A proposal before the Ogden City Council to implement an opt-out utility bill round up increase to fund scholarships for local high school students is a bad idea that should be rejected.
If the council wants to fund college scholarships for high school students in Ogden, then propose a tax increase, or a volunteer opt-in program, or a bond fund. But this is not the way to do it. When someone has a utility bill of $64.02, or even $62.99, they shouldn't have to take the time to opt out of a program that raises tax bills, even if the cash benefits others.
City officials are very aware that some people will not take the initiative to opt out of the proposed scholarship round up. That's why the proposal is tailored as an opt-out. Janene Eller-Smith, a policy analyst for the city, told Ogden officials that a program that required an opt out would generate $112,500 annually, while an opt-in program would only tally $22,500 annually. The program would be administered by Ogden United, a group that includes public school officials, community leaders, and the United Way.
It's simply wrong for government to grab cash in such a manner. In our opinion, the idea of automatically enrolling people in a plan that hits their wallets shows how cavalier some public officials can be with other peoples' money. These are hard economic times. People are keeping close tabs on their change. We're pretty sure that most of us don't want the government to take their quarters, dimes, nickles and pennies unless they specifically tell the tax collectors it's OK.
As we mentioned, it's not that a scholarship for local students is a bad idea, it's the funding mechanism that we object to. There are other ways to accomplish this -- we've mentioned some above -- that show far more respect for Ogden's taxpayers.
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