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Show WEEKLY REFLEX DAVIS NEWS JOURNAL, NORTH DAVIS LEADER, DECEMBER 23, 1981 Plan For K federal funds to assist her. The parking stalls on Main St. are full from Monday to Friday, people do shop in Kaysville, so why inot fix up Main Street? By NORMA PREECE KAYSVILLE Emotions ran high as citizens of Kaysville met for a second public hearing on Dec. 15 to voice their opinions for and against the redevelopment program for the city. THE AGENCY has sat in countless meetings, pin pointing target sights, searching and seeking the blighted areas of the city for input into redevelopment which will affect everyone in one way or another. The agency staff is made up of some of the best experts in the business and have concern of the city to do one thing, to improve it. MAYOR GAR Elison, agency chairman, reviewed and gave some background of the plan to date and the hearing was the second session for the citizens to give their input whether they supported or rejected the redevelopment project proposals. Following the staff report on the position of the redevelopment plan, Mayor Elison turned the hearing over to those who wished to speak, a limit of fime minutes. SENIOR CITIZEN Rotary members and students who were among those who assisted in this project is back, 1 to r, Udell Green, past president and director of Rotary; Ira Moss, St. Marks housing resident; Davie Johnson, Mitch Perkins, students of the art department; Mayor Gar John-sol- n Rotary president; Richard Daems, Rotarian. Front, Linda and Lisa Pickering, students of the art department. Eli-so- n. ROSTERS A new dimension has been added to the St. Marks Senior Citizen housing area this Christmas season. Eight large posters depicting Christmas with Santa and other Christmas scenes have been displayed throughout the area adding By MARK D. MICKELSEN FARMINGTON The Davis County Commission Thursday denied allegations by the Utah Taxpayers Association that county land owners have seen a 125 percent increase in property taxes since 1977. HOWARD Stephenson of the Utah Taxpayers Association told audience members at a recent public hearing that Davis County has over a five' year period increased its property tax mill levy far beyond the acceptible inflation linits. While we realize that county government is facing problems. he said, "since 1977 to 1982, Davis County's share of the property tax bill increased by 25 percent , or 25 percent each vear." MR. STEPI1LNSON urged the county commission to reconsider raising the 1982 mill 1 levy from 15.41 to 16.40, saying the .99 of a mill increase will generate only $400,000 more for county sen ices. "We would ask you to think of the taxpayers," he said. But. in another commission meeting last Thursday morning Com. Glen Saunders Stephenson's charges and presented reporters with a list of mill levy figures dating back to 1978. The figures show only a 14 percent increase in property taxes. a special holiday touch to the housing complex and center. The art department of Davis High School is responsible for the posters sponsored by the Kaysville Rotarians. IT WAS the desire of the Rotary Club to become in COM. SAUNDERS pointed out that in 1978 the total county mill levy was 16.45. Taking into consideration the asses- sed valuation on an average home of $6,000, residents in 1978 would have paid $98.70 in county taxes. In 1980, the total county mill levy hit the 15.25 mark. Again, with an assessed valuation of $6,000, property owners would have paid $91.50, $ decrease of 7.3 percent, o . IN 1981, the mill levy jumped from 15.25 to 15.41, and, as a result of a 14.4 percent increase in assessed valuation, the average asses - proposed by the Wasatch Front Regional Council. Mayor Lewis G. Shields was authorized to represent Layton cit y on the agreement committer;. THE DECISION to enter into this agreement was reached after City Attorney Bruce Barton did some research into the implications of signing the agreement. Ac cording to Mr. Barton, Layt on city is free to w ithdraw from i the agrcmenl without the con sent of other members at anytime before or after revenue bonds are issued. This was a big concern Mr. Barton a nd the council had about the tigreement. They didnt want to be totally bound by the decisions of other communities. MR. BRT()N explained to the council that other quev lions such as the site for a resource recovery plant, the feasibility of such a plant . landfill verses resource recovery, etc. would be answered as the agreement committee and then presented to the city council for information purposes and cially the one in the photo above, where Santa is desperately trying to push Rudolph with all the force he can muster through the dentists office door. Rudolph is rebelling with 'all his feet against the door while the dentist inside looks on through the window. sed valuation shot up from $6,000 to 6,864. Property taxts increased seven percent, from $91.50 to $105.77. In 1982, the mill levy is expected to increase again, from 15.41 to 16.40. The assessed Stephenson received his information. COM. CHAIRMAN Ernest Eberhard chastised the Utah Taspayers Association for allowing representatives to present incorrect information in a designated public hearing. valuation will remain at $6,864, bringing a property owner's county taxes up to $112.57. SINCE 1978, Com. ders said, property owners ' have seen "just under" a 14 " percent increase in county taxes. The commissioner said he doesnt know where Mr. , He said before tax experts make statements in public hearings they need to do their homework" and make sure that tbeistatistics aro correct. v . I'iisti'i') i'.rni iif THIS IS the type of thing we get all the time, he said, "that the county is accused of raising property taxes. Colleagues Presented With Certificates And Gifts Of Appreciation LAYTON The council meeting in Layton last Thurs- day evening lasted nearly tw ice as long as it usually does. There were many important matters to consider; voices were raised and many opinions were given. COICILMAN Lynn Wood usually gets nervous when the meeting is long. He like to "get out in an hour." In fact, he has Council Voles To Enter Into Agreement LAYTON last Thursday evening. Dec. 17. the Layton City Council voted unanimously to enter into the Interlocal Cooperation Agreement volved in a worthwhile community Christmas project and the club enlisted the help of Vaughn Perkins, teacher in the art department, to design and paint posters with the Rotary Club furnishing the materials. There is humor to be enjoyed with the posters, espe for approval when decisions need to be made. Entering into the inter-locagreement in no way jeopardizes Layton city's authority regarding zoning regulations, the city attorney stated. MR. BXRTON went on to explain any resource recovery plant was exempted from paying properly taxes under the state law but the plant would be required to pay a "special use or special privilege tax that is equivalent to the amount normally received in property taxes. The city receiving i resource recovery plant would benefit financially. Jim McGowans, a resident living near one proposed site for the plant, asked who was financing the study that has been done and will be done regarding the plant. John Baker answered bv saying the Environmental Protection Agency pays 75 percent. The remaining communities that use the landfill w ill pay the remaining 25 percent. This is part of the landfill waste disposal budgeted funds. THE LOST of Phase land II was $4,000. Phase II cos! $8,000. This money has all been paid, dmg consistently offered to treat the council to ice cream if the meeting ends before 8 p.m. Mr. Wood has never "paid up," Mayor Shields claims in a kidding way. Councilman Wood didn't seem overly anxious Thursday evening. It was as if he were prolonging the meeting. COUNCILMAN John Baker didn't seem too concerned about the length of the meeting either. He just sat back in his chair and acted as if he had all the time in the world. For these two council members this would be their last meeting as members of the governing body. They along with Mayor Shields, all started their terms of office 12 years ago. MAYOR SHIELDS showed emotion as he presented his colleagues and friends with beautiful gifts and certificates of appreciation. The mayor said he had come to regard the men as his brothers. He sincerely thanked them for their service to the community. Baker responded by saying he felt he had learned and grown through being a council member. He recognized the present city council as one of the most oustanding councils he had worked with during his 12 year tenure. WOOD COMPLIMENTED the fine city employees for JAMES BROUGH said he wanted to clarify a statement that he made at the previous hearing. He Ksaid he had heard he was putting a Safeway store on his property and this was not true. He also said that the signatures he received today on the petition, after calculated, would give the 54 percent of the property owners signatures within the project area, which would require a referendum. Mayor Elison reminded him that Clover Club Foods and the Davis Farm Co-o- p had withdrawn from the petition and this would reduce the percentage quota. BEN BROUGH, ,. a property owner outside the k SHIRLEY STEWART, owner of Stewarts Gift Shop, strongly opposed the plan and asked to be excluded from the redevelopment plan. The agency granted her, her request. The hearing wa$ closed and Mayor Elison said there was not sufficient opposition to require an election and to prevent the city officials from going ahead with the project. THE AGENCY is aware of the number in the project area wishing to withdraw. The main concern was the project was too broad and the agency would be allowed to use tax increment funds to assist in rehabilitating private business. The mayor said the staff and agency had taken these requests into consideration and the agency will be willing to delete a portion of the acreage from the plan. re- development area, state he was opposed the plan because the plan had gone too far with the redevelopment agency not letting the issue to to a vote of the people. Seth Stewart, a landowner within the area, said he was a native of Kaysville and had faced commendation twice in his life of his land. He owns 155 acres and he didnt feel that five people on the board should control his acreage for 30 years. He suggested that they ask former businessmen why they had left Kaysville. The survey would show that people do not shop in Kaysville. DR. UTE Knowlton stated that he neither supported or opposed the plan, but believed the redevelopment plan has a far reaching effect. He felt a petition was a poor way to determine the issue, that freedom of choice is always high. He said we should talk about the level of support and not the level of opposition. He would like to see a vote of the people. Others expressing their views of oppositions were Boyd Cox, Blaine Hyer, Dale Hawkins and Dr. Lee Frost. FRAN BROWN, owner of Fran Brown Inc., said she had followed the redevelopment for five yearsand feels it is a terrific project and plan. She stated ; her business with her own money and had not used By TOM BUSSELBERG Costs FARMINGTON for the countys paramedics may soar, next year, to meet state staffing requirements, but if voters vote "yea" on March 2, funding could be more firmly assured through sources independent of the general fund. h COUNTY COM. Harry Sr. has told the county's mayoral council of governments the election placing the funding issue before the voters has been set for March 2, w hen they will have the chance to Ger-lac- VAVAWtVA'AVAVAV VVVV'VVViVi their dedication. He said "Layton city is as fine a city as there is anyplace I am proud to have been a part of it for 12 years. indicate if they want the program paid for from a special mill levy rather than by the general county revenue fund, as at present. tine mill generates about im$400,000 and if posed, as is being proposed, that would generate enough to re operate the program, even with the added staffing mandated bv the state, he says. CURRENTLY, the two vehicles, operated under the Sheriff s department, are manned around the clock by a deputy and emergency medical technician but the state says the EMT must be replaced by another paramedic. That means training another six w ithin the next year to m eet that need in addition to at loast one more to cover the normal burn-ou- t that averages I 'A personnel for staffers, Mr. Gerlach continued. "Tr?iining for the next six months to a year will be extensively heavy explosive (in terms of cost) and then it wil'i settle down. DEPUTIES RECEIVE a half year's training at Weber State N By TOM BUSSELBERG If no compromise for library service LAYTON is plausible with the county commission, Layton city will have to "move out" immediately to set up its own facility. THOSE WERE the words of Mayor Lewis G. Shields, Tuesday morning, who said, "As I told the council last Thursday, the citizens of our community need library facilities. Theres got to be action our community could well be the largest city in the county. Without a library we are handicapped." In reacting to the county commission's statement that a library will be built in Layton when the "growth factor" reaches ten percent vs. the purported four percent currently, he raised several questions. "They (commission) didn't define (what ten percent growth meant)." CITY PLANNER Scott Carter studied growth fac- tors for the last ten years, the mayor noted. "He calculated and assessed valuation growth, what it had been in the past and how long it would be to e reach. Going along it will probably be two-thre- ? COUNCILMAN SNOW said he had received phone calls from residents, objecting to the proposed plan. He said all I can say is where were you when we were holding all of those meetings. Not one of you were there to object at that time., He said as a councilman and in fairness to the people he would make a motion to put it up for vote of the people. Mayor Elison called for a second to the motion but it died forjhe lack of a second. ,jAfter appropriate steps were taken the city council adopted the Kaysville Downtown Development Plan as modified by the ordinance. lection For Holiday Deadlines Ads: Thurs Noon Layton THE CITY COUNCIL was voted in by you and me, to represent our city and they have worked hard to find ways to improve and upgrade the city. Mrs. Brown stated: Gaylen Spagliegresident of the Kaysville Chamber of Commerce, was in favor of redevelopment. He said the past years I have seen our city downtown area going downhill and still is. He felt those opposing were not looking at the full side of the plan. He has attended the redevelopment meetings the past two years and has seen the step by step program put together and the far reaching effect it will bring in reviving the city. College in Ogden with tuition and regular salaries provided, he said, and a pay increase awarded upon receiving paramedic status. In stressing the value of a separate funding source for the program. Com. Gerlach noted the $800,000 deficit brought on by various revenue cuts affecting the county and that has produced a lot of scrambling to bring the ledgers into line for a funding balance before start of the new fiscal year next month. IF IT passes and were confident it will," he said, "it won't be influenced by tax limitation and we won't have to constantly discuss it." he added, referring to the dia- logue that has surfaced in the last few months about the program's future because of pressures on the general fund to finance more than 40 "mandated" programs while paramedics is optional. Projections indicate a fleet should be adequate for at least the next ten years. Paramedics act as regular deputy shcnfTs when not acting on emergencies and two-vehic-le in the county" or unincorporated areas not covered by city police departments, the commissioner said. "only patrol NINETY PERCENT of the calls are in the cities and ten percent in the county, he said, paralleling popuwation figures that show eight percent of the countys 146,000 residents live in unincorporated areas such as Val Verda. "We felt with the mill levy everyone is participating according to their population. By taking it out of the general fund we protect the integrity (of the program). The county's paramedic service was instituted in 1977 with one unit and was slowly expanded in coverage and by adding the second vehicle. In organizing it under the Sheriff s office it was stressed by then Sheriff William Dub" Lawrence that placing the operation there would maximize personnel by allowing them to provide law enforcement coverage in the unincorporated area and when needed to cities and revert to paramedic duties when needed. noy Plan years before we get started." Expressing concern at no contingency plan assuming the county commission doesnt agree to the citys request that a one mill levy be instituted next fall for library construction, Mayor Shield said, "There isnt any contingency plan. Thats my concern. We need some kind of a goal, something we can shoot for. Weve got to move right out." HE REPEATED the recommendations that have been reported previously, including possible use of the old Tanner Memorial Clinic building on west Gentile, the old First National BankofLayton building on Gentile and Main and placing the library in the center. proposed "Weve got to pin one down (recommendation), shoot for that and get it in place evert if it's meager. We got to get something started." civic-recreati- THE $130,000 annually in tax dollars from city residents to county library coffers w ,11 be allocated to the city, but the question is when t'nose monies will available, the mayor said. "Some told me next f I don't know when we can August say that. Weve ' to get that pinned down." got City Treasurer Randall Heaps expressed the feel- ing raised by several interviewed when he said, "I think way down the council just kept hoping they (commission) could work something out. We dont have any more council meetings scheduled (in 1981) I guess it (library separation) will go into affect. "I KNOW we did pay some money for the Clearfield library when it was built and I dont think that w e got credit for (that special assessment) or for (the former) Layton library books. Some art was donated and other materials," he said, speaking of the old library that was dosed before Clearfield opened in 1975. That old library, now converted as Ann's Fabric Loft, the business owned by incoming city council-membAnn Harris, was owned by the city and they paid for janitorial service, landscaping, maintenance and building repair w hile the county provided library service, Mr. Heaps recalled. er CITY LIBRARY Board chairperson Oma Wilcox also said she d hoped the commission would Rive a f V Continued On Page 3 |