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Show Mme Tames? Lmt IKeswt By TOM BlISSELBERG North County Editor LAYTON Saying hed increase taxes only as a last resort" after the public decided they wanted more services than current funds could provide, gubernatorial candidate Norm Bangerter emphasized intention further to deal with the bureaucracy of state government. SPEAKING TO the Layton Chamber of Commerce, the speaker of the House of Representatives said "many challenges must be faced as Utah moves from a rural to urban-base- economy; one d thats seen his home of Granger grow in his lifetime to from 80,000 as West Valley City. Candidates will promise reduced class size through lower taxes by a surge in economic development but Mr. Bangerter indicated that sector wouldnt bear sufficient fruit for at least three-fou- r years. Education must be provided within financial means available and those limits are already being reached, he said. SCHOOLS will always hold a major part in the state, where 20,000 graduating seniors are being followed by 40,000 entering kinder-garten, he said. Year-roundistrict consolidation and schools, double sessions must all be explored while the public decides d Davis Ponders Master Plan For Drainage By TOM BUSSELBERG FARMINGTON - The need for a drainage master plan in the eyes of some county planning commission members was accentuated last week, by seeking a moratorium on Mutton Hollow development unit such a plan is developed and implemented. -- THE COUNTY commission must take formal action on the request and was expected to discuss the matter in todays (Wednesday's) county commission meeting this morning. That action came last Thursday after a recommendation from County Surveyor H. Glenn Austin that "an overall plan for Mutton Hollow be developed. The discussion resulted from concerns raised over the past three months about allowing continued development there that could cause drainage and watershed problems. IT WAS QUICKLY expanded beyond Mutton Hollow, though, as planning commission members agreed a plan must be drafted for the unincorporated area, that includes Val county-wid- e Verda. "We should have a master drainage as important as master plans for roads and sewers, Mr. Austin said, noting the countys acquired aerial photographs that detail topography. I think we can take those and begin, he said, indicating the county planning department or surveyors or others interested should conduct such a project although time, money and manpower could pose a stumbling block. p!an--tha- ts how much it wants from its schools and is willing and able to finance. Turning to the state bureaucracy, as governor Mr. Bangerter said he wouldnt plan wholesale firings of key administrative personnel. Instead, hed meet with them and ask them to continue providing as efficient and effective work as possible but would make replacements geared to improve the bureaucracy, adding, though that many could lose their jobs. THAT STATE of limbo--wit- h most anticipating a change in em- more VOTERS WILL decide several key issues besides who will sit in the chief executives chair, next year, when they go to the polls in November, he continued. Constitutional amendments, if approved, would pave the way for an appellate court that would hear many cases that must now be referred to an ever-mor- e beleaguered reme Court. Sup- Currently, all cases may be appealed from lower courts to the high bench and it could mean increasing the size of that court. IN ADDITION, voters will decide if the Legislature should meet in y sessions each year vs. the 45-da- alternating day sessions. 60-2- 0 y Those budget sessions are geared to money matters and issues must go through a 20-da- current- ly, to gain hearing. The change would allow for easier continuation of legislation from one session to the next and enhance work of interim committees that meet monthly through the year, he told the 60 in attendance. ASKED whether hed continue the status quo and place a heavy burden on businesses, Mr. Bangerter, himself a contractor, said businesses in reality dont pay taxes but pass the increases on to customer bills. But tax-wis- e, Proposition Ones passage, that boards that must be equally divided between political parties. fairly-distribut- appointments, though, he emphasized, noting Davis Countys 12 percent population is only represented by three percent of state appointments. Planning Com. Chairman Dean Penrod recommended obtaining professional expertise to complete such a plan, even if it means going outside county employees. He was the sole dissentor, voting against the moratorium, though, emphasizing the problem should be explored before such action is taken. Some developers whove approached the planning commission seeking project approval in Mutton Hollow have proposed a swail drainage system using individual lot land contour vs. a curb, gutter and sewer system, helping retain the rural atmosphere. NEWLY-ELECTE- par- THE GOVERNOR holds sway over 1,200 appointments, Mr. Bangerter said, although many are for Hed make resentation, coming from west Salt Lake County, stressing that pyery-on- e doesnt have to come from Salt Lake City in state government. process, ties besides administration-wi- ll unmean "unstable government til January. As for the lieutenant governor post, hed seek a professional partner who could do more than draw a hefty paycheck, really That making a contribution. partnership would extend to the auditor and treasurer, who tend to be too defensive in their roles although "all have problems and challenges running a ployee operation. Hes sympathetic to'lack of rep- Tilly 4th Celebration Layton Riata Days Parade Tradition Will Continue, But Route New Along LAYTON -- to perform. - The Layton Parks and Recreation Department lead-er- The 4th annual Layton Rotary Fun Run will begin at 8 a.m. near the LDS Seminary building. is by mail to Layton RotBox 557, Layton, or from P.O. ary, a.m. the day of the race. Preregistration is $5. This includes a or cap, prizes and ribbons a i drawing for all runners. The dt of the race, registration costs $6 cor more information call Mike at . s have planned many activities for the annual Riata Days July 4th will city celebration. Some events new will be There be old standbys. programs introduced this year. n BECAUSE OF the construction work on Main Street, the parade route will be changed. Parade entries will line up at Central Davis Junior High School. The parade will start on the corner of Golden Ave. and Fort Lane and move south to Gentile Street. From Gentile Street the parade route will be west to Lancer Lane and then into the high school parking lot. Starting time for the parade a.m. is 1 1 THE ANNUAL Riata Days Art Exhibit will be held in the Heritage Museum July 4th through July 15th. Amateur artists from Northern Davis County are invited to exhibit their works at the museum. Each artist is requested to bring one or two previously unexhibited work to the examples of his-hmuseum on June 30 or July from p.m. All paintings should be framed or matted and ready to hand. A label should accompany each painting showing the title of the work, the name of the artist and the medium. There is a registration fee of $1.50 for each painting. er ENTRIES in the parade will be accepted up until starting time. The city will have booth space for rent to local organizations that want to earn money. The booths are 12x20. Each space rents for $30. Power and water are available. People wanting to rent a booth should call the parks and re- raised business taxes, followed the thrust intended, he added. Increased severence taxes creation office. .All reservations serve are made on a first come-firbasis. should help carry the load while in response to another question he expressed support for coordinating state mineral and gas valuation and tax efforts that could generate milrelions of dollars in currently-los- t venue, up to $100 million in uncollected gas leases. LIVE entertainment will go on continually through the afternoon on July 4th. There is still times available for any performing dancing or instrumental. Contact the parks and recreation department if you want st group-singin- g, 1 THERE IS no registration fee for children age 12 and under. First, second and third place awards will be made in each of adult three age categories--youtand senior. These awards will cover all media represented in the exhibit. In addition, there will be a grand prize award for the single h, outstanding piece of art in the ex- hibit. dmg D MR. AUSTIN suggested a swail system doesnt always work, with many areas too steep but spoke of a shallow eight inch set-u- p curb-typ- e that allows water collection more inobtrusively from rooftops to commercial parking Its and school playgrounds. He spoke against requiring one lot as a retention basin in a development. With a fence placed around it its ugly, garbage is thrown there, its a problem to keep weeds out-t- hat doesnt appeal to me, personally. COM. MEMBER Tom Jacobs emphasized developments as currently handled and said a plan is needed so requirements can be laid out to developers instead of having to decide each case individually or defer action. County Com. Harold Tippetts, former county planner, indicated the Mutton Hollow problems with drainage are typical around the county and emphasized the "hodge-podg- e development currently allowed, adding, we just cant respond to one must develop a whole plan. development--w- e "not orderly MUTTON HOLLOW is located between Layton and Kaysville from east of Interstate 15. In other action near the Mutton Hollow area, the commission y denied request allowing construction of a home near the east Layton Valley View Drive mudslide area because of e a nearly private road that was feared could be usafe and cause possibly drainage problems to neighbors. More Davis Residents Are Now Employed By TOM BUSSELBERG The weather may still be depressing, to many, as the rain continues to fall, but there are an evergrowing number of employed residents in the county. IN FACT, rate-mean- ing Aprils 4.7 percent about one in every far better than the state average and several percentage points above the rate of a year earlier. Clearfield Job Service Manager Jack Bailey notes decline in those visiting his office for welfare assistance. or a fourth as Maybe clients signed up, recently, many he said, adding even welfare problems start disappearing as 22 is unemployed-- is one-ha- lf the economy picks up. THOSE SEEKING the road were urged to cooperate with lly nearby property owners to obtain some kind of a road that could be turned over to the county--i- f standards were met--fpublic use. The commission approved construction of two in Val Verda at about 3500 S. Highway 91 on a mixed-us- e lot that includes commercial and several other residential units. solution-potentia- or four-plex- es e, generally positive economic picture has been created, Mr. Bailey said, with gross taxable sales up by 13 percent, for instance. Construction increased during the January-Marc- h period by only 3.2 percent, though, although construction doubled in value, increasing by nearly $5 million though residential dropped by nearly $4 million. AMONG NEW activities, construction-wise, in the area is construction of a new grocery store in Bountiful that should add 80 jobs and see a opening; a new packaging corporation at the Freeport Center will be hiring late-summ- er single-famil- half-mil- DAVIS COUNTY performed far than the employment-wisWasatch Front North district that also includes Weber and Morgan counties, where a 6.3 percent jobless rate was counted. In addition to more job holders, a better, THE APRIL rate is nearly a full percent up on Marchs 5.4 and Februarys 5.5 and far outshines the April, 1983 8.9 figure. At the same time, the number of civilian jobs in the county continued its rise, up to 49,360 a 1.6 percent improvement over the previous year. Statewide, 12,000-plu- s new jobs were created over the past year. locally; a major trucking-traile- r firm, also at Freeport, has doubled employment to nearly 500 while a missile and rocket engine manufacturer has hired about 200 during the past year, with a display counter more during the last quarter, g units, while Clinton saw only five permits decline. issued, a county. NORTH SALT Lake dropped by 16.7 percent, to only 10 permits, while West Bountiful issued only a pair of permits, for a 66.7 percent decrease. On the positive side, Layton led the way with a minor increase, up by 7.9 percent over the previous year, with 82 units approved. Percentages looked more impressive than numbers, most places, such as with Woods Cross, growing by 100 percent to eight units and the same percentage in Syracuse, where two units were approved. WEST POINT issued 14 permits, for a 16.7 percent gain over last year while South Weber and Sunset both issued eight, for no change. The unincorporated area netted 14 permits registering a hefty 55.6 percent gain. By comparison with Weber County, though, Davis continued d growth. Only 152 permits were issued there, nearly a h decline, with Roy, nestling on Davis north side, registering nearly half those permits. Only six permits were issued in Morgan County. around Thanksgiving and Christmas, this past year, throughout the MORE THAN $203 million in gross taxable sales were recorded throughout the county in that period up nearly 1 1 percent and led by Laytons $57 million-plu- s, 'an increase of 13.7 percent over the previous year, and Bountifuls $54.3 million, up 12.3 percent. Only Clearfield, with an 11.2 percent drop, and South Weber, saw sales defalling by one-thirclines with Kaysville climbing the most, percentage-wisup by 61 percent to nearly $9 million in sales. HOUSING starts, meanwhile, reflected a mixed picture following the rising interest rate situation. Overall, only 268 units were authorized from January-Marc- h in the fewer than county, nearly one-fift- h the same time last year. ' Many cities saw substantial drops in permits issued, from d, e, Bountifuls percentat to Centervilles near-5- 0 45 manufacturer at the Clearfield units-dr- op facility adding 50 workers. Merchants cash registers rang fall, to only eight units. Clearfield slid by 21 percent, to 30 nt normally-fast-growin- two-thir- ds fast-pace- one-fourt- Davis Lags Imi Creaitmg Jolbs tial assessed valuation vs. commercial and industrial. TOM BUSSELBERG North County Editor By one-fift- FARMINGTON - Davis Countys lagging behind its Wasatch Front sister counties in creating jobs and tax revenues for its population. -- fast-growin- h THAT LAST figure--a- t only 22 percent, or barely of the total valuation vs. 31 in Weber and 30 in Salt Lake, means more of the tax burden must be borne by residential property owners vs. sales tax and other commercial taxes. Net local per capita sales tax collections, for instance, generate only $30.39, locally, vs. $31.31 in Utah, or the next lowest Wasatch Front county, and $42 in Weber and $56 in Salt Lake. Although the number of local jobs has increased, with ongoing improvements, especially at the Freeport Center, of late, better two in five must leave the county, putting a burden especially on low and moderate-incom- e residents who must generally pa their transportation costs, Mr. Sommerkom says. g WHILE ITS near the top in population growth, job creation and tax revenues to pay for necessary services are virtually at the bottom, meaning theres a possibility services could even decontinues to escalate. teriorate if the Those words of gloom come from Wilf Sommerkom, a county economic development planner, as he outlined some of the preliminary findings in the countys economic development master plan thats being prepared. ALL INDICATORS for employment and tax base indicate that with regard to economic growth, Davis County is lagging behind, and in some cases far behind, the rest of the Wasatch Front area, he writes, emphasizing, the implication is that Davis County must grow economically to provide employment opportunities close to home for the growing population and (grow economically) to help pay for the basic services to serve the growing number of residents. He cites statistics, gathered by fellow economic planner Rich Welch, that reveal a continuing dependence on HAFB and government employment; lack of job growth within the county to meet the population growth and dependence on residen- on-goi- I of some JOB SERVICE figures show a total net 5,000 workers from the county, or that many fewer jobs than there are workers in the county to fill them. Beyond that, Davis County bears a continuing dependence on 42.7 percent far and away the highest along government jobs--the Wasatch Front, with neighboring Weber at only 27.6. Such a jobs distribution may make the county economy vulnerable to swings in defense spending. This employment distribution may also indicate the county should attempt to increase jobs in the trade and manufacturing sector to diversify the local economy. at IMPLEMENTATION of an economic development program can affect the local tax base, Mr. Sommerkom indicates, as industrial facilities are built and products sales occur. I . On top of that, the county as perceived by many industrial concerns as less desirable than Weber and Salt Lake counties, for instance. DAVIS COUNTYS average annual employment increase, for instance, lags far behind all but Weber County, although that county has gained and now created more jobs than population. In Davis, on the other hand, while population grew by nearly 50 percent over the 1970s, only 29.1 percent more jobs were available. Only Utah County, with even greater population growth, saw fewer jobs than people added. It shows we definitely need some kind of a plan at look at solid economic development, Acting Board Chairman Randy Sant said. "We fall well below other areas. THE OTHER counties have relatively strong economic development forces in place, Mr. Sommerkom added, and the county must follow suit or continue to lose out. An economic development program should attempt to influence the creation, expansion or retention of jobs in the trade and manufacturing sector-- an area Davis County falls far shy, Mr. Sommerkom adds. SUCH A diversity of business and industry would help strengthen pinched local government, as people have bemoaned heavy tax burdens, for the community in a fiscal bind, whatever the cause, bringing in new commercial ratables that promise to yield far more in revenues than they will demand in services is an obvious solution to the problem, he notes. I |