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Show C 00! UlrtH Uintah Basin i Si 0 Id 1 1 P PRFSS rtl Ul. A Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world. -- Arthur Schopenhauer S . LAKt J (?) ON Mliri. CITY, Ul M10.1 110( 500 Robbery victim doesn't take a day off Tuesday Claude Nebeker has been robbed 20 times since he November 13, 2001 Roosevelt, Utah boughtasmalconvenience store. After his latest 88, Number 46 www.ubstandard.com Vol. encounter, hesa&he'sabout ready to retire. See page 3 ;; 7: iLLlOltf'TDBESHrtRED Spunky girl saysr "bald is beautiful At the top of Vanessas Christmas listis a wig. A service program 1 called Locks of Love," will ft help fill her order, but for now she isnt hiding under 1 1 -- year-old herhat. Seepage 13 Moon Lake Electric to give credit on your power bills Lakes primary power supplier, sales Non-memb- er have provided Deseret with excess cash. Deseret Power, andits me tubers systems. Power not required by Deseret's ' member cooperatives hasbeen sold as surplus at very favorable prices inthe market. Earl West's power-hungr- y saleehave stated, These provided Deseret with excess cash, allowing them to satisfy their debt some obligations and even pre-pa- y debt, while returning a part of these revenues to Moon Lake and its other member systems. Earl cautioned that while the West Coast energy market favored Deseret and its member systems, Moon Lakes other wholesale power supplier, the Western Area Power listration rannounced it would l its wholesale rates. WAP A, who has been dealing with a below normal snow pack and subsequent low water runoff to fi 11 its wr. ter storage reservoirs, has had to go tothe high-pnepower market to purchase replacement power. This, coupled with restrictions placed on WAPAs water release program outofFlaming Gorge, Glen Canyon, and other dams due to environmental concerns associated with endangered fish, has caused WAPA to seek the rate increase. Earl commented that, due to Moon Lakescurrent financial condition, the cooperative will more than likely Absorb the Western increase rather than ask the membership to pay higher prices for its electricity. He also noted that it's been nearly seventeen years since Moon Lake pasBedonan increase to its membership, and in fact has lowered rates on two different occasions during this same time period. non-memb- er For the aecondysarinarow, were happy to report theres good news for Moon Lake Electric members, stated Grant J. Earl, General Manager. Earl commented that the Moon LabBoard on)irBctorB recently voted in foil rapport ofa$2 million rebate, which will appoar aa a cndit on electric bills during the holidays, for all tariff ratepayer! including residential, small Mark your calendar and plan to attend Duchesne High's delightful production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers November 14, 7 and 0 at 7:30 pm. IB-1- 19-2- Seepage 15 costs. Cougars now Utes Former Union High athletes Kevin Wilson and Jackie Morrill are now playing on University of Utah sports teams. Seepage bininwa, and irrigation wnniimnf Board president, Pat Lollar, explained, Western power markets, for the second straight year, make it possible for Moon Lake to refirnd audi a large amount ofmoney. Until June of 2001 when the Federal Energy Regulatory Agency took steps to correct an out of control West Coast power market, California and adjoining states were paying extremely high power 16 In addition to deregulation problems, drought conditions in the Pacific northwest, environmental regulations, land use restrictions, and hampered existingand new power plant development. As a result, a lack of generating capacity in California, along with a high demand for electricity, have forced power suppliers there to go to the open market to meet their contractual obligations. Earl commented that the situation in California and other western states has proven beneficial to Moon non-memb- er ed Bond issue passds, change defeated in government IT'S AUTUMN TIME Even though itsthetimeofyear when you expect cold temperatures and snow, mild weather Matthew Richardson enjoys the sunny afternoons by continues to dominate throughout the state. in in Roosevelt. outside his home the leaves playing ld i REQUESTED BUDGET UP OVER LAST YEAR County's tentative budget offers pay raises, no tax hikes By Lezlee E. Whiting , A proposal to boost salaries for many Duchesne County employees is being considered by commissioners as they prepare the 2002 budget In previous years county employees have received across the board" raises, hut a new plan recommends raising salaries of all county employees whose pay falls below the median statewide ' salary for their job description. According to a report on occupational wages in Utah, some Duchesne County employees dont earn close to w hat their counterparts in other counties earn. While not everyone will be in line for a raise under the plan, many would see an increase in their take-hom- e pay if the salary adjustment proposal passes. Some will get healthy raises, some will get very little, explained Duchesne County Diane Fres ton. Were just trying to bring everyone up to the median. A $294,000 jump in revenue to the county will help pay for the recom- About $148,000 has been freed up from accumulated savings in the countys capital lease budget to help pay for the proposed salary hikes, said Freston. The auditors tentative 2002 budget, which totals $8.7 million is up $117,866 from 2001. The proposed budget also includes a requested funding increase by the county attorney in order to hire a new e deputy county attorney and full-tim- e secretary. The county is currently advertising the new posipart-tim- tion. The budget for the Duchesne County Jail estimates an additional $200,000 in revenue in 2002. That amount is up because of higher state reimbursements to jails that accept state prisoners and Sheriff Ralph Stansfield anticipates taking in more SEE COUNTY BUDGET on page3 YOUR RESPONSE COUNTS Lawmakers seeking your opinion & advice Clerk-Audit- By Lezlee E. Whiting Voters in Duchesne County overwhelmingly approved a proposal to obtain a $3.5 million loan to pay for remodeling and construction at Duchesne High. Each precinct low-intere-st ofthe countiy returneda resounding vote in favor ofthe plan to bond for the project. The final tally was 1,372 in favor, and 374 opposed. The general obligation bond will not impact taxes. The money, loaned at a 1.5 percent interest rate wiU be reinvested by the school district atahigherinterestmte to allow the bond to be repaid in just five years. Phase one of the Duchesne High project is slated to begin early n 2002 and will cost approximately $4.8 million. 2001 Roosevelt City general election Mayor Dennis Jenkins RexRipplingcr ' .Council Members John Gardner Larry Murray Alfred Stringham Dave Woolstenhulme S21 424 4SS 527 383 449 Uintah County 13,029 Registered voters Ballots cast 6,121 Citizens County Initiative No. For 1,823 . Against 1 4,246 Duchesne County School District Bond Bond Issue Then was a 47 percent turnout at the polls in Uintah County, where voters quickfy doused any phms for the replacement of the traditional throe-membCounty Commission with a seven-membCounty Council form of government. The ballot issue known as Citizen's County Initiative 1 was rejected by 70 percent or 4,246 voters. (See related chart for all elecer tion results.) In Roosevelt, incumbent nufyor Dennis Jenkins held on to his seat for asecood term inoffice, defeating challenger Dr. Rex Ripplinger. In the Roosevelt City Council contest, buai- ness man Larry Murray and John Gardner were the top two vote get-teJust six votes aeparated Gardner, the director of the Childrens Justice Center, andUSU Uintah Basin branch for a recount. (Election judges recounted all ballots twice the night of the election.) If the tie still remains, then according to state law, the candidates can flip a coin or drew lots to officially settle the matter. The new Duchesne mayor is Clint Park, a current city council member who ran unopposed for the position after incumbent mayor Kim Hamlin declined to seek In Myton, Kathleen Cooper won her bid for mayor. Cooper woa challenged byJoyce Havercroft who ran aa a write-in- . New Myton City Council SEE ELECTION on page 3 n. campus professor Dave Woolstenhulme. Election judges tabulated ballots twice on election night because of the dose race. The four absentee ballots yet to bo counted, would not make a difference in the dose race. A little leas than one-thir-d of the registered vetersin Roosevelt 1,000 ofthe 3,276 cast their ballots in the municipal election.. In Duchesne, Nancy Wager wee the dear winner in the city council race with 174 votes. There is a tie between Ron Johnson and incumbent council member Dr. Paul Tanner for the second council seat Each man received 139 votes. The two absentee ballots which will be counted today (Tuesday, Nov. 13) as the city council canvasses the election results could result in a the candidates have seven days to file seek-ingyo- In the post, the survey was mailed out while the legislative session waa in progress, explained Kep. Gordon Snow We had people say youve waited too long, if you wanted our input you should have asked sooner, so thats what we did this year. We wanted to get the surveys out after t he elections and before the holiday rush, he stated. The survey queries voters on their opinions on everything from education fonding to whether the Internet should be taxed, if they favor more severe punishment for those convicted SEE LAWMAKERS onpagei AND THE SURVEY SAYS ... Poll: Most would be willing to pay for recreation district Would you be willing to support a county-wid- e Roosevelt Area recreation district? 74 7 UNDICIDED Duchesne Area 19 42 25 UNDICIDED r. If those ballots dont break the tie, mended salary increases. The new money is coming to the county due to a combination of factors, Freston explained. A $200,000 increase in state B Road money received by the county will free up that same amount from the general fund. The county previously used general fund money to help pay for B Road costs. The B Road fund money is generated by the state gasoline tax and is earmarked for B roads in the county. Two Uintah Basin lawmakers are propping for the upcoming 2002 Legislative Session by gathering input from constituents on issues sure to be topics of discussion. In this issue of the Standard you will find a green political leaflet opinion on important issues. This survey includes 14 questions, about halfrequire ayes or no answer, the remainder ask the respondent to rank issues in order of importance. There is also room for comments. Written comments from a handful of voters who mailed in their survey last year already resulted in the survey being distributed earlier thisycar. All Others Areas 62 HZ Myton 33 19 UNDICIDED 19 Would you be willing to pay additional tax? Roosevelt Area RV 55 12 UNDICIDED 32 T1 17 Duchesne Area fW 33 IUNDIC1DE 50 All Others Areas 33 KH7MN?M31 18 By Lezlee E. Whiting The results of a recent telephone survey conducted by the Uintah Basin Standard showed the majority of those polled were concerned about the lack of recreational opportunities in Duchesne County. At the same time, most of the respondents also said they would be willing to pay an additional property tax to fund a recreation dis- trict. One-hundre- d thirty-nin- e people took part in the survey, 82 of the respondents were from the Roosevelt area, 45 were from unincorporated areas of Duchesne County and west Uintah County, and 12 people in Duchesne agreed to answer our questions. The majority of those polled said they would be willing to support a county-wid- e recreation district, however, acceptance fell somewhat when asked if they would be willingto pay an additional tax." Many of those we spoke with said they wanted more information before giving a yes or no answer to the question. (See related chart on this page.) In Roosevelt 55 percent of those surveyed said they would be willingto pay an additional tax in order to fu nd a recreation district, 33 percent said they would need more informal ion. In Duchesne, 42 percent ofthe people we spoke wit h said they would support a ide recreai iondistrict, howeouniy-ever just 17 percent s.ud they would be willing to pay for it. I n unincorporated areas of the two counties 62 percent of those contacted said they would support a recreation district, but only 49 percent said they would agree to help foot the bill. The list of recreation wants is lengthy and expensive: a new recre-atio- n complex withan indoor pool and racquetball courts, a roller skating rink, ice skating rink, more basketball courts and park improvements. Before a recreation district could be formed as a taxingen lity a referendum vote would have to he held. TheUintah Basin Recreation Committee was formed last summer to discuss ways to further proposals for a new recreation center in Roosevelt. The group is considering the forma-tionof- a recreation district and investigating options for funding the district. The committee which is made is open to up of citizen volunteers all suggest ions and is in need of more people from throughout Duchesne and west Uintah counties willing to serve on the committee. They will meet again on Dec. 5 at. 6:30 p in. at the Roosevelt city huild:ng Years ago, Duchesne County was financially able to budget revenue to go to each community sX'cifically for recreat ion . The practice came to a halt in the 1990s when the coimty'sprop-ert- y tax base took a 50 percent nosedive. Uintah County oporatesa success-fil- l recreai ion district under the special serviccdistrict. Their recreation district is funded through mineral lease money and recreation aus-piceso- fees. Duchcne County's mineral lease monies pi to the special service district overroails.and it could not effectively he split with another district, said Commission Chairman Guy Thavne. |