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Show Bunnell Reports on Legislative Issues Inmortant to S.E. Utah A number of issues with special importance to the people of Southeastern Utah have been given consideration con-sideration by the Utah Legislature this past week, stated Sen. Omar B. Bunnell, who represents repre-sents Grand county in the upper house of the body. One particular item, Sen. Bunnell stated, was passage by the Senate of a measure which placed the Dead Horse Point access ac-cess road on the State system. The action, part of a bill dealing w ith State Road deletions and additions addi-tions across the state, has now gone to the House for what is expected to be quick action there. Grand County has found it increasingly difficult to maintain the Point road over the past few years. Another item of particular par-ticular importance. Sen. Bunnell said, was introduction intro-duction of a bill in the v.. :' ; 1 i , l t ..-Vs.- I - j t i, 1 Senator Bunnell House of Representatives which will pave the way for the City of Moab and Grand County to operate oper-ate as one governmental agency, if local voters approve it. Earlier, a ;j committee made up of Grand County residents sj determined that none of I the alternative forms of J government authorized by the last legislature fill-jed fill-jed the needs of this area, J if we were to seriously 4 consider consolidation. g County Commissioner D. L. Taylor appeared before be-fore a Legislative Council Coun-cil Committee last summer sum-mer and made local concerns con-cerns known. His recommendations recom-mendations were incorporated incor-porated in the bill. House Bill 116, which is now Jbefore the House. "There is considerable sentiment jup here on the Wasatch 5 front to have Salt Lake jjCity and Salt Lake Coun-)ty Coun-)ty join into a single governing gov-erning agency, but the reorganization of Grand County would certainly be a the first such con soli da - tion and would provide a pilot program for some other areas of the state to follow. I hope you give it a try," Sen. Bunnell told The Times-Independent. Sen. Bunnell said that Gov. Calvin L. Ramp-ton Ramp-ton has proposed that the legislature appropriate $2 million to begin to build a fund for the purpose pur-pose of assisting local governments to develop culinary water systems. "I hope that we can get this project going because it would provide state support for one of the most serious problems we have in eastern Utah, the development of adequate ade-quate local water systems. sys-tems. Some of these funds could become available in time to help finance the Mill Creek dam in Moab Valley," Mr. Bunnell reported. re-ported. In other legislative comments. com-ments. Sen. Bunnell said: "The presentation by Gov. Hampton of a carefully care-fully planned, balanced and austere budget was the highlight of the first week of the forty-first legislative session. The governor's proposals call for very little expansion in state programs and provides for increases in state and school employees' employ-ees' salaries which will not quite keep up with the increase in the cost of living. He also suggested sug-gested that an additional four and one-half per cent of salaries go into the state retirement systems to help retired state employees em-ployees and school employees em-ployees adjust to the increased in-creased cost of living. "Rampton also suggested suggest-ed the removal of the sales tax on prescription drugs and an increase in the state income tax of one-half to three-fourths ,of a per cent in the higher high-er brackets to compensate compen-sate for losses of revenue reven-ue suffered by the state when the legislature adjusted ad-justed the state income tax reporting procedures to comply with the federal fed-eral requirements. These two 'adjustments' should produce a net increase of about $10 million in additional ad-ditional revenue to the state. "The Gover nor described des-cribed the very difficult position of the State High -; way Department is in because be-cause of increased costs and declining revenue from the gasoline tax. He refused to make any recommendation rec-ommendation at this time regarding the state gas tax until it is possible to determine what the federal fe-deral congress decides to do about its gasoline taxes tax-es and highway fund allotments. al-lotments. We will probably prob-ably get this bad news about March 1," Bunnell said. Sen. Bunnell, who serves serv-es in the State Senate for Carbon, Emery, Grand, and San Juan Counties, stated that he would continue con-tinue to keep the people of this area informed of developments during the sixty day session of the legislature, and further said that he would appreciate appre-ciate hearing from Grand County residents relative to matters before the legislature. |