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Show The Enterprise Review , November 10, 1976 Page 12b Budgeting and Sunset Laws Fight Fat Nursery Mall Plans Unfold Zero-Bas- e dation report, the popularity of zero-bas- e budgeting and sunset legislation during the past few years has been prompted by rising expenditures and growing governmental bureaucracy. The new techniques have been developed to reappraise and weed out those government programs and activities that no longer may be needed or whose costs clearly exceed the benefits derived. The Foundation study observed that experts are divided as to what can be accomplished by zero-bas- e budgeting and sunset laws. Backers of the proposals claim that it is the best way to cut government costs and give citizens more and better service for their tax dollar. Critics, on the other hand, maintain that while the idea sounds good in theory it will generate mountains of additional paper work and never actually work in practice. Proponents of zero-bas- e budgeting and sunset laws contend that this action is needed to identify overlapping, duplicative, and obsolete government programs, and to take the necessary steps to prune such dead-woo- d from the budget. They also advance the following arguments: It is a technique frequently used by private business to control costs; it makes every program and activity of government stand on its own merits; it provides the basic information needed to rearrange program priorities; it provides a means for identifying and consolidating or eliminating programs that duplicate or overlap each other. Opponents of zero-bas- e budgeting and sunset laws maintain that government agencies would bog down under the added work load Many governmental units across the nation are examining the possibility of budgetadopting zero-bas- e laws as a ing and sunset means of controlling rising government costs, according to the Utah Foundation. Zero-bas- e budgeting is a technique where govern- ment and departments agencies periodically must justify their entire appropriation request before the legis- Unless the body. agencys worth is sustained through this reexamination lative process, and programs activities can be eliminated or curtailed. Presently, budgetary procedures in most governmental units require that the spending agencies have to justify only the increases in their budgets above the level of the preceding year. Sunset laws, which are a d counterpart to budgets, are another technique to force regular review of government programs. Under the sunset approach, agencies and programs have fixed termination dates. Unless the agency can justify its continued existence before the legislative body, it is automatically eliminated. Thus, by setting specified expiration dates, lawmakers are compelled to reexamine and reenact or reject every program at periodic interzero-base- vals. During the past few years approximately a dozen states have enacted zero-bas- e budand sunset laws, the geting Foundation said. In addition, legislatures in at least a half dozen more states are examining the concept. In all likelihood, the zero-bas- e budgeting concept also will be considered by the Federal government when Congress convenes in January. According to the Foun Agency Computerizes Christopherson Travel Service, Inc. of Provo has installed a computerized reservation system linked with major airlines, travel car rental agencies and hotels. The new system enables the firm to give immediate confirmation on flights for about 500 airlines around the w'orld. that would be created by periodic reviews of programs and activities. Included among the agruments presented by the opponents are the following: It would greatly and complicate the lengthen budgetary process; it would require added staffing of budget personnel in the executive budget office and the legislative body; it would e plannhamper it would create ing; delays which might impair the work of limited-tim- e legislative bodies such as are found in many states including Utah. The Utah Foundation study concludes that the final budevaluation of zero-bas- e geting and sunset legislation is not yet in. The report notes that the technique has much potential merit, but the experience to date has been extremely limited as to how the concept will work in actual practice. long-rang- Two Salt Lake businessmen, a contractor and a landscaper, plan to begin construction of a nursery mall before the end of the Lamar Gatherum, year. owner of Empire Landscaping, and Bart Curtis of Bart Curtis Construction Co., plan to build The Nursery Mall at one of tw'o possible locations. The two favor a 5300 South Redw'ood Road location but they are also consid- ering the acquisition of land at about 1000 South just off Interstate 15. Gatherum said the mall, including seven shops, will cost the newly formed par- tnership approximately $600,000. Included in the mall will be a pipe company, floral shop, swimming pool company, gift shop, top soil farm, sod farm and a large nursery divided into outdoor, indoor and greenhouse facil- ities. With the exception of the outdoor nursery, all shops will be enclosed within a 35,000 sq. ft. brick structure, he said, to be built by Curtis Construction Company. Curtis and Gatherum are presently conducting a feasability study to determine the best of the two We possible locations. naturally want to locate where we can attract the most customers, Gatherum For that reason w'e said. have chosen the south end of the valley because of the heavy traffic and access-abilit- y to customers we think we will find there. A new corporation to be formed by Curtis and Gatherum will wholly own all shops within Gatherum said. The two men have already chosen three managers for the various shops and plan to hire four others later. Projected completion date for the new complex has been set for April or May, 1977. National Placements will Search Out Property Buyer Street Journal, and newspapers in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and other Salt Lake City Redevelopment Agency expects to begin advertising this week for a buyer of the property on the southeast corner of 2nd South and West Temple. Ads will be placed in newspapers of major cities throughout the country, asking a base price of $2.5 million for the 233,000 square-foo- t major cities. Occupying about 60 percent of the block, the property was the subject of an economic base study conducted by Genge Call Engineering for Salt Lake City in May, 1976. The study recommended the city seek lot. the most imaginative project available that would appeal to pedestrians. Specifically, it recommended a combination of retail, office and hotel uses. We will be accepting proposals from developers until February 11, 1077, said Mike Chitwood, agency director. He said ads would be placed in the Wall COMPLETE PRINTING SERVICE Letterpress Phototypesetting Creative Layout Design Lithography Business Intertypesetting Industry Commercial FULL COLOR PRINTING Stationery Pamphlets Brochures Forms AND EQUIPMENT WE HAVE THE KNOW-HOFOR YOUR PRINTING REQUIREMENTS W Twelfth Federal Reserve District Loan Volume large Commercial Banks the mall, Phone (801 ) 487-065- 1 (S Million) Week ending Oct. 13, 1976 1952 West 1500 South Salt Lake City, Utah 84104 |