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Show VOTEU VOTE U " "NO NO : JO NO : < " ON AMENNDMENT AlUINNDl\IENT AlUINNDl IENT : \ NO . 5If 5 5If If the $2000 2000 $ homestead exemption amendment to tothe tothe tothe the constitution is approved approvf'd approvfd ' by vote of the people cn cnNovember cnNovember enNovember November 3h3t 3 . , , , what \h3t h3t \ i is to become of the scores o of ! tOVwnsand townsand towns tOVwns -and and - - and many of the counties cOW1ties and school distncts- distncts districts- districts distnctsthroughout districtsthroughout distncts-tnroughout distncts tnroughout - - throughout the statehich state , , \ which \\hich hich \ depend for fer fcr their thir ( ; eXIst'ncc eXIstncc existence existencenn eXIst'nccun existencean ( ' un an the taxation ta"ation taation " of homes9 homes ? Proponents opone.nts oponents . of the exemp .emp- .emp eaemp- eaemp e > . eaempbon exemption .emptwn - tion twn bon say that the revenue now derived from homes WIll WIll.be willbe willl .be be . > e replaced by revenue fiom flom from other sources , but they theydo theydo theydo do not specify the mysterious mystcnous sources ficm from fl ent wl which ch thismonej thismoney this - money -monej monej ' is to come Fulthermore Furthermore FlU tbermore , they state that the thelegis1ature thelegislature thelegislature legis1ature legislature legis1atureull \ will \ull ull have ha\e ha e \ to decide how the towns and and'COtlllties andcounties andcounties 'COtlllties COtlllties counties ' and 5 < . school .hool hool districts are to be financed , they theyleave theyleave theyJcave leave the , vague ague inference that in 111 some cccult occult mannerihe mannerthe manner mannerthe -the the ihe - legislature can find flnd wavs wa3s wa s and means to replacetbis replacethis replace replacethis -this this -tbis tbis - - tax revenue , thereby indicating Ind1catlrg indicatirg that the legislafaire legisla legISla- legISlature legislature - ture faire will Wl1 ] be more lesourc icsourceful resourceful ful than the present adrocates ad- ad adocates ad-Tocates ad Tocates - -\-ocates ocates rocates - " \ - of the amendment They might ght as . well v.ell vell bell argue argue1hat arguethat arguethat 1hat that the mone money ' will come as manna from frcm heaven hea\en hea en \ If Ifthere Ifthere Ifthere there are any new and untried methods of taxation taxationleft taxationleft taxationleft left open foi fop use us , , ' we ne \e e \ should like to heir he'lr helr ' of them themPassmg themPassing themPassing Passmg Passing the buck to the ] legislature egIsature ] Is an evasion of ofIesponsibility ofresponsibility ofresponsibility Iesponsibility responsibility . - Lets see how this amendment , if finally MaUv enacted enactedroto enactedinto enactedinto roto into la la111 law , . , . \ will \\111 111 \ affect the town of Moab MoabIn Moab In 1935 , thetotal thetotal the thetotal -total total - assessedaluatlon assessed \ valuation \aluatlon aluatlon of Moab was Vwas about $300000 300000 $300000Of $300000Of $300000Of 300000Of $ Of this amount , 0er over ov 0\ 0 \ er $150,000 150000 $ , , 01 or to be e\act e act e\.3ct e.3ct .3ct 3ct enact \ . , , 501 50 I 1 per percent percent percent cent , represented the assessments on homesteads homesteadsMoab homesteadsMoab homesteadsMoab Moab town to\\n to n \ has always ah\ays ah ays ahvays \ suffeied suffeled suffered from msuffIclent insufficient msuffIclent.Ie"enues insufficientrevenues insufficient.revenues insufficientrevenues .Ie\"enues .Ieenues .Ie Ie "enues enues revenues . . \ " " with "ith ith " which "hlCh hlCh to maintain mamtam its Stl sheets streets eets , police pollce the thetown thetown thetown town , maintain mamtal11 the cemetery , build bulld sidewalks sldev.all.s sldevall.s sldevalls . . , , and andoperate andoperate andoperate operate the city court If one-half one half - of this too-1Jmlted too 1Jmlted too-limited limited too1Jmltedrevenue toolimitedrevenue too-limitedrevenue too limitedrevenue - revenue is1ped is ' wiped \1ped 1ped \ away a\ay a ay , \ , the town tc"n tcn " might Imght asell as \ well \\ell ell d ds-jncorporate ds jncorporate dsjncorporateMoab s- s s.mcorporate sjncorporate - .mcorporate mcorporate jncorporate . .mcorporateMoab jncorporateMoab Moab has issued bonds in the sum smn of $32 32 $32000 32000 $ 000 v.lth vlth with v.lthwlllch withwinch . withwhich wlllch winch to build bwd ] a 3 ' . waterworks waterv.orks watervorks . and . sewer .sewer svstem system s stem , , un- un under under un under - der the provisions of a lawhich law , which \hich hich \ permits pernuts municipali mumclpah- mumclpah municrpali- municrpali mumclpah.r municrpalirr municipalities - .r r . rr f ' rrties ties to issue bonds up to 12 per cent of their assessed assessediaa1uations assessedvaluations iaa1uations at1ons for these essential improvements Moab IS isGrow is.now isnow .now now Grow . . bonded up to the legal limit l1mlt If It the homestead homesteadexemption homesteadexemption exemption mptJon resolution is enacted into mto law , Moab M01b v.lll vlll will willhave v.lll.hae . will.have willhave .ha\e .hae .ha ha e have . . \ bonds outstanding outstand1ng in the sum Mffil sums 01 or $32,000 32000 $ , against againstan an assessedaluaticn assessed \ valuation \aluaticn aluaticn of about $15000 15000 $15 15 $ 000 In other words wordsour , our outstanding outstandmg bonded debt will be twice tWlce the thelegal thelegal thelegal legal debt limit llmlt ThIsirtuaUy This \ virtually \irtuaUy irtuaUy irtuaUyould \ would \\ould ould nould mean confisca conflsca- conflsca confisca- conflscatlon confiscation confiscation - - tion tlon of the business busmess houses , utilities utihtIes , . and personalproperty personal . property remaining on the tax td.X tdX . rollL roll roU 1 L What about the holders of th the $32 32 $ $32000 32000 $ 000 In bends bendsJf ? . .It It If . the exemption measure is 15 enacted into mt.o mto . law lav . , the thesecurity theEccurity securtty security behind these bonds onds Vwot would d indeed intteett be shaky shaky.This shakyThis . county5 countyI "D1is D1is This " would Vwould be true of practically everv e\eI"j e eI"j eIj every \ " city , . county countyrsid I , county5y : ; ' y > S , rind # rsid rsidschool d dschool school district in the state of Utah , many ofS ofwhich of which w1uch are bonded to the limiti limitUntil limit - 1- 1 - 11.he -i i - : . . _ Until some feasible feaslbe ] plan is devised densed for replacmg replacing replacingthe replacing'the replacingthe " 1.he 1he the ' . ' revenue re\enue re enue \ now obtained obtamed through taxation on home home- home.steads homesteads homesteads - . steads .steads , , is it . wise v.lse vlse to destroy the credit cred1t of all our to"ns tons towns to"nsand townsand townsand " and counties9 counties ? " Proponents of the home exemption act actdeclare actdeclare actdeclare declare that the constitutional amendment will willmerelyjgive merely merelyElve merelygave -merelyjgive merelyjgive - Elve gave the legislature leg1Slature the po power " er to exempt homes , and andHdoes andf Hdoes . does doesnot 'botactuaUy ' ' -not not 'bot- 'bot bot 'not - . - actually actuaUy do so This , . cf of course , is true Yet , 'I I ' " . , t , J.f Jf 1f . ] S . the bars are let dOVwn-if dOVwn if down-if down down - if the constitution is so soor sot soamended soit or t t ( iinended amended that by a mere whim of some future legisti ] legis- legis legisJat egJs- egJs egJs'l - 'l l ti ' " ; < . , aeuret } - Jat ure } the e.fsecur1t efsecur1t ' . ' securits behind behmd our honest debts can be beriM bewiped bej . . \riM riM wiped ' \ dpecT away-Utah away Utah ' away n ay-Utah ay Utah - Utah s credit will wIH be gone If this this'amendment this"amendment thisamendment 'amendment amendment " ' e dmexrt dmexrtis is voted investors imestors . will V.IU VIU shy away a\ay a ay , \ from fromUtah fromUtah fromUtah Utah bonds Our credit cred1t will w111 be goneWe goneWe gone goneWe We sympathize , with \ ith the home-owner home owner heme-owner heme - during these thesetrying thesetrying thesetrying trying -trying - times Urnes It is often \ very ery difficult to pay the thetaxes thetaxes thetaxes taxes on one ones s home Yet common sense tells teHs us that thatthe thatthe thatthe the revenue re\enue re enue \ to operate towns to\11S to 11S ' \ , counties cOW1ties and school schooldistncts schooldistricts schooldistricts distncts districts must be obtained obtamed somev somewhere . here If the cItizen citizenis 15 is forgiven forghen for-hen for hen - the ta taxes .es es > . on his home , , he will wUl nave rulve to topay toyav 1 > pay av the money in seme some other way There is no great greatwealthy greatwealthy greatwealthy wealthy cass class ] in Utah that is e evading , ading taxation Tlus This Tlusstate Thisstate Thisstate state is 15 made up of average a'crage acrage ' people If . we v.e ve escape taxa taxa- taxatJon taxa- taxa taxation taxation - - tion tJon b hi bv one ono on method , , we \ e will have to pay by some someother someother someother other otherThe * The adoption o oC ot the home exemption act would wouldrum , wouldrum \ ould ouldrum rum Moab and Grand county , just as it would Voould rum ruin rummany ruinmany nunmany many other municipalities municipahUes and counties in the stateIt stateIt state st-ate st ate stateIt - It would Vwoud ] result in 111 confiscation of other property propertyw1uch propertywhich propertywhich w1uch which w1uchv'ould whichwould ' would v'ould vould have hae hate , to be held answerable ans\erable ans erable ' \ for the pay pav- pav pay- pavment payment payment - ment of outstanding outstanamg oonds ponds It . would v.ould vould result in m to the dIs- dIs dIsincorporation disincorporation dis-inoorporation dis inoorporation - - incorporation of ot hundreds of towns , it would close closethe closethe closethe the s < : schools hools in many counties , in fact , . it would Vwould brmg bring brmgchaos bringchaos bringchaos chaos to the state of Utah |