Show MOAB'S LAST FOUR YEARS Bo Boom m Problems Really Piled Up on Ci City In 54 But Most Have Been Solved Now this Is the second of a ser serles les of articles being published by the Times Times Independent In cooperation cooperation co operation with the Grand County County Coun ty Chamber of Commerce governmental gov governmental units and others on Moab's growth In the last four years The Moab city council budget ed cd for Its general fund In 1952 This year the general fund totals about What caused this 11 fold 11 fold Increase Increase In crease In municipal spending That question can be answered with one word word people People required more water more police pollee protection more of every service I the city had to offer offer and and many new services not needed when Moab Moab Moab Mo Mo- ab was a village of 1200 How low did Moab's city g government govern vern ment raise the money to satisfy those needs That question Isn't easy as anyone anyone any one who has watched the city council at work in the last hectic years can testify Before we try to give the an Ma al S stal 3 JaMs I Moab history Charles Steen made his Mi VIda strike in the Big Indian district In Inthe inthe the he summer of 1952 By the following follow ing year several hundred prospectors prospectors tors had drifted Into Moab some Moab-some some to stay some to move on Business picked up In local stores Restaurants were busier than usual Trailer dwellers were setting up their samps haphazardly haphazard ly Iy along creeks and irrigation ditches Moab enjoyed a period of welcome welcome wel come but still modest prosperity As yet not unusual problems had been seen presented the city govern ment The 1953 general fund budget budget bud bud- get was but little higher than the budget for 1952 And even the 1954 budget called for general fund expenditures of only not not quite over the 1952 figure But the ink was hardly dry on that 1954 budget before the real boom began All the nation had acquired uranium fever It seem seem- ed Prospectors promoters miners miners min min- ers and others looking for jobs swarmed Into Moab from every corner of the country The city government suddenly was faced with a host of pressing demands all requiring money To quote from a report prepared later that year Community facilities which had been adequate for a population tion of 1500 to 2000 suddenly became became be be- came overloaded Water supply became inadequate distribution lines could not carry the amount of water needed sewage backed backed back back- ed up in the manholes Added to this were requests for large additions additions ad ad- to both the water and sewage sewage sew sew- age systems And there was another vital problem public problem public safety One city marshal was enough for the village village vil lage of 1200 but a police pollee department department depart depart- ment of at least four men was needed by the city that had gro grow i almost overnight to over Of the budgeted for the entire year of 1954 the city had spent pent by June 30 And it Jt was obvious that at least more would have to be spent before be be- fore ore the end of the year Where did the money go Space doesn't permit listing all the accomplishmentS accomplishment accomplishment ac ac- ac of the Moab city council In hi 1954 but here are some of the lights high Enactment of ordinances on trailer courts and new Unregulated house trailer camps had created a critical sanitation sani- sani tation problem Provision for garbage removal removal re rt moval and other sanitation con con- u rois Adoption of a building code and zoning ordinance Establishment of a board of health Enactment of a master street plan Creation of a police depart depart- ment Revision of water and sewer sewer sew sew- er ordinances Creation of a planning com eom- and appointment of a consultant consultant con con- to aid in solving current problems and providing for future future fut fut fut- ure growth Now back to the question- question where did the money come from Taxes had to go up of course And that meant Moab's time long-time residents and property owners would have to pay more than their fair share of the new municIpal burden There had been but little new buldin building in Moab up till that time and the assessed valuation had not increased substantially Despite the cost to time long residents residents residents resi resi- dents taxes were raised from 16 mills in 1952 to 2475 mills in 1954 And that helped only a little Some of the city's other sources sources of revenue were Increasing Increasing- froit water sales for example and from business licenses as new businesses business business- es were opened because of the boom But those increases weren't enough to offset expense The city couldn't borrow much more more more-it it was in debt up to the legal legal leg leg- al Elm limit t when the boom struck P Petitions had gone in for federal aid but help from that quarter was slow in coming Some new source of revenue had to be found As a stop-gap stop measure the council coun coun- council cil ell enacted a business license tax of tenth one of one per cent centon centon centon on all retail sales effective in July 1954 That tax had to be I raised in April 1955 to a full one per cent The business license tax has brought some criticism But the tact fact remains that between April 1 1 1955 and April 30 1956 It brought rought the city a sorely needed City officials point out that the tax has helped pay the salaries of the officers who kept Moab free of commercial vice It helped finance curb gutter and sidewalk improvements It helped build a new fire station make a substantial payment on a new fire truck It helped bring he city out of oi the red on several funds funds and helped pay all the other expenses with which the city was saddled The boom period extended well into 1955 And last year federal aid finally arrived to help finance the delayed water and sewer ex ex- ex The city obtained a federal federal fed fed- eral grant of and a loan of oC Also the assessed valuation went up in 1955 to around 2000 That meant the city could In Increase increase In in- crease its bonded Indebtedness again With little opposition Moab voters approved a bond issue It might be noted that the attorney attorney at at- torney general later ruled the full would exceed the legal debt limit so only of the issue has been sold This year the assessed valuation will go up again as will wilt the debt limit and the rem remaining will be sold sCold The federal grant and loan plus proceeds of the bond sale has permitted the city to go ahead with water development and dis dis- plans and with improvement improvement improve improve- ment to the sewer system When those projects are completed almost al al- al most if not all areas within the city limits will be served by water and sewer lines Present lines cover only about one-half one of the city wise area although although al al- al I though they serve much more than half of the population Next w week ek Other projects for Moab's future growth |