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Show rm By fRES S ASSOCIATION S AST 3FD SOUTH SALT LAKE CITY, UT UTAH Eight Percent For Quarter 46? "iJlll Sales Tax Receipt Check Tops Expectations Sales tax receipts - the bread and of the West Valley City budget - amounted to roughly eight percent more than anticipated in budget pro WEST VALLEY. City officials here Monday learned they will have a little more butter on their bread than -- butter -- expected. Three Sections -- jections for the first quarter of the citys existence, Mayor Henry (Hank) Price said yesterday (Wednesday). The State Tax Commission Monday 36 Pages - WeatVwSey rs k K THE VOICE OF WEST VALLEY CITY UTAH ifN Publish'd wrikly at iss at Salt L E 105 South Salt L.iki City UT 01107 aka City UT 81119 Subscript ion a !i SI? ill I yi 26, 1 V USPS class posl.iqi paid 50 Volume Thursday, Dec. 25, 1980 I 656-38- 0 .11 Number All 51 departments For Jan. 1 262 6682 notified city officials that West Valley would receive a check for $767,011 for the quarter covering retail sales between July and September. That figure, the mayor said, is $56,500 more than the $710,000 estimated by Price, City Treasurer Randy Baker and other city officials when they put the budget together earlier this year. Im just tickled to death to get such good news, said Price, who predicted that sales tax revenue from the current quarter, which includes Christmas sales, may be even higher. Sales at West Valley stores, unlike those in other areas of the valley, are high and could yield as much as 12 percent more than projected in the budget, Price said. Surplus receipts from the first quarter will alleviate financial problems facing several departments and will allow the city to invest the remainder in high interest certificates for use toward retirement of the $1.5 million debt to Zions First National Bank, the mayor said. Ten days after incorporation, the bank purchased that amount of tax anticipation notes from the city West Valley has been using the money to pay for its initial operations. Price said he expects to meet with Commissioners Jerry Wagstaff and Renee Mackay and various department heads after Jan to make lateral transfers within the budget, shifting money from areas with surpluses to those facing deficits The City Attorneys office is likely to receive most of the surplus from the sales tax check The attorneys budget fell below projections because estimates had not taken into account the extensive - and expensive -litigation against the disincorporate movement, Price said Questions about the solvency of the budget were raised last week by a knowledgable but unnamed source who linked the resignation of former City Auditor Gerry Ashman to potential financial problems for the city. City officials discounted the fears. And, with receipt of the first sales tax check, Price said yesterday, Were 1 Start Firefighting Crew Gearing Up WEST VALLEY. Fire Department officials here expect to receive their big Christmas West Valley To pumper fire engines are slated for delivery to the fledgling department, Fire Chief William Lukens said Tuesday. Once the engines arrive, 30 firefighters who have been undergoing orientation training since Dec. 15 will begin physical training in anticipation of the departments startup on Jan. 1. Firefighters will lay hose and begin the process of becoming acquainted with the machines and the equipment on them, said Van Summers, division chief in charge of training and safety. The familiarization process will intensify Monday as the firefighters, all of whom have previous experience, utilize the equipment in various tests, Summers added. Lukens said he hopes to have two larger engines by the first part of next week. That equipment was ordered from a company in the east and the West Valley chief said he has been in contact with the firm, American LaFrance, attempting to ensure that the rigs arrive by Wednesday. Physical facilities for housing the firefighters, meanwhile, are nearly ready for occupancy Purchase Two Gasoline Tanks WEST VALLEY. Two large gas tanks to service this citys fleet of vehicles were approved here Thursday by the City Commission. The tanks, which will be installed shortly near City Hall, will be purchased from Lang Wayne Equipment Division for $20,200, Purchasing Agent Katie Dastrup said. Lang Waynes bid was the lowest of four submitted, with the next lowest at $22,900. Bids were as high as $23,500, she added. A 12,000-gallotank will hold unleaded gas for fleet cars, while a 10,000-gallo- n tank will store diesel fuel for fire engines and heavy street equipment, she said. City officials earlier were considering smaller tanks before learning they could save money by buying fuel in larger shipments. The tanks approved Thursday will easily handle n the standard shipments, Mrs. Dastrup said. n jj$ HEY, SANTA . . . Little Jeremy Martin Is all spruced up In lederhosen for his visit with Santa, who is not likely to be seen around here after Christmas Day. the 8,500-gallo- long-awaite- d presents two late. Saturdays the day that three days mini- - Starting In January i i right on line We even have more of a cushion to work w ith Construction crews have completed most of the essential work on the new fire station at 4160 So 6400 West, adding some finishing touches with painting and cabinet work this week, Lukens said. A formal opening ceremony will be held at the station at 4 p m Wednesday, he added. The City Commission yesterday (Wednesday) approved the rental of mobile living quarters for firemen working out of the station in the rear of City Hall. The 300 square foot mobile unit, which includes sleeping accommodations and a kitchen, will be retained for $425 a month The unit probably will be used for six months. City officials also were expected to take action Tuesday on a contractual agreement with the county for use of the Beaver Street station, but postponed the matter until Tuesdays commission meeting. Estimates have placed rental payments for use of the facility at about $800 a month. Firefighters have'been assigned to various shifts at the three stations and, for the past week, have been busy becoming acquainted with one another, Summers said. The division chief has been putting them through an orientation process emphasizing strategy, tactics and skills in fire suppression, emergency medical training, public education and other classroom training. Appearing in Section ( of to- days Green Sheet are the selected Christmas drawings of Granite and Murray district elementary youngsters. Their artyyork is used as a basis for greetings from area firms. larger yersion of the one appearing here by Lynn Jessop of Monroe school in Granger appears inside, along with all the rest. Garbage Collection Schedule Altered By Holidays City WEST VALLEY. This marks the final week that city residents here will have their garbage collected by the county. Starting Jan. 2, a private firm will collect garbage under a contractual agreement with West Valley City Until then, the system will remain as it has for the past year Residences where garbage usually is collected on Thursday will have pick-up- s this week on Friday because of the Christmas holiday tomorrow (Thursday). Regularly scheduled Friday pickups will be made on Saturday. The system will remain the same for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The New Years holiday will throw collection back a day also, with Thursdays normal pickups on Friday and Friday's on Saturday. The system, under city control, will be back on schedule on Monday, Jan. 5 Copies of the daily collection are schedule Granger-Hunte- r available at the Improvement District offices, the Granger Post Office and the Granger Library, said city administrative assistant Karen Leftwich, Legislature Gearing For Major Session could result in the elimination of a SALT LAKE. With memories of the recent special session still fresh in their minds, the governor and state legislators are gearing up for the regular 44th session in January. As in the special session, the state budget will be the focus of much of the attention. Just how austere the budget will be by the time the legislature adjourns seems to be the question before state lawmakers. Gov. Scott Matheson unveiled Monday a proposed budget of $1.68 billion, a 6.7 percent increase over the amount approved by the legislature at last Januarys budget session. In terms of real dollars, however, the governors budget is likely to represent a decline in spending since g inflation estimates foresee increases at double digit levels for the next year. As proposed by Matheson, public education will again receive the lions share of the budget, about 40 Higher education comes percent. next with about 14 percent. Social services have been apportioned about 12 percent of the budget, transportation 11 percent and health care nine percent. At present, two percent of the budget has been set aside for tax relief. The proposed budget contains cutbacks of roughly $37 million and number programs, several which could generate significant of position. Assistance ditures. State officials feel another $1.5 million could be saved by halting the expansion of low income housing pro- grams. Budget matters will not be the only concern of the Incoming legislature.. More than 60 bills have been prefiled in the House for consideration at the next session and nearly as many bills are available for review by the Senate. House Majority Leader Norman 29, has Bangerter of Granger, a bill dealing with the anpre-file- d nexation process, which is expected to continue as a hot issue in Salt Lake County. Bangerters bill would give governmental entities affected by an annexation more time to protest that ac by the room our quietly cant be heard by But I sube. Whatever it is, we struggled mightily against it be- fore sitting down at the typewriter. Whatll dont want to write about Christmas, we protested. Ive had Christmas up to here. We held a hand horizontally at our throat to describe the level. "Listen, jerk, replied the voice within, the day after that column appears will be Christmas - and youll write about what about! are thinking people I write about? wed asked no one in partic- ular. Whatll you write about? You'll write about Christmas, of course! came the voice, shouting so loudly it echoed through our skull. Guiltily, we glanced around tion. At the last regular session, the legislature established Boundary Commissions to mediate in disputed annexations. In the Senate, Sen. Fred Finlinson, six bills last week, 8, perhaps the most important of which would help county governments enforce vehicle emissions inspection pre-file- d program requirements. Finlinsons bill would enable county assessors to require that vehicle owners produce proof of an emissions inspection before receiving the vehicles registration. The outgoing Senate majority leaders also has filed several bills dealing with the election process. Finlinsons proposals would clarify the voting rights of Utah citizens living overseas and in the military. They would alter residency requirements for county and district office candidates and change absentee balloting procedures. In another area, Finlinson has submitted a bill outlawing the possession or sale of drug paraphernalia. Sen. Verl Asay of Taylorsville, 11, has prefiled a bill which would require banks to issue check guarantee cards for every account, a move intended to protect merchants from bad checks. Lawmakers also will be dealing once again with a proposal to place a constitutional limitation on spending by state and local governments. The measure, sponsored by Rep. 17, was Gary Brockbank, debated at great length at the last regular session before failing to gain enough support. Brockbank has prefiled a resolution calling for a constitutional guarantee that state and local governments will not increase spending at a rate greater than the growth of personal income. Home Rents Quickly! The Green Sheets classified section is the market place of the Dennis Anderson, 4001 So. 6000 West, will testify to that. When he us- mid-valle- QUIET home, hookups, large yard, ample parking. ed a classified ad to find a renter for a Hunter area home, he reported: It was rented the day the ad came out. We had several other calls. Im pleased with the response. 2 Dial to place your ad. Save $1 by paying before it runs. Ask us 262-668- how. GEARING UP . , , West Valley firemen G. H. (Moose) Barkdull (left) and John Blundell try out equipment In preparation for department's first day of existence on Jan. 1 , Youll get results! Jim Cornwell - but others going about their newspaper duties obviously hadnt heard the stentorian tones. Most of us have a little voice Some psychiatrists label it the conscious. Others say its our educationally Cities and counties also million. could lose general law enforcement funding from the state, cutting back another $1 million from expen- here's a point inside the op- disadvantaged and the handicapped would be reduced under terms of the proposal, as well as some elementary school programs such as music. The safe sidewalk program faces elimination, saving the state $1 5 cost-of-livin- that talks mind and others. to of It just isnt in me, we argued,. I think everybody has heard and read and seen everything they want to know about Christmas. Theyre ready to get it over with and get on with other things - like New Years Day bowl games. the voice deWrong, word-macreed, sounding for all the world like Johnny Carson admonishing -- Ed McMahon. Everybodys in the mood for Christmas. Lots of people are just getting started wtih giftshopping. Some havent even addressed their cards yet. Maybe so, we rebelled, but it seems to me the whole year has been divided between politics and Christmas. We had nothing but politics til the 4th of July and from then til November they had equal billing. Since then its been nothing but songs and plays about Christmas everywhere you look or listen. You just dont seem to have a grasp of the situation, the deep voice inside scolded. vPeople love Christmas and they cant get too much of it. Cant get too much of it? we defiantly shouted, again looking around to see if others could hear this Yuletide debate. None seemed aware. Or, if they were, they gave no indication. Hog-was- You could get too much of Christmas just looking department store Santas, at we continued. There are tall ones and short ones and thin ones and fat ones. They have red velvet suits or red cotton suits or red corduroy suits. Some look like theyre wearing red underwear. They have black leather boots or black fabric boots or even overshoes. Theyre so phony any can figure out its a hoax. No wonder he wants to stay up til midnight on Christmas eve to see the real McCoy. Or whatever his nationality is. McCoys a Scottish name and hes obviously not a Scot, said the In fact, voice, in needling terms. its obvious hes Polish. North Polish. Get it? Departing from his severe character, the voice laughed uproariously. Thats ridiculous nonsense, we said, scornfully. Why don't you go away and let me write about winter vacations or something? Because even the few people who read your weekly drivel would be disappointed," the voice commanded. This is the time of the year," he continued, when people are kind and gentle and loving to and thats what they want to read about. Yeah - Ive seen em being kind and gentle in their automobiles when they jockey for lanes or parking places, we muttered. Theyve got malice in their eyes. And in the stores - leapin lizards! Ask the clerks whos kind to who when theres just one of something left and two people want it! You should hear their loving (ho, ho, ho) one-anoth- -- Cmon, now, said the voice, youre just grasping at straws for a reason not to write about Christmas. You dont fool me for a minute 1 know you better than you know yourself. Reflecting on that logic, we conceded it might be true. Am I me or is he me? Or are there even more mesin there? Get busy and make with the typewriter, the voice ordered. Start with Merry Christmas, everybody . . . Or something like that. You could probably be a little more original than that ... we gave in. Okay, voice, Christmas really is a great time of the year. Im probably just tired. But wait til the choir sings Adeste and then the family Fidelis gathers 'round the tree and Ill get sentimental and moist-eye- d just like I did last year. And the one before that. And the one before that . . . |