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Show fMf 4 4 V BCX 4 F ' T 3 " C' rf MTU','' Z6:3 3-- CITY SI 101 J JL UL SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH Utah Legislators Face Varied Assortment of State Problems Several new and a number of old problems will be on hand when the Utah Legislature meets in January. Senate President Haven Bar-losaid purchase and lease of private hunting and fishing land by private clubs will be one of the new problems to come before w the lawmakers. Another will be an attempt to legislate a limit to campaign spending. Gov. Calvin L. Ramp-to- n called for such legislation a few weeks ago. Another problem to claim the major attention, he said, will be the welfare crisis. Certainly people honestly in need of welfare, those helpless to helo themselves, must be given No. 1 priority, but several welfare programs need to be carefully looked at and perhaps some eliminated, he stated. The senator said the Legislature is presently in a weak position to do much about welfare due to federal government requirements and the Legislature lack of research and post-auditi- ng tools. The executive branch of state government largely calls the tune at present, he said, but leg- islation (including several constitutional amendments) is pending which woudl give the Legislature better control of welfare and other state spending. Barlows counterpart in the House, newly elected Speaker Ricvmard C. Howe of Murray, sayis one of the highly controversial issues will be proposed constitutional amendments to allow a radical change in the form of county government. He believes the lawmakers will have to do something about reapportionment and he agrees with the Senate president that the two legislative bodies have a mandate of sorts to limit campaign spending and perhaps to shorten the period of election campaign. Howe said the Democratic party will probably sponsor legislation to liberalize election registration requirements. Liquor control laws will likely come in for some attempted tinkering, including a provision to allow1 waitresses to bring minibottles to restaurant tables, he stated. Like Barlow, Howe believes the Legislature will have to face up to the welfare dilemma. More money will have to be appropriated if existing programs are retained, he said. The House speaker said public irritation over periodic crises in school teacher negotiation is reaching a point where he believes the Legislature will be under pressure to enact a public education negotiation act. Barlow said he finds an increasing awareness among legislators of the financial plight of Salt Lake City, and believes they will act to provide remedies if the city government and the people can unite on what they want. You cant have the mayor going one way and the commissioners the other way and expect the Legislature to do anything, he said. Two years ago even the Salt Lake City legislators were split on the issue, he said. (At that time, an additional one-ha- lf percent sales tax and other remedies were being debated). As usual, state finances (how to divide up the revenue pie) will be the thorniest problem, the Senate president asid. Sheriffs Deputies Ask Support For Department s Budget The Deputy Sheriffs Mutual Aid Association this week made a plea for public support for the the proposed 1971 budget for DeSheriffs Salt Lake County partment. The association was joined by International Brotherhood of Police Officers Sheriffs . Local 124. At a public meeting Dec. 15 in the metropolitan Hall of Justice auditorium citizens can help insure. Salt. Lake County is provided with adequate police protection and compliment the apCounty Commission for its said. parent stand, a statement cut .. The commission recently the sheriffs budget from the re$3,744,823. quested $4,036,591 to assoamount this with But even ciation and union officials con- , tend that it will still allow the sheriff to implement programs that will benefit the entire county in our war against crime. They added that if no other cuts are made the commission should be applauded for its foresight and wise contribution to the security of Salt Lake County. Criminals today are just as sophisticated as the police, but there are more of them, an association report states. And dont think they have not established themselves in Salt Lake County. We need a strong, efficient sheriffs office to discourage hard core crime in Salt Lake County before it becomes like other large communitites. . FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1970 Cities, Towns Ask Vic Increase In Utah Sales Tax Utah League of Cities and Towns has sent letters to state legislators urging support for a c sales tax increase for local government. A similar request was denied by the 1969 regular and special sessions. Additional finance is vital, and we are asking your support for the one half cent optional sales tax which would provide the counties, cities and towns of Utah with a source of revenue to meet growing fiscal responsibility, wrote Bennie Schmiett, the Leagues executive director. This time the league finds the Utah Association of Counties, through adoption of a resolution in support of permitting the increased tax option, and another ally in the citizen organization, Alliance for Better Law Enforcement. Jack E. Christnsen, county association executive director, said there is no question the matter is going to be presented again to the legislature which convenes Jan. 11. The Alliance, called the ABLE committee, contains a broad section of business men and civic leaders. Its are H. C. Shoemaker, retired executive of Sears, Roebuck & Co., and a former state tax commissioner, and Donald A. Mackey, a vice president of the Grand Central Stores. en Secretary of State Presides at Lights on Event Gov. Rampton Says '71 Priority Must Go to Welfare Grants Gov. Calvin L. Rampton this week said foremost priority in the State Family Service Division 1971-7- 2 budget must be to welfare grants and given medical services with eligibility determination second and ad- ministration third. The governor made the comment after the Social Services Department and the Family Services Division of that department presented a $75 million budget request. Evan E. Jones, Jr., division director, told the governor the administrate n request was a bed rock request and is up 11 percent from the current budget because of the necessity to keep up with the states growing welfare load. He agreed with Gov. Rampton that there is no question we need to place highest priority on grants and medical services (they are projected at about $64 million) but that there is dire need to get eligibility personnel out from under the paperwork by moving much of the work on to the state computer. Case loads are projected to increase per caseworker by about 10 per cent next year and determining which applicants are . eligible and which are not, is an increasingly time consuming task. Of the proposed budget, 59 per cent ($44.3 million) is for money grants, and 27 per cent ($20.4 million) is for the burgeoning medical assistance program, of which in 1965 was around $6 million. Some 10.3 million will be for administrative costs. Officials of the State Industrial School also met with the governor Friday and asked an 11.5 per cent increase in the schools budget to $1,897,000. Claud Pratt, superintendent, said this year the school found it was spending ahead of its budget in part because of necessary tightening of security due to an influx of older, more difficult to control students. Officials asked a relatively small amount for the capital outlay ($42,000) but has asked the governor for approval of a $143,300 work load increase representing about an eight per cent increase in work load over this years budget. Also appearing were officials of. the State Training School, American Fork, who asked approval of a $4,880,000 budget, which represents a 22 per cent increase over this years $4,019,-00- 0 budget. . TODAYS EDITORIAL Secretary of State Clyde L. Miller presented a plaque to Highland High School students at the annual lights at the State Capitol. Highland was declared winner A major medical crisis has developed in the rural of the best decorated of the four the small town trees in the Capitol rotunda. The areas of America the disappearance of others participating wer West, country doctor. Skyline and Granite High. For many people in rural areas, physicians are too Gov. Calvin L. Rampton wel- far away to conveniently provide routine medical care. comed the several hundred state seems to justify a drive up to an hour employees and visitors who at- Only an emergency tended the ceremony. or more to reach a doctors office. Miss Nancy Whisenhunt sang, Utah shares in this problem. Several counties coverand Raymond Kunkel, pianist, vast areas in the south and central portion of the state and Glennis Quigley, organist, ing In dozens of small towns played Christmas music. Peggy are without a single physician. Bingham, the "Snow Princess, there is no doctor. played violin selections. Federal agencies, the governor s office and medical C. Mrs. Kaye Smith, Capitol schools are concerned about the effect of all this deeply conhas daily arranged guide, well-bein- g of Utahns. certs in the rotunda by school on the health and choirs and other groups until Meetings have been held, commissions formed, pro- Country Doctors Needed Dec. 23. We have long had death and taxes as the two standards of are those inevitability. But there who believe that ' death is the Erwin preferable of the two. N. Griswold. posals put forth and discussions have filled the air with words. But the problem continues. What is needed is some action. There is one agency actually doing something, however. Based on a voluntary private program, the Utah (Continued on page four) CCr.?, 7 |