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Show 02NISEST Box 2603 SLC, UT Volume Three For a few hours Friday morning it was winter in Park City. Although premature the snow was viewed as a good omen by local optimists. Not In The Ring His Hat's On The Rack Seven hats are in the ring and one is back on the rack. Park City Councilman Jan Wilking announced an-nounced earlier this month that he would not seek re-election and with the filing deadline now past it is apparent that any attempts at coercion have failed. At the time of his announcement, Wilking cited personal and business reasons for declining a chance at "four more years." He said he wants to spend more time with his wife Kathy and he also noted that his Ink, Inc. corporation is in the process of putting together another publication (in addition to The Newspaper). When it became certain that the 32-year-old native of Casper, Wyoming would not be running, the half-owner of The Newspaper was asked by the other half to reflect on the past and to project into the future. Wilking moved to Park City in 1970 from Salt Lake City where he was teaching sociology at the University of Utah and concurrently attending graduate school. He went to work for Matt Alvarez at the Timberhaus, taught skiing and was later employed by Greater Park City Company Com-pany in their design and planning departments. depar-tments. A victim of the GPCC Crash of '75, Wilking worked with Sno Engineering School libraries were the target of criticism last week. Page 4 The Park High Miners fell victim to the Dugway Mustangs Friday. Page 5 Larry Hall registered twin victories in the Park City Open. Page 6 There's a new lawyer in town. PageH e! CORPORATION 84110 Not Jet! before he became a partner in Ink, Inc. and found himself in the Newspaper business. In 1973 Wilking rode a platform advocating ad-vocating long-range planning to victory in the municipal elections, garnering more votes than any other candidate for council or mayor. A proponent of controlled growth, Wilking appropriately considers the adoption of the city's revised zoning ordinance or-dinance last October as the single greatest council accomplishment during his term. "It will have more impact on the city than any other thing we did during those four vears," he declared. fit CVX , X;C2 We tried to keep ahead of problems rather than just reacting when they occurred." As chairman of the Master Plan Committee, Com-mittee, the councilman spent two and a half years working and re-working the controversial ordinance which is the city's most potent land management tool. Critiquing the council, which saw three new faces added midway through his term, Wilking remarked, "I feel it has performed well and has done a commendable commen-dable job handling the issues which have come before it. "The council attempted to deal with growth and I think its actions have helped the community keep pace with the rapid development here," he added. He cited the imposition of impact fees on new construction as one means the council has used to prevent the quality of city services from becoming diluted by expansion. Park Wednesday, September 28, 1977 "We tried to keep ahead of the problems rather than just reacting when they occurred," Wilking said. Although he feels the council has done an adequate job of coping with past difficulties, dif-ficulties, the councilman warns that problems confronting city officials in the future will be more complex and will arise more rapidly. "The job of a councilman will become more and more demanding as more and more issues create more and more pressures," Wilking predicted. "The council may have to hold weekly rather than bi-weekly meetings in the not-too-distant future." Food for thought candidates. The outgoing official said future councils coun-cils which will have to deal with these mounting problems and assume greater responsiblity are deserving of a pay raise, especially the mayor. In addition to more frequent council meeting, Wilking foresees the need for an expanded city staff. "The city is going to have to hire more people to meet the demands which will be placed on City Hall," he commented. "The time is approaching very quickly when we will need a full time city en-tineer. en-tineer. And a full time city attorney will probably be a necessity in two years." As in the past, the major job of future councils will be to employ preventative measures rather than waiting to administer ad-minister remedies, " W'ilking'said. "Acclerated growth will put greater City Trans. Comm. After Back Payments Local business persons still owing all or part of last year's transportation pledge will be receiving notices from the Park City Transportation Committee. The committee decided Thursday to start collecting balances owed to help defray the expense incurred in operating last season's no-fare bus system. It was calculated that approximately $16,000 is still due. Park City Treasurer Bruce Decker said he expects merchants will be cooperative in fulfilling their pledges "since most businesses had a'very good summer." Of critical importance to the financing of this winter's no-fare system is the quarter of a per cent transportation sales tax which will be voted on Nov. 8. Previously rejected by local voters in a light turnout, the sales tax option would provide the city with an estimated $40,000 to finance the bus service. t ..However, Decker noted that even if the -transportation tax passes the city could not begin collecting the tax until January and would not actually receive the revenues until March. The city last fall signed a three-year contract with Salt Lake Transportation to provide ski season transportation and the contract calls for a payment of $54,600 for this winter's service. . Last season's cost was to have been $52,000 (a five per cent increase is built in for each successive year) but First Park Transportation, a subsidiary of Salt Lake Transportation, agreed to curtail its service ser-vice due to the drought. The city and local merchants paid a total of $30,000 last year. Although the method of financing this season's no-fare system will depend on the outcome of the Nov. 8 election, Decker noted that the. past due pledges will be needed and that new businesses also will besked to provide funds. "The Holiday Inn, the Park City Learning Lear-ning and Cultural Center and the Racquet Club condominiums will be in need of the service and will be asked for sizeable contributions," Decker said. Decker added that Moana and the Park City Ski Corp., "chief supporters of the system last year," will also be expected to aid in the financing. The city treasurer observed that most businesses are already collecting an additional ad-ditional quarter per cent in sales tax on small purchases since the current tax level is 4.75 per cent and merchants can't return a fraction of a cent. He added that persons shopping in Salt Lake City are paying a transportation tax there, helping to fund that city's bus service. Attending Thursday morning's transportation tran-sportation meeting at City Hall were: Lloyd Stevens of the Claim jumper Hotel and Restaurant ; Ray Johnson, president of the Park City Ski Corp. ; Jan Peterson, manager of Wolfe's; Treasure Mountain Inn Manager Bill Shorter; Park City Manager Wayne Matthews; and, Decker. The ability to assess quarter per cent sales tax for funding public transportation transpor-tation was given to cities by the state legislature at the instigation of Park City officials and businessmen. Supporters of the tax have pointed to overconfidence as the cause of the measure's defeat last spring and it is expected that a vigorous push for passage will precede this November's election. pressure on city services, he said, "and I see recreation and transportation as two potential problem areas. " "The city should become more actively involved in planning for future recreation needs," he cautioned. "Prices for park land are going to escalate so we better start on land acquisition now.", "Development of public transportation will also be one of the city's priorities," Wilking continued. "It is important for the city to go forward in this area." Continued On Page 7 3m VXlPlbF WEATHER Fair and sunny Thursday and Friday with occasional high cloudiness and intermittent winds. Not much temperature change expec ted. Lows in the 40's D I Audit Shows City To Be In Good Shape Financially An audit of city finances was recently completed and, according to Park City Treasurer Bruce Decker, "It told us that we're in just as good u shape as we thought." The financial study, conducted by the Elmer Fox, Westheimer & Co. accoun-r accoun-r ting firm, covered the period from July 1, 1976 to June 30, 1977 and showed the city has a total excess of revenues over expenditures ex-penditures totaling $416,421. Of this revenue surplus, $266,377 was generated last year while $150,000 was carried over from the 1975-1976 fiscal year. Decker noted that '76-'77 revenue excess ex-cess was withing $5,000 of the revised estimate used to formulate the current year's budget. "What this means is that we will be , able to fund the capital improvements we had planned for this year," Decker said. Improvements which have been designated by the City Council include: restoration of the old street lights on Main Street (now underway); construction construc-tion of a new equipment shed at the City Shop; new street signing; asphalting of the road to City Park; revitalization of City Grove Park; land acquisition; the purchase of new police vehicles; and a city contribution to the water improvement im-provement project being funded by a $600,000 Farmers Home Administration loan. "What we had planned we will, in fact, be able to do," the treasurer added. City revenues jumped from a 1975-76 figure of $692,527 to the 1976-'77 total of $987,088.- This $294,561 increase amounts to a 43 per cent rise. . Decker explained that the significant increase in revenues is due to the "fantastic "fan-tastic amount of building" that has occurred oc-curred in the past year along with an increased in-creased number of grants which have offset off-set some city expenses. "Virtually all revenue areas have gone up while we've been able to keep administrative ad-ministrative overhead at about the same level," the treasurer remarked. Need For More Parks Cited Park City has an acute need for more park land and the situation will become intensified in the next three years, according ac-cording to a memorandum prepared by city planner David Preece. . Based on statistics provided by the Urban Ur-ban Land Institute and estimated population figures, Park City currently has less than half the park area recommended recom-mended for a city its size. Preece put the city's population at 4,070 and, according to Urban Land Institute In-stitute research, this number of people requires 18.3 acres of recreation land for children's play, children's field play, teen and adult sports, tennis and other games. City Park, the subject of recent controversy over its use by various organizations, contains only 8.6 acres. . In his memorandum, Preece states : "The population of Park City has grown from 2,800 in 1973 to ap Number Two 3BI IBE and highs m the 70's. While revenues rose $294,561 last year, expenditures went up $127,136. When compared to the 1975-76 figure of $593,585, the 1976-77 expenditures amounting amoun-ting to $720,721 represented only a 21 per cent increase.. Although revenues increased twice as much as expenditures on a percentage basis, Decker reiterated that the excess has been encumbered for needed capital improvements. Had city officials known that revenues were going to jump so dramatically. Decker said, the city would have cut taxes last year. He added that this year's lower mill levy is a direct result of the city's current building boom. But even prosperity has its price. Due to the ever increasing volume of transactions taking place in City Hall, the capacity of the city's automated accounting ac-counting machine has been exceeded. "The machine was purchased in 1974 and it was estimated that it would be adequate for five years," Decker said. "But the rapid increase in the city's rate of growth has made it obsolete already." The treasurer commented that city workers could compensate for the overburdened over-burdened machine by doing some work by hand but warned that a new machine will be needed in the very near future. After completing the audit, which began on July 5 and will cost an estimated $3,800, Elmer Fox, Westheimer & Co. made suggestions to the city which it felt would make the accounting ac-counting system more efficient. It also praised the city for changes which were incorporated during the past year. ; A letter addressed to the Mayor and City Council read in part : "We would like to commend the City , for the many improvements that have been made since last year Many of o-r -. previous suggestions were implemented. These, with other changes, have improved im-proved the City's system of internal controls con-trols and record keeping." proximately 4,070 in 1977. The 45 per cent growth which has taken place since 1973 has placed a burden on the present Park City recreation facilities. The Park City Park contains about 8.6 acres and is inadequate with the sports demands placed upon it." Preece estimates that the recreation land needs will climb to 26.55 acres by 198018.4 acres more than is presently developed. The planner also states that the Urban Land Institute figures used may not accurately ac-curately measure Park City's needs. "It should be noted that park acreage estimates are very conservative since the majority of the population of Park City is below the age of 35. They are also a very team-sport oriented population, which increases the demand for park facilities," Preece wrote. |