Show O After listening to criticism of the proposed 1976 Uintah County budget for over two hours at the public hearing Monday we came away distressed at the attitude of oC many of those present who expressed their views Usually y no one shows much interest in attending the he annual budget hearings of public en en- Very few people ever show up at the school budget hearing which involves the largest expenditures in the county Vernal City also s seldom has anyone show up for its annual budget hearing This was not so for Uintah County this year A group of taxpayers attended this years year's hearing who were critical of proposed increases for the operations of the county during the next year Ordinarily it is a healthy indication when taxpayers will iU leave their busy occupations and and show an interest in the political governmental entities by attending public h hearings concerning the disposition of public funds However this year we got the impression that a lopsided representation of of the county was being critical of the increases increases in in- cr creases ses in the he county budget because they themselves have been andl elt the he county should reflect thi this by bya a more conservative budget Setting a budget one can live with ith in this day of increased costs inflation and more complicated services is almost impossible Our federal government is the prime example of a run away budget and many large cities are now experiencing this same spend- spend they than budget situation We are all for conservative governmental operation but just as the annual financial hearing is a safeguard against misuse of public funding it is just as important that one group of taxpayers do not exert their interests and philosophy to the detriment of the growth and potential opportunities of the county as a whole To cut down on expenditures in county government because it is costing more than the previous year due to increased costs and inflation could be a ad d dangerous move we feel This c could uld result in throwing the baby out with the water type of economy move Another observation we would like to make about our c county government is that city r residents also pay the same county taxes as county residents do But very seldom do we hear of city residents asking for county services The city services are performed by bythe bythe bythe the city government under an additional tax levy to the city resident One more observation it does not appear to be the large taxpayer who is complaining about the threat of Increased taxes but the small taxpayer With all the problems of today's economy in running g governmental agencies such as Uintah County we feel the he county is doing quite well Our property tax mill levy is IJ one of the lowest In the state and the county has a much broader tax base than m most t counties as a result of our rich natural resources Because of the inevitable demand for more energy source natural resources Uintah County Is in an enviable position for economic growth We hope o our r county officials dont don't get discouraged with the ups and of 01 their task and find neglect to b plan for our future growth Many of the decisions made now will wilt determine the growth pattern of the he area and there here are many decisions that need to tobe tobe be made right away so the f future tur course of the area can be plotted to give the he Incentive for foran foran an organized growth of the area |