A guy owns 28 acres of land which to date is un-developed. For whatever reason it cannot be or has not been developed. This guy's taxes on the land are miniscule as it's listed as farmland. (+/- $.35 an acre -- a rate set in 40's). And it's just been sitting there collecting earth worms.
Maybe the guy needs money, maybe he just wants to get rid of it. He's probably tried to sell it on the open market. Maybe there was no interest or no buyers at the price he was seeking -- $1 million.
So he picks up the phone & dials Ben Oko (Chairman of Land Conservancy)
'Hey, Ben, I've got some open space for you..... How does 28 acres in Ridgebury sound? I can let the whole thing go for $1 million. Any interest?'
Ben: 'Wow! Cool. Neato. Boondoggle. Fantasmgoric. I'm in. I'll put the deal together.'
Ben calls Rudy Marconi
Ben: 'Rudy, 28 acres have come on the market which I want for the conservancy. The guy wants $1 million but I've only got $650k. Can you get me the other $350k so I put this deal to bed. Time is of the essence. It's gotta get done fast, can't wait for the budget referendum....'
Rudy: 'Yeah but I'll have to have a reason to spend the $350k because the voters are in a foul mood. Guarantee me a site for a cell tower that will earn the town $100k annually & I'll use that to counter the why-are-we-spending-$350k-at-this-time-argument & probably get it by the voters.'
Oko: 'Ok but....'
And the two of them work out a one page badly constructed contract between the town & the Conservancy setting out the ownership of the land & setting out the conditions & parameters for constructing the tower.
The contract doesn't pass the smell test at a BoS mtg thanks mostly to the 3 people in the audience who, grumble, ask questions about the town's involvement, question the site, the cost & the contract. Too many questions, not enough answers. The decision is delayed & Dr. Oko leaves pissed off.
Changes are made to the contract, it passes the BoS & it moves to the BoF who approves the $350k if the voters agree & Rudy goes off on an education campaign about how neat it would be to have a cell tower in that location.
Lost are the details of the real reasons why this deal came together.
Maybe the guy needs money, maybe he just wants to get rid of it. He's probably tried to sell it on the open market. Maybe there was no interest or no buyers at the price he was seeking -- $1 million.
So he picks up the phone & dials Ben Oko (Chairman of Land Conservancy)
'Hey, Ben, I've got some open space for you..... How does 28 acres in Ridgebury sound? I can let the whole thing go for $1 million. Any interest?'
Ben: 'Wow! Cool. Neato. Boondoggle. Fantasmgoric. I'm in. I'll put the deal together.'
Ben calls Rudy Marconi
Ben: 'Rudy, 28 acres have come on the market which I want for the conservancy. The guy wants $1 million but I've only got $650k. Can you get me the other $350k so I put this deal to bed. Time is of the essence. It's gotta get done fast, can't wait for the budget referendum....'
Rudy: 'Yeah but I'll have to have a reason to spend the $350k because the voters are in a foul mood. Guarantee me a site for a cell tower that will earn the town $100k annually & I'll use that to counter the why-are-we-spending-$350k-at-this-time-argument & probably get it by the voters.'
Oko: 'Ok but....'
And the two of them work out a one page badly constructed contract between the town & the Conservancy setting out the ownership of the land & setting out the conditions & parameters for constructing the tower.
The contract doesn't pass the smell test at a BoS mtg thanks mostly to the 3 people in the audience who, grumble, ask questions about the town's involvement, question the site, the cost & the contract. Too many questions, not enough answers. The decision is delayed & Dr. Oko leaves pissed off.
Changes are made to the contract, it passes the BoS & it moves to the BoF who approves the $350k if the voters agree & Rudy goes off on an education campaign about how neat it would be to have a cell tower in that location.
Lost are the details of the real reasons why this deal came together.
Two old sayings come to mind from my grandmother
ReplyDeleteIf it walks like a duck and looks like a duck guess what?
and
The fish always smells from the head