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Show By LUCY BOONE Standard-Examiner staff MARRIOTT-SLATERVILLE- The bride and groom's union was contested, the nuptials sparsely attended, but family and friends report it's been a happy honeymoon. Marriott-Slaterville, population 1,500 and formed by the joining of two 150-year-old communities, celebrates its year anniversary as a city this month. "I'm really happy with the way things have gone in the last year - tickled to death," Mayor Keith Butler said. And maybe, even after a year, the honeymoon isn't over. After all, many of the concerns of incorporation opponents haven't materialized. In 1998 when the then-township voted 346 to 69 to become a city, a major concern of the 69 was that city status might mean new property taxes. So far, it hasn't. "I feel good about that," said Delbert Hodson a council member, who promised residents no taxes in the first year. re's a lot of unknowns, but like to see us remain new taxes. That's my has survived its first tax revenue, chiefly 12th Street busi- nesses. help people," he said of his furthering the cause he once opposed. Although he's become a part of the inner workings of the city, he's still skeptical of its future. "It's gone a lot smoother than I thought, but there are bumps ahead," he said. Incorporation has been smooth in part because of generous wedding gifts - Ogden City is allowing Marriott-Slatervilie to use a former Department of Defense building rent-free. Meanwhile, the city has been able to save $47,000 to put towards a city building, Butler said. Another gift, from mother nature, was the mild winter and low snow removal costs. But when guests stop giving, the tax man will take, Bischoff said. "There hasn't been a city ever that hasn't had to pick the pockets of its citizens." Another financial concern of incorporation opponents was that a city administration would prove costly. However, Marriott-Slaterville has survived the first year paying salaries for only one full-time administrator and a part-time recorder. The mayor and the five-member council August 7, 2000, Cont'd have volunteered their time. Now that the city's on better footing, however, the six of them will get a $100 a month salary -not enough to send the kids to college, but a step up. "Most of us knew going in that this wasn't going to be a money-making job," said Hodson, a farmer and school bus driver who said he doesn't consider himself a politician. Born and raised in Marriott, he ran for office only when prodded by friends. "I just wanted to help out," he said. "A lot of people were afraid we were going to be sucked into Ogden City." Being "sucked in" or annexed became a real threat when 1997 legislation took away the community's planning and zoning autonomy. Because Marriott-Slaterville is hemmed in by Ogden on the east, West Haven on the south, and Plain City and Farr West on the north, residents decided to become a happy couple before they became a couple of stepchildren. But like most young couples, the city's made some blunders along the way. "We're like teenagers; we've made some dumb mistakes," Butler said. Most of those mistakes have been procedural or in wording of ordinances and have been quickly corrected, Butler said. "It's just a learning process. You learn from experience." The ordinances providing the learning experiences were a source of trepidation for those who opposed incorporation. "Our code book's growing by leaps and bounds. We just keep adding to it," Bischoff said. "We've enmeshed ourselves in regulations." Right now, the city is in the process of drafting a nuisance ordinance - a step that Bischoff said reflects the changes that he feared are imminent. "One man's play is another man's nuisance. We're no longer the quiet little community we were," he said. But while becoming a city means change, for some it's a way to prevent more drastic, forced change - or loss of heritage. "We were incorporated to save our heritage," Butler said. The city's name is one example of holding onto that heritage. Founded within a year of each other, both Marriott and Slaterville were named for their respective founders. In their marriage, they each wanted to maintain their maiden name. "A lot of people don't like the long name, but we felt strongly about that," Butler said. "We're going to stick with it." While change and growth are unavoidable, as a city, residents feel they can at least control some of that change. For Hodson, who's raising his four children in his hometown, that control is important. "As much as possible, we'd like to keep it the same. That's what my heart says. My head doesn't always say that's what's going to happen." You can reach reporter Lucy Boone at 625-4228 or lboone@standard.net 10 |