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Show Page 2 Center Street Model Cities made a complete study of the area with specific recommendations which the city has ignored, she said. v "It comes down to a question of who the commissioners really represent," she concluded. City Traffic Engineer Jess Agraz said the proposed plan is the best way to handle traffic coming off Capitol Hill but Leo Adams, CHAT board member, said the realignment of Center Street will present access difficulties. (Cont'd.) requested for housing is open to discussion, says Nemelka and would obviously hinge on the other needs facing the Legislature. Timing will be a factor in the City Planning and Zoning Director Vernon F. Jorgensen said the change would amount to ending Center Street at Vine Street (55 West). A corner at about 220 North would be constructed to allow traffic to enter Main Street at a 90 degree angle. Ms. Briggs contends that entering Main Street on such an angle, in addition to the steep incline of both streets, would present serious traffic hazards. passage of any housing bill, indicates Nemelka. Uncertainty over the federal role in public housing programs has put any action by the Legislature somewhat in the dark. An moratorium on continued federal commitments to housing has left the entire housing industry in the lurch. An 18-mon- th anticipated new scheme of federal housing ly-assist- programs will reportedly Growing Support For Public Housing by Tim Funk If Governor Rampton will give it top priority, low income housing legislation has a good chance of passing in the anticipated special session of the State Legislature, says Rep. Dave Nemelka of Salt Lake City. Model Cities Planning Council Rep. Nemelka thinks greater awareness of housing needs of low income people in the state and a Evaluation Of Councils In Dispute more comprehensive legislative planning effort are both attracting growing support for some form of Roxana Olivas, Community Two proposals concerning the funding of six Model Cities Organizer, asserted. She presented a detailed list of discrepencies neighborhood councils were between the Model Cities presented last week to the Joint Board of Commissioners and a final decision was delayed until the Board's meeting on June 6. This week's meeting resulted in a Model Cities staff member admitting he was "somewhat biased and prejudiced" toward the council he had evaluated. Evaluations of the six councils had apparently influenced Model Cities director Mel Darton to propose financing only five of the neighborhood councils and those on a formula based on past performance and population. His plan is to fund the Westside Council in the amount of $13,800; Redwood, $5,300; Central City, $7,050; Capitol Hill Awareness Team (CHAT) $8,000 and Northwest, $7,800. People's Free Way would receive no money. "I really don't know too much about neighborhood councils. I'm not exactly sure what a council is supposed to do, Bob Terry, one of four Model Cities evaluators told the commissioners. His evaluation of the People's Free Way Council apparently resulted in the agency's recommendation to discontinue funding. Karen Schaewe, Chairman of the People's Free Way Council, said evaluators never once attended a Council meeting nor did they talk with residents in the area. The Central City Council did not receive an accurate evaluation, Neighborhood evaluation and Council records to the commissioners, urging that this be reviewed. Mayor Jake Garn suggested the entire matter of Council funding be held over for further study and that the councils continue to be funded through June as in previous months. Prior to the disclosure of possible inferior council evaluations, Don Austin, Chairman of the Model Cities Planning Council, had presented its proposal for equal funding of $8,000 to each of the six neighborhood councils. Mayor Garn said that while he agreed with the idea of strengthening citizen participation, he felt the overall performance of each council should be taken into consideration. After the meeting several residents complained of "unfair" evaluations and how "educated, middle-clas- s people view the progress of poor, uneducated public housing bill. A public housing bill, HB 299, sponsored by Rep. Nemelka was introduced during the regular legislative session earlier this year. "We almost got the bill," says Rep. Nemelka, "but in some ways it was good we didn't." He explained HB 299 was submitted too late in the session and its "mechanics for administering a housing program were not as defined as they will be a brief description of each Council's goals, accomplishments and resident reactions in next week's edition. "There state tradition state housing authority against and we aren't asking for a formal one at this time," says Nemelka. Instead it is suggested low income housing needs would be administered through "local and regional authorities" which have already been organized. According to Nemelka 'Some 90 of the state's citizens are covered by such authorities. It is also suggested that guidelines for the local and regional authorities' programs be set up by is a a guidelines would be implemented ''non-partisan"non-regional- ," and '' he indicates. "This statewide problem affecting all communities." Utah politics are traditionally conservative, says Nemelka and the is a cannot competitively provide it for themselves." Several efforts are underway to study statewide housing needs News will present such legislation is proper." which will be presented during the special session." HB 299 helped make the housing conditions and needs better known, says Nemelka. Many fellow legislators didn't believe how bad things were until they were confronted with it, says the representative. With more awareness and emphasis placed upon the problem, support for a public role in housing has become step forward." A man said, "It's too bad one council has a professional public relations better than the untrained residents of other councils can." The Salt Lake Neighborhood by Rep. Nemelka as working on particular aspectsof the housing question. These groups will supply the input Nemelka thinks wasmissing in HB 299. What final form a new housing bill will take isn't certain but he says "the climate to enact the State Legislature. The legislature "has person who can 'sell' his council groups mentioned the new housing legislation in people." One woman said, "Just getting people to attend meetings, to care about their neighborhood is a big Housing Committee, the League of Women Voters and the Legislative Council Interim Study Committee for Social Services, are among the been slow to move" on something as "liberal" as public housing "for those who and suggest housing legislation. The State Department of Community Affairs, the University of Utah's Dept, of Community and Urban Development, the Utah Housing Coalition, the Wasatch Front Regional Council Special be announced by the Department of Housing and Urban Development in September. Whether or not this will shed any light on the work of the Legislature is uncertain, but Rep. Nemelka thinks it would be wrong to wait too long for federal action. There are critical needs now, building costs are rising terribly fast, and the responsibility for low cost housing rests with the state, he say,. The state taking on such responsibility is part of the "new federalism" thinking presently being put forth by the Nixon Administration and Rep. Nemelka, a Democrat, favors it strongly. The acute low cost housing situation in the state is the result of local and state government not accepting responsibility for social services sooner, says the representative. Previously, prevailing attitude was the federal government had the responsibility and would and should solve the problems. He says the state under the "able leadership" of Governor Rampton is now "catching up to where it should be" in taking care of those who can't realistically help themselves. An affluent society such as ours, he insists, must help provide "food, health, and shelter" to all those in need who cannot help themselves. through the State Department of Community Affairs with the approval of the Governor's Advisory Council on low cost housing. Local needs would determine what type of housing program a community would have and this in turn would be determined by local authorities, says Nemelka. Some suggested programs for low income housing are: housing,where the housing authority builds dwelling units and rents them at low cost; 2.) loan subsidies, where loans are subsidized for in part by the authority through reduced interest rates, and 3.) housing allowances or rent supplements, which the 1.) Public housing authority uses to pay part of the rent or cost on an existing unit. Realization of these programs would be subject to funding by the State Legislature. (HB 299 asked for $10 million.) It has been recommended that state housing funds if allocated be distributed on a per capita basis. The amount of money to be Kids - Don't miss the exciting new FUN CORNER inside Just for You! -- |