Show Garn defends local control in spending federal funds The right of local officials lo In lorun run their cI cities ties or counties from of federal government was defended Friday by US U.S. Senator Jake Garn Senator Garn testified before the Senate Finance Committees Committee's Subcommittee Subcommittee Subcommittee Sub Sub- committee on Revenue Sharing on the need to extend General Revenue Sharing I am absolutely committed to th the extension of General Revenue Sharing Garn Gant told the In all the years of control and authority being taken away from local government officials and coming back to Washington with all of the arbitrary and dictatorial that i is attendant with that flow of power and authority to Washington Revenue Sharing is the only turn-around turn in that philosophy IT IS TIlE THE only piece of legislation egl laUon that has decided local government officials ought to have more authority In their own communities to solve problems and make decisions decisions' he continued Garn said the money should be given to local governments free Cree of any federal controls on how it should be spent The Federal Government appears to want to help local governments with federal money but they then ruin it by trying to tell them how that money should be spent When Iwas iwas I Iwas was Mayor layor of Salt Lake often felt like a puppet at the bottom of strings being pulled this way and that by the Feds I Garn told the Committee There Is no logical way for Congress to mandate a uniform plan for the spending of ot Revenue Sharing dollars The problems of one city cannot possibly be related directly to the difficulties being faced in another VI itA HAVE V. V GOT to give local officials credit for having sense enough to run their own cities We must respect them and let them make their own decisions Lets Let's not tell them how to spend their Revenue Sharing money The whole purpose of the program is to let them spend it the way they will on what they consider is Important If they dont don't handle it in the best Interest Interest in interest In- In terest of the community let them answer to the people who live there I am going to continue to fight for local government control Weve We've got to have government back closer to the people where they can let local officials know It they dont don't like the job they're doing Washington Is just too loo far removed |