pays orreinvests dividends, you will now be paying nearly 40% of the money earnedin taxes if Obama become president. The experts predict that 'higher tax rates on dividends and capital gainswould crash the stock market yet do absolutely nothing to cut the deficit.

INCOME TAX MCCAIN (no changes)
Single making 30K - tax $4,500 Single making 50K - t ax $12,500 Single making75K - tax $18,750 Married making 60K- tax $9,000 Married making 75K - tax$18,750 Married making 125K - tax $31,250

OBAMA (reversion to pre-Bush tax cuts)
Single making 30K - tax $8,400 Singlemaking 50K - tax $14,000 Single making 75K - tax $23,250 Married making 60K- tax $16,800 Married making 75K - tax $21,000 Married making 125K - tax $38750

Under Obama your taxes will more than double! How does this affect you? No explanation needed. This is pretty straight forward.

INHERITANCE TAX
MCCAIN 0% (No change, Bush repealed this tax)

OBAMA Restore the inheritance tax
How does this affect you? Many families have lost businesses, farms andranches, and homes that have been in their families for generations becausethey could not afford the inherita nce tax. Those willing their assets toloved ones will not only lose them to these taxes.

NEW TAXES BEING PROPOSED BY OBAMA
* New government taxes proposed on homes that are more than 2400 square feet
* New gasoline taxes (as if gas weren't high enough already)
* New taxes on natural resources consumption (heating gas, water,electricity)
* New taxes on retirement accounts and last but not least....
* New taxe s to pay for socialized medicine so we can receive the same level of medical care as other third-world countries!!!

Does this make you "feel good" ?? Inspired ?? Is this the change youare/we are looking for ??

So why is ragweed and the ragweed conference so important?

Hm, for those in the know, ragweed is on an increase.
The United States Climage Change Science Program (and yes, there is such a place, check it out) says that with increased levels of carbon dioxide more weeds will proliferate.

Of course, this just does not mean ragweed will grow rampant but other weeds as well.

http://health.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/08/08/allergy-alert-mega-ragweed-season-is-near/

Rag Weed, A problem in Bosque Farms.

It is not too late to sign up to attend the international Ragweed Conference. This is a first of it's kind and will be very very interesting. And the place this is going to be held at promises to be a lot of fun.

This author will most likely be there. Will you?

Oh wait, better not joke even, the Mayor or the Councilors will decide they need to be there to learn about ragweed.

http://www.nki.hu/ragweed/

The conference will focus on the theoretical and practical aspects of ragweed infestation. Basic research together with field applications will be emphasized, along with laboratory, pilot, and modeling studies leading to innovative approaches. Platform and poster presentations were selected by the technical program committee from abstracts submitted for consideration.

Are Your Roads Fixed?

Wow. Have you been driving around and looking at the new roads? Ok, there are not many but have you seen the two or three roads that have been 'gussied up'?

One road has two feet of brand new paving, two feet of old paving, two feet of brand new paving, and so on. What a pretty pattern that made.

What are they thinking?

Did they think it was cheaper to fix parts of the road and not parts of the road? Did they think the patterns made Bosque Farms look nice?

This author sure hopes that someone is tracking which two feet sections of the road have been fixed so that in five years when parts of the road falls apart and parts of the road doesn't fall apart, the current elected officials understand and can fix the problem right.

Did Anyone Read

Did anyone read the article about the deaths, the murders, in the senior living home in Albuqerque?

Ah, but not to worry, these will be better. When they go in that is.

The Meeting (A Little Post Late)

As everyone has read by now, or knows because they attended the meeting, or has heard from friends, the big meeting was a small meeting. There is not much to report.

The Council turned down the application for the Senior Living Complex. For Now.
It just about hurt Councilor Wallace to follow the attorney's advice and turn it down.
She all but begged them to please come back and try again.

So there it is folks. It is not over yet. Those who are in the know keep this author informed so that this author can share meeting dates and times for future attempts at passing this through.

And remember, those of you who don't want this, take a good look at the Council stand and see who is sitting up there. Do you want these people elected again? If not you had probably start thinking about running for Council or running for Mayor. Be sure you know who you are voting for and don't fall for the nice talk.

No Weeds

Ok.

This author has decided that when you spray the weeds when they are small you are doing nothing but watering them. When they are little you spray them and nothing happens except they seem to suck in the poison and thrive on it; growing bigger and stronger and greener.

If you spray them when they are bigger, then they are too big and resist the poison you are spraying on them. Either that or having been raised on a diet of poison spray these weeds do not die when they are bigger. They simply thrive, grow stronger bigger and greener.

In fact, this author is convinced, it is called weed spray not because it is doing anything to stop the weeds but quite the contrary. When you are spraying the weeds you are spraying more weeds into your ground.

This author has decided to call it quits. No more spraying.
Instead, this author is going to call them what they are, trees in the making.
In our house the saying will no longer be 'the grandkids are growing as tall as or as fast as weeds,' but you guessed it, 'the grandkids are growing as fast as trees.'

That is right. Does anyone want to see a tweedus? There is a large one in the yard of this author. You have to keep watering this tree otherwise it dries up and rolls away. It looks more like a bush but grow it tall enough and it is a tree. Sometimes you see the tweedus painted white to look like snowman. This author is thinking green is a nice color.

It isn't hard to imagine the tree mustard, which is often called mustard weed, will soon grow tall and bloom in those lovely yellow flowers. Grow this tall enough and you can sit in your hammock under the tree in the shade.

Yes, these are not weeds. They should not be kept to 12 inches. In fact, in a few years, this author fully expects to be named 'the tree person of Bosque Farms' and have a special day dedicated to the art of growing trees.

why do wifi?

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-5653856.html


You can do it without raising taxes if you do it right:
For instance, chaska.net, a citywide Wi-Fi network in Chaska, Minnesota, projects that revenues from their 2,000+ subscribers will fund the network's operating costs, pay the interest and repay the principal--without using taxpayer funds. The 16-square mile network was financed (less than $600,000) with four-year equipment certificates.

You can improve basic services
In San Mateo, California, police officers now spend 8,000 more hours a year on their beats, because a municipal broadband wireless network gives them mobile access to databases and in-field reporting. In Corpus Christi, Texas, a broadband wireless network is automating utility meter reading, reading 73 water meters per second, compared to minutes per meter using manual processes.

It could be a boost to the economic vitality of Bosque Farms. It would be a boost to the businesses and in fact we may find more businesses move to Bosque Farms because it is offered as a service. Uh... Where is Councilor Knowlton, he of the economic development committee?

Open Meetings

This author hopes that the Councilors will do the right thing.
1. Be sure there is enough room for everyone who wants to attend the meeting.
2. If more people than there is room show up that the Council will stop the meeting, find a bigger spot and reconvene at a later date. (read the open meetings act about how this is done!)

And if you are turned away, particularly if you are turned away from this meeting by anyone in authority, please call and report it.

The Attorney General Mr. King
1-800-678-1508 New Mexico Attorney General

New Mexico State Police (for immediate help)

Open Meetings - Not Enough Room in the Hall

http://wvde.state.wv.us/opinions/view/1/270/opinions.html

This above link is from West Virginia. In this link the Planning and Zoning Commission are looking for input on their meeting rules based on the open meetings act for WV. But look at this:

Attendance - In the event that there is not room enough to conduct a scheduled meeting due to the number of members of the public that wish to attend, a scheduled meeting can be moved to accommodate all those wishing to attend

Meeting Tomorrow

A special meeting has been scheduled to hear from Jarmie at 6 p.m., Monday, Aug. 11.

http://www.news-bulletin.com/news/81698-07-19-08.html

Remember, where it was last left with the Senior Housing Business Mr. Jarmie is supposed to answer the questions of the councilors. There were quite a few questions. Some of those include:
- do they have to restart this process because our own ordinances say that if you don't show up to the planning and zoning meeting, you lose the money you had to pay to start this process and the Commission votes no with no further votes.

-can they vote for assisted living use because the Council was in the process of changing the laws for this business to come into town when the paperwork was filed.

And of course the issue of the notification and the signs needs to be addressed because it looks like the 'other attorney' isn't going away with that issue.

And while they are discussing legalities let's hope they discuss the parking issue. Is it five per home? 7 per home? and what do our own laws say? Why would the Council let this business dictate to them?

Grandkids

The Grandchildren will be visiting. The posts will sparse for the next week. It is a quick visit because school starts for them next week.

And Still More About the Flood Plain

In the last session of 'all about the flood plain' it was left hanging at the point where our elected officials have to do something to help us.

What can they do?

Well, they can do things to demonstrate to FEMA that Bosque Farms won't flood even in a larger flood. They can map the canals and dams and ditches and use that to show that the flood water has a place to go and that the ditches will hold enough flood water during a flood.

They can petition FEMA to reconsider their designation of the flood plain.

They can simply not sign off when a new flood plain map is put out for their approval. This latter option is not really the best option but it works (as we have seen in previous postings).

Here is a site that might help you understand a bit about the flood plain. It is from Pierce County Washington but it is helpful understanding a bit about the flood plain.

http://www.piercecountywa.org/pc/services/home/environ/water/general/floodmgmtinfo.htm

More on the Flood Plain

In the last session of 'learning about the flood plain' this author shared a basic history of the flood plain and why there is a flood plain. (Note, this is very basic and there is much more complete information available available!)

Now a little bit more specific.

Not too long ago (as little as 12 years ago) many parts of Bosque Farm that are currently considered 'in the flood plain' were not in the flood plain. The changes came soon after the good ole Mississippi flooded and many people were displaced and the insurance companies had to pay out for the flooding.

There is a good chance you were not in a flood plain but now are in one.

You can do several things to get out of the flood plain. You can build your home up so it is higher than the flood plain. You can find the elevation marker near you (a little round thing usually in the middle of the road) and ask the local flood fema people to analyze your home and see if you can get out of it that way. Several people in the Village have done just that and have had luck in reducing or getting out of flood plain completely. You can move.

That is about it. This is one of those things that we, as a people who live here, have very little say in. This is one of those things we have to rely on our elected officials to take care of for us. Unfortunately our elected officials see no reason to do this.

Please go to this link to read the whole comment. "New To Bosque Farms" had quite a bit to say. Some of it has been edited out by this author, not because it is invalid or not worth reading, simply for brevity. But the whole post by "New.." Is worth reading.

http://bfgovernment.blogspot.com/2008/07/cure.html

"New to Bosque Farms" had this to say

Of all the things that I found disturbing at Monday night’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, these really stand out:

1)Several commissioners talked about the need for special services for the elderly as mentioned in the Community Survey. Why hasn’t anyone asked: What special services exactly will this facility provide specifically for Bosque Farms residents? Will the residents be able to use their community center? Will the residents be guaranteed placement in the facility?Several people including a couple of commissioners mentioned the need for an assisted living facility in the Village of Bosque Farms so that elderly residents could stay in the Village…does that mean the facility is going to guarantee Bosque Farms residents placement?
....

3) Be aware: I live on Sandia Drive and pass the two signs on Valle several times a day. They are both there contrary to what was stated by one of the commissioners. .... However, both of these signs and the one on North Bosque Loop do say: NO CHANGE IN ZONING. I’d like to ask: How is that not a lie? And more importantly, how could that it be explained away in the meeting as perfectly all right and not really misleading to residents?

4)But my real astonishment came when the facility partners began to reveal that all this was really just “a concept” and nothing much had really been planned out in detail. That certainly explains how their proposal changes each time they present it but it does not explain how they could get a recommendation out of the Planning and Zoning Commission for their business. I noticed that the residents who came before who were requesting business permits were asked very detailed and specific questions by the Commissioners about their planned use. What would the Commissioners have done if these petitioners had said it was a “concept” and they were still working out the details?

I may be new to Bosque Farms but this is not my first rodeo: I know political bull when I see it...and I'm see it.

Let us hope that things are better at the next meeting and that the councilors ask some of these questions.

It is in the numbers

http://bfgovernment.blogspot.com/2008/07/cure.html

On this post two readers followed up with some interesting thoughts and comments:

"Daisy" tackled the issue of parking and traffic.
Did you know a traffic study has to be done prior to granting a special use permit?
Did you know they had some specifications about parking spaces?
Check out the Village Ordinances 10-1-12 all of section B.
http://bosquefarms.us/codes.htm

Laundry trucks, delivery trucks, Medical supply & waste trucks, staff autos, family autos, lab personnel, physicians or their associates, inspectors,transporters for patients, coroner,EMS and Fire Dept.

Let this author add to the above count of parking spaces and traffic you might need. At the Council meeting the men operating this said they would have something like five employees at a home at any given time.

Five employees times three shifts times five homes equals 60 cars just for employees per day.
This does not count the extra employees for the alzheimers home. Even at three employees you can times that by times shifts times five homes equals 45.

Flood Plain

Daisy Asked and this author has done some digging around and has a few answers:

Who controls the flood plain? Why is it set up the way it is? Why are we in the AE zone?

So here it is, the very facts put forth in a way that this reader understands them to be accurate.

The government got tired of bailing people out for being flooded without insurance. So they said 'here and here and here is where it is likely to get flooded- get insurance.' The arm of the government that does this is FEMA. Federal Emergency Management Agency.

To enforce this and make everyone compliant they passed the job onto the state who passed it on to the small city governments. Every state has a law about this and every city that has a flood plain area must have an ordinance (a local law) about this very issue.

FEMA gets to pick where the flood plains are, that is why we are in the flood plain. The best that this author can tell, there is some truth to the idea that the Mississippi floods so we end up paying the bill by being forced into a flood plain araea and thus paying flood insurance.

This is the end of post one answering your questions, watch for more in the near future.

A New Mexico Attorney.

The City Attorney noted that New Mexico appellate courts, while not deciding whether spot zoning is always illegal, have enumerated two factors to weigh in deciding if illegal spot zoning has occurred. Those factors include: a) if the use fails to comply with the comprehensive plan, and b) if the use is inconsistent with the surrounding area, grants a discriminatory benefit to the landowner, and/or harms neighboring properties or the community welfare.

You may visit the alamogordo.nm.us website to access these minutes from the planning commission meeting there on Jan 9, 2000.

But wow, isn't that interesting. This attorney has told h is community 'powers that be' that first they have to follow their master plan and second that the change in zoning can not be discriminatory in giving the landowner extra benefits at the expense of harming the community and neighbors surrounding the land.

Just a little fyi.