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Show THE ZEPHYR PAGE 2 JAN-FE- Grace estimated that R was probably In the hundreds of thousands, but she couldn't give me any kind of precise figure. . Each year the county records those who did and did not pay taxes by the deadline. The numbers are recorded In a ledger and a delinquent tax total Is calculated. But Inevitably, many of the delinquent tax payers will pay their taxes within a few weeks of the deadline. According to Grace, R Just Isn't possible to keep updating the ledger, and so far the figures have not been put on a computer. By law, a person has five years to pay back taxes. Each year, Interest accrues on that tax debt and at the end of the five years, the property can be put up for sale by the county. But meanwhile, tax revenues that the county desperately needs now to operate are not where they're supposed to be. One figure that Grace was able to produce Is particularly remarkable. Two of the Northwest Pipeline and D&RGW have protested this year's countys biggest taxpayers Until tax the matter Is settled, $336,914.29 In property taxes must be assessment property placed In escrow and cannot be used by the county to meet expenditures. In fact, this Is the third year Northwest has tied up Its tax obligation to the county and D&RGWs second. And by paying the tax under protest and placing R In escrow, even If R loses Its appeal, R won't be subject to penalties. I'd like to see the county search for ways to Improve Rs percentage of return on due taxes, and find a more efficient means of keeping track of those delinquent taxes. Nobody likes to pay the government but If everyone carries their fair share of the load, that load doesnt have to be quite so heavy. page two " Jim Stiles know that as editor of this newspaper, and as an Interested citizen of Grand should County, rarely, If ever, miss a public meeting. After all, our very destinies are being at some of these gatherings (so they say), and It Is our duty and obligation to attend decided I I and participate. Having said all that, I have to admit that going to meetings Is a grueling experience I me. often rationalize my absence by consoling myself with the knowledge that Jack for Campbell, who has the patience of a saint, and Ken Davey, who Is enough of a masochist to actually Jjke public meetings, are probably both there. Both are contributors to this paper and often have a much better grasp of the Issues than I. But what Is It about meetings that makes me want to run and hide? Its not the fact that most meetings are unproductive, or that a few people dominate and control the topic of conversation, or that when we leave we feel more frustrated and confused than when we arrived. No, my biggest problem with public meetings has to do with room temperature ... It's too damn hot 18-whe- eler 50 I made the mistake of attending the budget meeting last week at the courthouse. Because of the large turnout, the meeting was held In the court chambers upstairs. When I full and by 7 p.m., over a hundred people had arrived, the room was about three-quartcrammed Into the courtroom. It must have been 85 degrees In there, and I heard later that the thermostat had Indeed been set at 80 degrees. Combine that with the fact that 100 citizens, breathing heavily, (after all it was a meeting about raising taxes) had consumed most of the available oxygen In the room In about 30 minutes, no doubt a dangerous out-of-con- trol ers . three-pack-a-- day 1 1 asked. "No way, Davey replied, reaching Into his pocket, 1 came out here for a cigarette. The next day a Zephyr reader pulled me aside at Miller's Shopping Center to complain about the proposed tax Increases by the county and to offer me a suggestion: Find out how much revenue Is out there In the form of unpaid back property taxes. It sounded like a good Idea to me, so I paid Grace Eastin, the Grand County Treasurer, a visit at the courthouse. What I found out Is that nobody knows how much Is owed In back taxes. safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people we if think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a themselves; wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their I know no discretion. Thomas Jefferson THE CANYON COUNTRY ZEPHYR P.O.BOX 327 MOAB, UTAH 84532 was Jaywalking on Main Street the other day, and almost got run over by, not one, but three big trucks. Had they been traveling at the prescribed 30 mph speed limit I could have blamed no one but myself for my near-mls- s. Indeed, Chief West could have peeled me off the street with a spatula and handed me a cRation for Jaywalking. But these truckers, moving In what appeared to be a pack, had to be driving at a 45-mph clip. The two lead trucks ran the yellow light at Center, and, not to be left behind, the third shot the red like a runaway freight I am sick to death of these mechanical monsters, both In town and on Highway 191 from Monticello to Crescent Jet Worse yet I, rarely, H ever, see any of them pulled over and cRed for their reckless behavior. I am frequently blown right off the road by truckers traveling In excess of 80 mph. A few weeks ago, I found myself In a nasty duel with a truck on Nipple Hill. He tried to pass me but couldn't get the speed to do R, so he rode my bumper all the way to Hole 'n the Rock, where he tried to pass me on the right In the turning lane to their parking lot A car In front of me drifted Into that lane and caused the truck to hit Its brakes hard and slide onto the shoulder. He seemed to think R was my fault for as I pulled away, I could see him shaking his fist In anger. A few minutes later, now Just 10 miles south of town, I looked In my rear view mirror and here he came again. He had to be going ninety. I made a quick turn onto the loop road, five seconds before he roared by, klaxons blaring and that same fist shaking. I was shaking a little myself. Have a nice day, Mr. Trucker, I thought to myself. Right Anyway, to repeat myself, I don't see why these Big Beasts can operate on the highway with such Impunity. To me, they are the greatest threat to the health and safety of motorists on the road today. Yet they always get away with R. Meanwhile, I see the City Police and the Highway Patrol pulling one small car over after another. Last summer I was stopped and ticketed by the Highway Patrol for rolling through a ay stop at Spanish Valley Drive and Spanish Trail at midnight on a Tuesday night A fifty dollar fine for falling to come to a complete stop (the officer conceded that my speed was under 3 mph). What was a highway patrolman doing on Spanish Valley Drive anyway? The point Is, we need a little balance out there. I don't want a vendetta waged against the truckers anymore than Id want one against myself. But a lot of Grand County citizens would like to see a little parity In the enforcement of traffic laws. I know that truckers are the lifeline of the nation, but I don't think they have the right to run over me while delivering the goods. I . situation existed. What existed was a room full of oxygen deprived citizens and elected officials, or, In other words, a group of temporarily-impair- ed boneheads. How Is anyone supposed to think clearly or express themselves articulately under such adverse conditions? I suppose If youre a smoker, you have, In effect, trained for these kinds of conditions, but for most of us, Its a miserable experience. After about half an hour, my head began to throb, and minutes later, my stomach to started make an excessively loud growling noise. The only good thing about my stomach was that R was loud enough to keep me awake and from slipping Into a carbon dioxide Induced coma.' Finally, at 830, stumbled out the door In search of some oxygen. It was the first time that wood smoke smelled so good. Even Moabs wintertime Inversion was an Improvement over the courtroom. Outside, I bumped Into Ken Davey. guess you needed some fresh air too? I 1991 B - This Is tiis last Issue of 1990 (It's actually hRting the newsstands and being mailed to subscribers on December 22). And according to plan, the Zephyr Is going to take a break. The next Issue will go to press on March 5. Mark Twain once wrote, 1 am not the editor of a newspaper and shall always try to do right and be good, so that God will not make me one. I still haven't figured out what faux pas I commRted to lead me to this "career move, but for better or worse, here I am. I long ago realized that no amount of effort will ever allow the Zephvr to please everyone, and R will always have Rs critics. Which Is good. This paper has helped thicken my skin and open my eyes to the needs and concerns of many people whose problems I rarely considered before. It took me four decades to learn that disagreement does not have to lead to animosity or anger. R makes life a lot easier. So while I may grumble from time to time about the pain of putting together a newspaper, the truth Is --- 1 love It My hope Is that I can continue to Improve R for you, the readers, whose support makes Rs existence possible. Thanks to all of you, and I'll see you soon. 3 (801) JIM STILES, PUBLISHER 259-777- Trish West production manager NOW SUBSCRIBE ' ... CONTRIBUTING WRITERS an annual subscription is only Ken Davey, B.J. Eardley, Damian Fagan, H.K. Hancock Jane S. Jones, Ken Sleight 1990 The Canyon Country Zephyr all rights reserved $12.00 THE CANTON COUNTRY name address The Canyon Country Zephyr is a monthly newspaper, published eleven times a year at Moab, Utah. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of its vendors, advertisers, or even at times of its publisher . s ZEPHYR P.O. BOX 327 MOAB, UTAH 84332 |