Laws
Simmington Hills Law
Sabien Cunningham, Sr.
Simmington Hills Council Leader - Mayor/Spokes Sim
(Most Laws were instituted by Simmerville and the SUN Neighborhoods
and were changed around to conform to Simmington Hills.)
These Laws are subject to change at any time and must be upheld by every Simmingtonian.
*Please see the Politics - Spokes Sim's NOTES for further explanation on laws and revised laws.*
Effective Simday - College SimYears (
Hood Council Administration
(a.k.a The Administration, The Council, The Hood Administration, and The Hood.)
The Hood Council's positions: Their salaries will start immediately.
Politics – Spokes Sim NOTES:
Qualifications: Political Career, level 3 or higher
Task: Coordinating the Hood Council’s work, being its voice and face. Enacting new Laws.
Holder: Sabien Cunningham, Sr.
Medicine – Health Care NOTES:
Qualifications: Medical Career, level 3 or higher
Task: Operate the Medical Center, Manage SimPlan Health Insurance
Holder: Trinity Higgins-Dalton
Business – Finance NOTES:
Qualifications: Business Career, level 3 or higher
Task: Manage Business Certificates (BC), the Administrative Budget and Taxes
Holder: Nick Michels
Athletic – Recreation NOTES:
Qualifications: Athletic Career, level 3 or higher
Task: Promote fitness through diet, recreation, and exercise.
Holder: Honey Tebo-Michels
Military: Special Operations NOTES:
Qualifications: Military Career, level 3 or higher
Task: Train local troupe for secret commands.
Holder: ???????
Slacker - Socialite NOTES:
Qualifications: Slacker Career, level 3 or higher
Task: Host events/parties, Manage Upcoming Events Calendar, Attend parties and family hot spots
Holder: Marisa Bendett (as of Simday 19)
Law – Security NOTES:
Qualifications: Law Enforcement Career, level 3 or higher
Task: Prevent criminality, solve conflicts, police contact.
Culinary – Food Distribution NOTES:
Qualifications: Culinary Career, level 3 or higher
Task: Coordinate food distribution for local Fresh Market and outlying restaurants and stores.
Holder: Sergio Spencer
Science – Archive Librarian NOTES:
Qualifications: Science career, level 3 or higher
Task: Manage the local library, keep record of community history and residents' registry.
Holder: Cameron Masters
Homemakers – Family Wellness NOTES:
Qualifications: Unemployed or home business
Task: Uplift family values and wellness amongst neighbors. Secure rights for children and elders.
Holder: Emerita Valdes (as of Simday 6)
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Administrative Staff
Education Director: REPORTS:
Qualifications: Education Career
Task: Reports on the status of SH CPS and CPE schools, and makes educational policies and decisions
Holder: Maxine Wise (as of Simday 20)
Tax Assessor: REPORTS:
Qualifications: Business Career
Task: Report on the tax collection process every Spring season.
Holder: Trenton VanHouten (as of September 2007, Simday 25)
Until the population grows into enough numbers to justify an election, a Council Member is to hold their position for a lifetime, meaning they won't be replaced until they reach the latter stages of Elder age.
The only time a Council Member will be replaced is if they could not perform their duties, if they succumbed to death, or if they committed some serious transgression of the law.
SALARIES:
Hood Council Members are paid $800 every rotation (
They were paid $2,000 every 5 simdays, now they're only playing 2 simdays per rotation, that's $400 per simday). The Spokes Sim is paid $4,000 every rotation. ( Sabien, Sr. was paid $10,000 every 5 simdays, now it's 2 simdays per rotation, that's $2,000 per simday.) Salaries for the Administrative Staff are as follows: Superintendent of Schools is paid $2,000 every rotation, Education Director is paid $2,000 every rotation, and the Tax Accessor is paid $800 every Spring season, because taxes are only taken in April. The Hood Council and Administrative Staff are Simmingtonians that represent select career tracks. They are homemakers and business owners, or they are needed to work in a particular field for the betterment of our hood.
LABOR LAWS:
Sims cannot legally work until the age of 16. Sims aged 16-18 can only work part-time jobs sponsored by the Teen Maxis Careers Program. Sims aged 19+ can work full-time jobs with Sim-Owned Businesses or any available Maxis Career job. (Simday 25)
ADMINISTRATIVE-OWNED (AO) PROPERTIES: Any property paid for by the Hood can be turned into privately-owned businesses. The Hood Council Administration must approve this transaction. These properties must be used in the same way, for example, the library must remain the library...the only difference is that they are privately-owned by a Sim. No BC is needed in this case because the new owner will purchase the lot at its full listed price. Therefore, no Business Certificate (BC) will be necessary. The Administration will relinquish any responsibility for maintenance and renovations. (See the SimYellow Pages, for a listing of Admin.-Owned Properties. The Administrative Budget reports, shown in the Business Advisor's NOTES starting the end of 4th Period, will give an accounting of how much the Administration paid for these buildings.)
The Apartment Life Deal was recently signed. Rents are now automatically calculated based on the lot value/apartment furnishings, and are due once a week on Monday. Rents will be collected by a landlord and reported to the Administration for data entry in the current period's budget report. (Revised Simday 16).
$10,000/$20,000 Home Ownership Rights for Willow Co. and Camden Park
$15,000 Business Certificate (see below for an explanation)
$5,000 employee tax for every additional employee hired. (The Business Certificate already covers one employee.)
$5,000 residential building renovation tax, a tax for homeowners that have paid off their mortgage, and need to add a room/floor. (Revised Simday 16)
$1,000 Immigration tax per household moving in/joining. A one-time payment due on the day of move-in. (Townies and Downtownies, Founders and Service Workers ie. Police and Education Employees, are exempt from this tax.)
20% produce tax - earnings from produce sold on a community lot, outside of a residential farm or home garden. (Revised Simday 20, raised from 1%)
10% Property Tax will be paid in April of every Spring to the Tax Assessor. Sims must include all adult bank accounts only. (Revised Simday 25) *See Business - Finance NOTES (Round 2006 - September 2007) for more information on Taxes.
FEES:
$8,000 is the cost of college tuition, per student going to University. $2,000 is to be paid at the beginning of each semester, or you can pay the full lump sum amount. (Revised Simday 25)
$1,000 to switch from Public to Private School
$1,000 per wedding at a posh, upscale community lot.
$1000 per funeral for an expensive burial/cemetery location
$500 per wedding at City Hall (Revised Simday 8)
$500 per funeral for a cheaper burial/cemetery location
$100 - Stealing a resident's newspaper
$100 - Disturbing the peace
ADOPTION:
ADMINISTRATIVE AWARDS: (the no20khandout is used)
A University student is awarded $15,000 for graduation, Magna Cum Laude.
$10,000 for graduation, regular.
$5,000 additional money is granted if student stayed in the Hill House their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year (at 35 Peanut Street.)
(all Founders were exempt from receiving these awards)
WELFARE PROGRAM:
A household can apply for one-time support of:
$3,000 for special needs
$1,000 for buying clothes (kids and teens only)
$1,000 to $3,000 for paying bills and food (Revised Simday 19)
$1,000 for emergency healthcare (See Dr. Dalton's Medicine - Healthcare NOTES, (Simday 15) for details on SimPLAN, our healthcare insurance.)
CREDIT UNION: (Added Simday 25)
A household can sign up for financial support only once-a-simyear. These funds are NOT to be abused as a once-a-simyear income! This office is in place to only aid those in need of financial support. Detailed records will be maintained and posted publicly on the rotation ending Budget Report submitted by the Business Advisor. Any abusers will be prosecuted and jailed until the simoleans are paid back in full.
(*See Simday 5 of the Politics - Spokes Sim NOTES for further explanation on Home Ownership Rights.)
Home Ownership Rights include:
Land Right: The right to land in the Willow County District costs $5,000 per lot. In the Camden Park District, it's $10,000. A Land Right is connected to a specific address, and the right can be bought, sold, or inherited. A Land Right is paid to the Hood and does not include a Build Right, but is required before you buy a Build Right.
Build Right: To make use of a Land Right you will need a Build Right. The Build Right in Willow County costs $5,000 and in Camden Park, costs $10,000. This fee is also paid to the Hood.
In summary, because you need a Land Right in order to get a Build Right, the total value of a Home Ownership Right in Willow County is $10,000 and in Camden Park, it is $20,000. These fees are paid to the Hood.
Furthermore, if a Sim requires mortgaging a property in order to move in, a Sim must contact Nick Michels to fill out a mortgage application. They must have 10% of the listed price, plus the HOR for whichever county the property is located in; and it needs to be paid to the Hood in order to purchase that property.
For details on Home Ownership: Buying and Selling a property, Mortgaging a property, etc. please see the Spokes Sim's NOTES (Simdays 5 and 6): http://www.freewebs.com/simmingtonhills/councilleadernotes.htm
COMMUNITY LOTS: Residents can buy a business after negotiating a deal with the Business Advisor. A Business Certificate must be purchased.
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THE BETTER BUSINESS PROGRAM:
Business Certificates (BC): A Business Right that is required to run any Community Lot Business.
Anyone can buy a BC and a community lot, they just have to be an Adult or Elder. There is no need for particular skills or job. Running your own business is beneficial to any entrepreneur. The OFB Business Deal came with perks and incentives that make it worthwhile.
You must apply for a Business Certificate by filling out an application with the Business Advisor, at SimCity Bank. This application is approved by the Business Advisor and the Type of Business is registered and categorized with the Archive Librarian. At this time, there is no limit to how many Community Lot Businesses Simmington Hills can have.
Your business certificate will be dedicated to one of the following Type of Business (TOB) Categories:
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Trades (stores selling ie. clothes, groceries, games, magazines, etc.)
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Foods (restaurants, cafes, bars)
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Pleasure (clubs, amusement, gaming, gyms)
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Services (offices, travels, social services, real estate, etc.)
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Agriculture (farming/ABR residential lot.) *There is no need to purchase a BC for this TOB category.
Your BC will be connected to one particular community lot. Each lot can hold only one BC, and each BC can be used with only one community lot. The BC cannot be moved to a different lot later, neither can the category of the BC be changed. As soon as the BC is connected to a lot it cannot be split. (*See what nullifies a BC below.)
Before your business is running and considered operative, you will need 3 things to get it started:
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Business Certificate, $5,000 (tax for operating a business)
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Community Lot, $5,000 (the right to use a particular building built on a Community Lot.)
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Employee, $5,000 (One Employee is included. This amount is due for each employee hired, as a hiring tax, waive this amount if you choose to not have any employees.)
No community lot can operate without a valid BC, and if an application has not been filed and approved before you open your doors, a $5,000 fine will be imposed immediately. The business will be closed until this fine is paid and within the current period. If the fine is not paid by the time the period ends, the offender must serve jail time beginning on the 1st day of the new period and until the fine is paid. (Revised Simday 16)
All costs except the Employee Tax, are a one-time cost.
The value of the BC will not change over time, but the value of the business will. And, if you pass your operative business onto an heir, the value will be the current business value. If you sell your business, you must first fire the employee(s). The next owner will only have to pay for their additional employees, minus the one that is included with the BC.
A community lot can be bought from the Hood through purchasing a BC, or a community lot can be purchased from any other local Sim who already owns a community lot. So, any Sim taking over a business after purchasing it from a local Sim, will obtain the BC connected to it, and the category for which it was registered under.
*A Community Lot can be bulldozed in order to build a different type of lot in it's place, whether community/ABR, or residential. A bulldozed lot is no longer tied to a BC. To bulldoze a Community lot, the owner of the lot must get approval from the Hood Administration, and pay $10,000 for the excavation. If approved, the money can be transferred right away.
FARM RIGHTS: Although Farming Rights are required for serious farming, you don't need a Farm Right to grow a small garden in your back yard. Any homeowner/renter is allowed to grow up to 5 plots of land. (Revised Simday 15)
A legitimate farm needs at least 1 Farm Right, which allows a farmer to grow quite a bit of produce. 3 Farm Rights or more, will generally need at least two Sims working the land.
Farm Rights can be inherited or sold. Any Farm Rights that are not wanted or not being used, can be sold to local residents, SUN residents, or sold back to the Hood Administration for $500 each. (Farm Rights lose half their value, once they are originally purchased.)
Any produce sold outside of a residential farm, or home garden, ie. on a community lot, requires that 20% of those earnings be paid to the Hood Administration in a Produce Tax. See Taxes above. (Revised Simday 20)
Each Farm Right allows for 5 more plots of land to be grown:
0 Farm Rights: up to 5 plots
1 Farm Right: up to 10 plots = Small Farm Status, one chosen product
2 Farm Rights: up to 15 plots = Small Farm Status, one chosen product
3 Farm Rights: up to 20 plots = Small Farm Status, 50% one chosen product, other 50% one chosen product.
4 Farm Rights: up to 25 plots = Small Farm Status, minimum 50% of produce must be one chosen product (13 plots), the other 50% can be mixed.
5 Farm Rights: = Farm Status, unlimited number of plots, and the choice of how much and what is planted. (Revised Simday 21)
The value for a Farm Right is $1,000, per Farm Right. Rights can be passed on through inheritance, or sold.
(To start farming:)
- Purchase Farm Rights if planting more than 5 plots.
- a BC (Business Certificate) is no longer required if purchasing a Farm to live on. (Revised Simday 21) Farm lots are considered ABR lots. Administrative Business Residential/ABR Lot: Owned by household, but the business transacted here is for the Administration and Neighborhood.
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CHARITABLE DONATIONS: Any household can decide to give money in charitable donations to any organization or business they choose, for whatever amount they choose, but they must do so without seeking favors from said organization or business.
CONTESTS: The Hood Administration reserves the right to organize contests and fundraisers within the community to raise money for it's endeavors.
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LAWS OF INHERITANCE: Possessions are officially transferred from Possessor(s) to Heir(s) on the day the Possessor dies. Any tangible item(s) that are handed out in advance must be registered with the Archive Librarian, and will be taken into account on that final day.
The Inheritance is the sum of all possessions. Including houses, cars, networth, accounts, rights, and businesses. Inheritance is automatically divided between the deceased's family and friends. This distribution is automatically set up by the laws of SimCity, and has no bearing on Simmington Hills and its Administration.
The Heirloom, however, is the division of all tangible item(s), like houses, cars, and furniture. The Heirloom is regulated through Simmington Hills and its Administration, and is required to be reported to the Archive Librarian.
Possessor:
Possessor is the one who passes on his valuables to his heirs. If the Posessor is married for more than 10 simdays, they will each normally own 50/50 of the heirloom. If the spouse is still alive, the heirs won't neccesarily receive their heirloom. Heirs can get their heirloom by means of the Chain of Inheritance. (*See below.)
Heirs:
The Law of Inheritance deal with the total values. Inheritance is equally shared by all heirs. Regarding the Heirloom, the possessors (and heirs) are free to decide what item shall be inherited by what heir. If there are no such decisions, the Chain of Inheritance goes into effect.
Chain of Inheritance:
1. Spouse: Required: If the spouse has been married to the deceased for at least 10 simdays, the spouse owns 50% of the heirloom. The other 50% can be distributed through the remaining Chain of Inheritance. The spouse of the deceased can decide to "step back" from his/her heirloom, so that the children may gain more than their rightful due, however the children must provide the widowed Sim with a place to live.
2. Children: All children of the deceased Possessor. Includes adopted children and any children born outside of the marriage (if the deceased has claimed them.)
3. Siblings: If there is no spouse, and there is no children, all sisters and brothers of the Possessor will inherit the heirloom.
4. Friends: If there are no siblings and no children or spouse, then the heirloom is divided up between the deceased's friends.
5. Administration: If none of the above, the heirloom value is taken by the Hood.
