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Show THE ZEPHYR AUGUST 1991 PAGE 20 The Davey Report-- ERRATA by Kenneth F. When the United States Senate voted themselves a Mg pay Increase In July, they did so In the dead of night, In the vain hope that It would slip by the media and go unreported. Here In Moab, the dty council members didn't do that, because they don't like to stay up late. But Judging from the advance publicity they gave to their actions, they too would have preferred nobody knew what they were up to. They say they discussed the raise In budget workshops, but In truth no real effort was made to let the public In on the secret. None of them lied, none of them ever consciously misled people. They certainly would have answered if questioned about giving themselves a pay raise. No sunshine laws were violated. But, since no one asked, they didn't volunteer. What they did was legal. But was It right? Elected officials should be accountable to the public, and they have the responsibility to Inform that public of as much as they can. There are reasons why elected officials should be paid more; the hours they put In and the level of skills they are expected to develop can be legitimately argued as sufficient reasons for a pay boost But In this case, they didn't make those or any other arguments, at least not In advance of their vote. And that will lead people to believe the council went for the Increase for far more personal, venal reasons. It hurt the credibility of all five members and the mayor, and It la a loss of credibility they created themselves. According to city officials, council member Dave Sakrison Is looking Into whether or not Davey single week of the year. Plans by Utah Power and Light to construct a powerllno along 4th East are on hold, and probably dead, according to people In dty government The electric company wanted to string 50 foot power tines along the sheet to bring an alternate source of energy In to the city's substation against the cliffs along the eastern side of town. The dty coundl had given the company permission to string up the poles, but people living along 4th East objected, lines would be ugly, and possibly dangerous. saying the For its part, UP&L said the tine, to provide a second feed Into the dty In case of emergency, would seldom be In use, and therefore would not be emitting an slectiomagnetic field, the main concern of researchers looking Into a link between power lines and forms of cancer. But the company agreed to take another look at the plan, In the face of community oppodtion. After a public meeting that brought out over 40 people speaking out against tiie powerline, the coundl reversed Ha vote and withdrew their permission. Opposition to another location for the tine would likely be as strong as thst shown by 4th East residents, and coundl members are not likely to try to force a plan through. So now the Idea Is to wait until UP& L decides to build a new substation, unlikely to happen for years. high-volta- ge he can decline the pay increase. Council members bumped themselves up by $200 a month, not enough to put them Into another tax bracket, but enough for say, monthly payments on a new car. The mayors salary went up by more than $300 a month, when you include the raise he gets as the chief city administrator. This comes about half a year after the county commissioners gave themselves a raise, $200 a month for the chairman, and $300 each for the other two. For those of us who can't afford a new car, or even repair the ones we have, we should remember to be not bitter, but philosophical. After all, a major reason given, from Center Street to Washington D.C., for raising the pay of elected officials is that It will attract better people In the future. And a total of $15,000 a year is a small price to pay for that Will It happen? Residents have until August 27 to file as candidates for the 3 city council seats to be filled by the November general election. There is nothing like a round of golf to ease the troubled brow. Gliding across the verdant fairways and manicured greens, the tensions of work and everyday life melt away. at your own stupidity and lack True, they are replaced with anger at the ball and of simple basic coordination. But that1 a better than worrying about a moronic boss or the brown spots on your lawn. Golf used to be thought of as a staid and stodgy game, but no more. Lawrence Taylor plays golf. So does Jack Nicholson. Now, It is a sophisticated and cool pastime. Which Is why the most Important people In Moab play golf. With the coming of August, as the summer heat drags on, plafr at the Moab Golf Course foils off. But the lack of crowds, and the long hours of daylight, mean outstanding opportunities to get out with movers and shakers of Moab, Including Manuel Torres and Bill McDougaJd. And If you are one of the multitude of Moab residents who makes decisions based on what your biggest enemies like or dislike, understand that Tom Stocks and David Knutson both hate the game. In the ongoing debate about the new courthouse facilities, Carl Rappe recently suggested moving the Commission Chambers out to the equestrian center, to keep all the bull in one place. That of course Is cynicsl, and it Is beneath all of us to even acknowledge the remark. But H does at least raise one possiMIhy for what to do with the building. The equestrian center arena, now officially called the Old Spanish Trail Arana, Is situated about 5 miles south of town, along Highway 191 and next to the Rodeo Grounds. It is s million-dollfacility, give or take a couple of thousand in chump change, and It was financed by a combination of grants and loans from the Community Impact Board. Right now, the county, with Payment In Ueu of Tax money from the State of Utah, Is paying off the loans at about $25,000 per year. In 2 more years, those payments go up to $45,000 per year. As the building was being completed, county officials realized they need someone to run it, so they are proposing adding a one percent tax to restaurant meals to raise about $38,000, or more, per year to hire a manager. So for the next two years, that means $65,000 will go for mortgage payments and staff, and after that, it goes up to $85,000. Add utilities, maintenance, screwups in the design that have to be corrected, frozen water pipes, leaking toilets, and the myriad of expenses that come with owning a building, and it won't take much to drive the yearly operating cost to over $100,000 per year, or the equivalent of a quarter of the entire property tax money collected by the county. Just to break even, the arena will have to bring In revenues of $2J)00 par week, every self-loathi-ng I ar The original vote to give the electric company permission passed by a 1 vote. A taw weeks later, the dedsion to withdraw that permission was unanimous. And that1 a a good sign, regardless of whether or not it Is the right decision. Of course Ifs best to always do things right the first time around, to do the planning In advance, to understand all the ramifications of sn action. But we don't Nve In that kind of society and we never witi. And In this esse, the council, rather than bull ahead with a program come hell or hlghwater, rather than keep pushing ahead because they are afraid they will look bad backing down, regrouped and dedded to start over. It's s sometimes agonizingly slow way of doing business, it means along the way some opportunities witi be missed. But In the long run residents of Moab are spared the for worse fate of having to live with decisions 3-- made more through ego than analysis. committee has been formed by the County Commission, to look at the Atlas plant north of town. The company Is planning to begin soon taking down at least part of the building, but are still waiting for approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on final plans to deal with the tailings pond. Everyone driving Into town sees the plant, with Ha rusting pipes and weatherbeaten siding. But the concern of many residents Is not the appearance of the building, but the rumors and stories about health dangers as a result of the radioactive materials still on she. The Job of the new committee Is, primarily, to gather as much Information as they can A new about that safety question. 259-203- 2 NEEDLES OUTPOST 259-854- 5 Canyonlands National Park - Needles District Located 34 miles west on Hwy 211 CulY THE BEST BURGERS WITHIN 75 MILES z -- Gas - propane Camping partial hookups 4x4 rentals Scenic flights Maps books information General store - snack bar Ice - cold beer - pop Showers - firewood Jeep tours by reservation |