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Show Amexfflfiitoini titasati grows woftlh) WaDDoy eofeeiras With the May 11 Lake Valley vote this week proponents today warned that if the vote fails, as much as one half of the existing county tax base could disappear within a year swallowed up by annexations and small town incorporations. The Lake Valley Citizens Committee, which advocates Lake Valley as the last chance to preserve the status quo, says that there have been 48 annexations in Salt Lake County in the last three years and that many more annexation proposals are standing in line, ready to strike, if the May 11 vote fails. Tom Bowen. Chairman of the citizens group, says the threat of annexation is much broader than most people realize. We have said all along that the threat to annexation and small town incorporations is very real... and is a very good reason to create Lake Valley. But the problem is even larger than we had originally believed. There are proposals already in process that would annex away more than a third of the county tax base. And all that is holding them back is the Lake Valley proposal. If the Lake Valley vote fails, theyll be coming out of k, well have annexation battles everywhere! According to Quentin Wells. Chairman study committee that recommended the Lake Valley proposal as the best way to stop annexations, W e hear of new potential annexations every day. West Valley is redefining and increasing the radius of territory from which it can annex. Murray is considering an attempt to annex the Union area, including the Family Center. Midvale is looking at the east side of State Street north to Murray. Salt Lake City may want Highland Drive all the way to Cottonwood Mall. The pattern is consistent-cities wanting to take tax revenues away from the county. The end result is a shrinking tax base with you and me paying more and more. Lake Valley mayor and council candidates have unanimously signed a resolution to contract with Salt Lake County for public services and thus preserve the status quo while locking out the possibility of further annexations and community splitting. All registered voters in most unincorporated areas of the county are eligible to vote. The questions carried in this column are the ones most frequently asked by voters. The answers given here are approved by Dr. W illiam Callaghan. Executive Director of the Citizens Lake Valley Study Committee. which was empowered bv Salt Lake County to do an independent and objective study of the feasibility and workability of the Lake Valley proposal. QUESTION NO. 1 Q. By creating a new dty. wont we be setting up an additional layer of government? A. No! The purpose of Lake Valley City is to PREVENT new cities and annexations by existing cities. The way our laws work, the only practical way to stop the trends of annexations and small new towns is to draw one big line of incorporation around the whole unincorporated county area. Once this is done. of the non-partis- an the new city will simply contract with the county to go on providing the same services that is currently does. Therefore, there will not be another layer of government... just a way of protecting the existing county level and the services it now provides. The status quo will be preserved and things will go on pretty much as they are now but with one very important exception: There will be no more forced annexations and no more costly small new cities in the valley. QUESTION NO. 2 Q. Proponents of Lake Valley say it is the only way to preserve the status quo. What status quo do they mean? A . Basically, there are four status quos' that the incorporation of Lake Vaey will preserve: 1. Relatively low tax rates. Since there could be no more annexations or small city incorporations, the county tax base would be protected and our taxes would not take the kind of drastic upward jumps that annexations can cause. d 2. Efficient, services. The new city would simply contract with Salt Lake County for the same services (at the same costs) that we presently receive. 3. Traditional community boundaries and identities. Since the Lake Valley boundaries would go all the way AROUND the presently unincoroporated area, the communities within the Valley would not be split up or divided unnaturally as is often the case when small new cities are started or small areas are annexed. 4. Our schools. When cities with school districts annex county areas, school district changes may be forced on people. Lake Valley would absolutely prevent that. county-provide- QUESTION NO. 3 Who are the main proponents for this Q. election, and who are the opponents? A. This is a genuine grassroots movement. Concerned citizens of the unincorporated parts of the county have watched 48 separate annexations take place over the past three years and could see more coming. They saw taxes shoot up in annexed areas and felt their own taxes inflating as they were left within a smaller and smaller county tax base. After failing to get satisfactory action from the State Legislature and the Boundary Commission. they went to the ountv and initiated an independent study committee to determine if one large incorporation could be viable and preserve the status quo, stopping once and for all the constant barrage of new. little cities and piecemeal annexation. The study committee confirmed that incorporating Lake Valley communities into Lake Valley City was the last and best chance to keep things as they are. The County Commission supports the issue strongly, as does the Chamber of school district Commerce. Many also vocal been because have spokesman to the and want Granite Jordan keep they Districts in tact. Opposition comes largely from incorporated cities whose annexation plans stand to be foiled. These people cannot vote in the election but are none the less campaigning against the issue. Opposition also comes from those who wish, for personal reasons, to be annexed or to incorporate in smaller areas. QUESTION NO. 4 Q. Who are the candidates for office in the proposed Lake Valley City? A. There are a good many very capable people running for mayor and for the nine council seats in Lake Valley. Biographical sketches and candidate information is being carried by this paper. While it is important to make careful decisions on which candidates to vote for, it is essential to realize that the issue of CREATING the Lake Valley incorporation is, in many ways, more important than who the individual office holders are. All the designate an incorporated area, but there is a strong move afoot, if the measure passes on May 11. to officially change the name to Lake Valley Communities ' Incorporated (City) to emphasize the fact ' that it is a group of communities, each with its own identity, banding together protect each other from annexation, small new cities, school district changes and L higher taxes. (Continued on Page 2) r 1 Dreserved. QUESTION NO. 5 Q. Why are we calling the proposed new incorporation Lake Valley City? A. In many wavs, the name is unit created has fort unate... because A SWEET LADY Oral Breeze hemline. Popular in early Cyprus High School activities, she will be remembered by many people. McDougal elected to honorary GoldRule Association Richard N. McDougal. general manager of McDougal Funeral Homes in Salt Lake City was recently elected to a three-vea- r term on the board of directors of the International Order of the Golden Rule by the associations membership. He was installed into office at the Orders 1982 International Conference Arizona, on April 17. in Phoenix, McDougal is a graduate of Brigham Young University. He served as an officer in the United States Air Force from 19 57 to Community activities include: Granger Rotary Club President: Swiss Water Users Association Alpine of of Chamber member the President; 20 Commerce for years: held positions with American Cancer Society, United Fund and Red Cross Blood Drive. Active in funeral service. McDougal is also a member of the Utah Funeral Directors Association and the National Funeral Directors Association. Dale L. Rollings, executive director of the International Order of the Golden Rule, said that Richard McDougal was elected to this office because of his leadership abilities and his proven dedication to the highest ideals of the funeral service profession. The International Order of the Golden 1960. If G 3 r1 candidates have unanimously agreed to contract with the county for the very same services already being provided to the unincorporated parts of the county. Thus the cost of operating Lake Valley Communities will be held to a minimum, and one of the chief functions of the Council will simply be to see that the status quo is erroneous impressions. The candidates and the grassroots campaign have taken to calling it Lake Valley Communities to emphasize that the whole idea is not to create additional cities but to stop the creation of new cities and to stop annexations and to keep the existing communities as they are. City" is a legal term necessary to c: Rule is an association of funeral directors 1100 with approximately members selected by invitation from communities throughout the world. Admission to membership is predicated upon a careful screening process which includes a requirement for the written recommendation of families served by a prospective member. Continued membership is based upon annual reaffiliation requirements to insure that member firms maintain the Orders high standards of professional excellence. Open house to honor teacher Friday. May 14. an open house will be held to honor teacher Ida Hunt . The event will be in the Hunter Elementary Media Center from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Former students, teachers and are invited to attend. Mrs. Hunter formerly taught at Magna Elementary and Brockbank Junior High. i |