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Show PAGE 4 THE ZEPHYR AUGUST 1991 interview with david knutson grand county commissioner Jim Stiles conducted an Interview with Grand County Commiaaloner Chairman David Knutaon. The Interview has been edited for clarity and length. Oil Boom Zephyr: Regarding the oil development going on right now, tell me how exactly the money comes back to the county. DK: Mineral lease revenues will go to the Road Board. So far, the road board has only made a commitment of about $3 million on that Book Cliffs Road. We were to see if the BS comes through and everything else. At whatever time In the future, the money that the road board has can be used on roads around here and everything else, and hopefully save a little tax money there. Beside that, there Is property tax that will come directly to the county. Well 191 has produced 1 of all the oil produced In Utah . That's bring in about $260,000 worth of revenue to the county. Zephyr: la the property tax baaed on production? DK: Right It's what the wed's producing. So that'll bring In a lot of money. Half of that goes to schools. The county gets 15, the rest goes to other taxing entities. Zephyr: Just that well alone will bring In 260.000 a year? DK: Yeah. Well, now wait a minute. I might need to back up a minute.' I sat down with one of the guys from the State Tax Commission, and we went over the whole formula, based on 700 barrels a day. I think now they're going to produce at 500 barrels a day. But at 700 barrels, that will increase Grand County's value by $20 million. That's equivalent to about 12 motels. Book Cliffs Road Zephyr: Talking about the Road District It appears that they've had to abandon the East Canyon route on the Book Cliffa proposal because of Instability of the geology. Now the alternate route through Hay Canyon runs Into Wilderness Study Areas, la tills road still feasible? DK: Yeah...at this point, It's still feasible. It doesn't look as good as before but It looks feasible. There's going to be some more difficulties we have to go through, but nothing we can't overcome. I was disappointed but not discouraged. Zephyr: Jimmie Walker has said they can't really put a price on this road project until the BS Is complete and all the engineering Is done. So Isn't he saving In effect we don't know If we can build this road until Creamer and Noble get their million bucks to engineer It? DK: No, No, No. Where did you come up with a million dollars? Zephyr: The total engineering contract for Creamer and Noble Is $944,000, believe and Grand County's share Is $441.000, of which $122,000 has already been paid out. DK: Uh, I think, no, I might be mistaken but, well that might be true too. The environmental Impact Statement, which will take all that into account, will really say how much it will cost. And then we'll see If that money can be raised or not So you might be with more of that actual cost Zephyr: Right But youve been saving you have this malor crisis with the coat of operating the dump, but when you were asked what your actual operating costa were, none of you were really sure. DK: Youre right We have not put pan to paper and come up with a nickel and dime figure. But we asked Dave Warner to come up with an actual cost nd he says the actual cost is the $240,000 we said. Zephyr: The actual coat DK: That's based on what you charge per hour per man, per scraper, per dozer. So that is the actual cost But we all know that when you set up, you can do things a lot cheaper. Anyway, what I really wanted was some cooperation from the City. I know they have as much trouble with budgets as the County does. I just wanted some cooperation, not necessarily a dollar amount Out of some of the Counclimen I got the feeling they want to cooperate, and from others I didn't So although the dollar amount Is Important It's not as Important to me, as one Commissioner, as a spirit of cooperation. Zephyr: But all three of you lit up like candles when Blerachled spoke up and aakf the City would lust take over the dump Itself. DK: What do you mean 'lit up?' Zephyr: That you thought that was a great Idea. DK: Yeah. That would be great Zephyr: Well, what If the City did that and would only accept City garbage? Then what? DK: Well...l would find It hard to believe that the City would do that. They might want a foe from the County. But If they were to do that I guess we'd have to find a place for county residents to put a dump. That's not really what we had In mind. Zephyr: Even a foe system could get complicated. DK: Well I don't think anybody expects It to come to that We're prepared for the worst-cas- e scenario, but that a not what we want to see happening. Zephyr: What about this contract with the Park Sendee. They contributed a loader to the county In exchange for use of the dump for "the duration of the landfill." Don't you have to honor that contract? DK: That's the end of the landfill. We'd cover it up and close It Zephyr: But It's not yours to close, What If the City takes It over? DK: Then they can take over the contract Zephyr: But It's a contract with the county, not the city. DK: Well, It would just have to be worked out Courthouse Vote ' 1 : right The Dump ' Zephyr: Are we looking at another vote on the courthouse expansion? DK: Right At the same time as the primary election. Zephyr: You said after the last vote, that you wouldn't have another election until you held public meetings and received Input from the citizens. Are you planning all tills? DK: Times fast escaping us, but we want a select committee, a cross-sectio- n of a would to to those who schedule give them the information support courthouse facility We in to It it and take can the sit the and and public. background try that meetings support tactic. Zephyr: Since your meeting with the City Council, have you thought anymore about the dump and how to resolve this problem of who's going to run It? DK: What we'd like to see is just some help in operating the dump from the City. That's all we're looking for. The County Is better set up to operate it. We have the equipment and expertise. We find It real tough to come up with all the money on our own. Zephyr: You originally came up with a figure of $240.00 as the annual operating cost and you asked for half of that from the City. Yeah. Zephyr: But you acknowledged at that meeting that $240.000 was not your actual DK: cost Zephyr: have anyone on the Committee who oppoaea Courthouse Would you expansion? DK: Not really. What purpose would that serve? Zephyr: To provide some balance, between someone with expansion and moderate, more scaled-bac- k massive plana for Ideas. don't want to see it turned In to a debate. It's not how big, or can we do It It's we've got to do this. We want to get that Information out to the people and let them decide If they want to support It or not Quite frankly, it's going to be a sell job. ' Zephyr: You raised taxes for a new courthouse roof. Has that been done? DK: No. Not really. I DK: No. It's not the actual cost we have to budget in money we spend to operate the dump. But somewhere down the road, we have to come up with the money for the wear & tear on the equipment Those are costs that are not seen today. That's where we D-come up with $120hr to operate the Zephyr: But still. If you have a $260,000 dozer and Manuel says It has a lifetime of 10 years, wouldn't your depreciation be more like $26.000 plus the Interest? DK: Well, we've got the scraper and water trucks. And we're going to come up DK: on-goi-ng 8. Poplar Place Pab & Eatery 100 North and Main St. Moab's Legendary Dining & Drinking Estabiishment We Do Orders To Go 259-601- 8 Zephyr: What'a the plan? DK: We have to go over the budgets. If the bond had passed, we would have raised taxes. As it were, the bond did not pass and the problem remained. So we budgeted enough money to put a new roof on. The increase In the taxes to budget for the roof was a little more than what would have been necessary to build the whole courthouse over a 20 year period, If the bond had passed. Now one of the reasons we had to budget for that Is we had to take steps toward |