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Show Page AS tDje (T tmr -- 3 nfcf p n&ent Thursday, July 4, 2002 Governors initiatives to balance budget may hurt Moab city and county. Speaker of the House Marty Stephens, reported that some policy makers have entertained the proposal to take the 116 of a cent B & C road fund money, which has been traditionally viewed as municipal money, Janet Lowe aU.fT riter by hen Mayor Sakrisun returned from his Legislative Puluy Committee meeting in Salt Lake City, he brought W back with him bad news There is a $173 million budget deficit m the State of Utah and Governor Mike Leavitt is looking for ways to balance the 2002 2003 budget If his initiative are passed by the legislature, there's agood chance rural communities, including Moab, w ill feel the impact Tw o proposed cuts could have serious implications as far as revenue flow into the and reallocate it into the state's budget plan He indicated that will ultimately be about who gets the least mad about deu-siun- s proposed cuts and encouraged anyone who feels strongly about an issue to contact his or her legislator Moab City Manager Donna Metzler put together a fact sheet on what the pro- posed cuts would mean to Moab City. The city receives approximately $180,000 annually fiom the Class C Road Fund When you add interest to that amount, the annual revenue is about $195,000. That fund is essentially a maintenance fund for us, said Metzler It is used for patching, seal coat, cold mix and suiew alk maintenance and re- pair " The equate ll 6h of a cent would to a 17 percent de- crease m Class C Road Funds, or $30,600 per year This repof resents more than our sidewalk maintenance and repair budget, said her concerns. The legislature is looking at other cuts that Metzler. The city's concern stems from the fact that municipalities carry considerable liability for trip and fall sidew alk hazards. Class C funds allow Moab to address these hazards and deal with accessibility issues at the same time. Metzler stated that cuts to Class C funds will affect small communities such as Moab far more than the Wasatch F ront. This is the only funding we have for maintenance," she said. will affect municipalities. Asked w hat the city s plan is to halt this kind of legislation the mayor said, We have to lobby. We have to be a part of the group. We've already contacted our state representatives, but we cannot sit down here and be quiet. Grand County faces even worse revenue cuts if the governor's initiatives are passed, as all county roads are class B roads. Additionally, the legislature is once again considering action that will extend resi- - Mayor Saknson echoed one-hal- f A dential exemptions to second homes. Currently, second home owners in Grand County are taxed at 100 percent of the assessed value while primary residences receive a 45 percent property taxation valuation reduction. This bill has failed a number of times primarily due to the revenue reduction for rural areas of the state and its impact on school and local government budgets, but it is an issue that will not seem to go away. See more information about state budget woes on Page BS. Deydrated visitors are rescued by Arches NPS by Janet Lowe - staff writer series of lost and dehydrated visitors kept Arches National Park personnel and local Bearch and rescue teams busy during the last two weeks of June. Jim Webster, chief ranger at Arches National Park reports five incidents from June 20 to June 30 in the park. Beginning on the 20lk, weve been kept busy by a vaA riety of rescues," Webster said. The first was a case of dehydration on the Devils Garden Primitive Loop trail. That person was transported by ambulance to Allen Memorial Hospital for IV fluid replacement. The most serious incident occurred on June 21. A man became disoriented and dehydrated again on the Devils Garden Primitive Loop trail. This one was categorized as a save because he was so seriously dehydrated. He was flown out via St. Marys helicopter to Allen Memorial Hospital. Grand County Search and Rescue responded to several - READ THIS AD, OR, DONT. other incidents during the busy An exercise in freedom.. f youve just demonstrated freedom a key American - choice! And, should you steeping in on Sundays and listening to any darned music you please can be choose to turn the page, take a nap or go period includ- 29-3- Your right to backyard barbeques, By deciding to continue reading, two-wee- k ing broken bones and other severely dehydrated hikers. The last one occurred June The overnight rescue started at about 10 p.m. when another hiker in the Devils Garden area heard a woman screaming for help. The visitor had been hiking behind Partition and Navajo arches when she became disoriented and lost. She could see the trail but stood atop a steep cliff and could not figure out how to reach the trail. As darkness approached, the woman prepared to spend the night but thought better of it and began just as fulfilling as your right to vote 0. shouting. dye your hair blue, that's cool too. Because while rights like freedom of .. because you can enjoy these freedoms f speech, freedom of religion and freedom personally and often. , , f 1 of t he press get all the alien! ion in the a A search and rescue team was dispatched and she was located by following her voice in the darkness. The event ended at about 2 a.m. Webster cautions everyone hiking or recreating in the extreme heat to take precau- for the president. Maybe even more so . , So take a moment to celebrate all t $ Constft ut ion, the smaller liberties you pr d , can W ij erjWfcayYn America are no tsz f patrol or worthy of celebration, tj-- the little liberties you enjoy in America. a free country. , . ... Freedom. Appreciate it. Cherish it. - - '4 screen. And drink the water," he reminds. People think they dont need w ater because they are not sweating, but in this heat the sweat evaporates almost before it forms on the skin. Hydration packs are a good idea because you can sap water all along the trail and incrementally increase hydration instead of gulping down a bunch." Or, forget all this and choose to take them far granted-i- ts n-- tions beforehand. First, he advises, dont hike in the heat of the day. Carry plenty of water - a gallon of water per person per day is recommended - and appropriate protection from the sun including hat, shirt and sun- Protect it. GZETHsEIjIZD A 52XBlE23iECE CSX' xse. 1FOC |