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Show MX Policy Board debates FY 1981 salary requests necessarily approving salaries." The board seemed to agree and approved the budget, with the provision that salaries would be negotiated in later meetings. The board also looked at a "Phase Two Work-plan," Work-plan," first noting it was "difficult to proceed without site-specific plans." Both individual community com-munity and county plans, and entire area approaches ap-proaches were examined. On the community level, projects included a philosophy of growth statement, a land use plan, examining zoning and control mechanisms and a capital facility improvement plan. (Salary of personnel in the MX coordinator's office was the center of debate at the Four-County Four-County MX Policy Board Meeting Sept. 25 in J Beaver, j The agenda called for f consideration of the fiscal I year 1981 budget for the I board, but discussion quickly turned to proposed salaries of ; Policy Board Coordinator Ralph Starr and art assistant's spot he has requested. Starr now earns $30,000 a year, but has asked for K $40,000 in next year's budget. An assistant's position, salaried at $35,000, was also in-- ' eluded. A third, secretarial slot at $15,000 I per year, rounded out - salary requests, j Policy Board Chairman : Chad Johnson agreed with the need lor an assistant to Starr. "People are calling the j Cedar office and not I getting Starr, then calling 1 me. I'm just not up on as I many things as Ralph I is." 1 Johnson added, "We have the tightest budget of the local offices. Nevada has 13 paid personnel in their local office." School Board representative Klien Rollo then led what turned out to be a largely ; Iron-County effort to oppose Starr's salary increase. "Just because Nevada is doing something salary-wise doesn't mean we have to do it also," Rollo said, but added he agreed with the need for an office assistant. Iron County Commissioner Com-missioner Garth Jones then asked what the advertised qualifications for an assistant would be. Starr listed a business backround,. particularly in purchasing and accounting, ac-counting, and knowledge of state and federal-level funding processes. The assistant would also x share the burden of providing information on the MX, Starr said, and would need to have some knowledge of the system. When asked how much of a load an assistant would take from Starr, the coordinator answered: an-swered: "I feel like I'm already overwhelmed. I feel like I'll be half relieved." Cedar City Mayor Jack Sawyers credited Starr with doing an "excellent job." But, Sawyers added, "$32,000-35,000 in southern Utah is one heck of a lot of money. I'm concerned about raising the coordinator's salary 25 percent, and bringing in an assistant at $5,000 over the original position." Starr defended his request by saying: "This job's so critical. It goes from month to month. If you need someone to go out and beat themselves over the head, you'll have to be willing to give them the salary to do it." The approved budget of $750,000 will increase salaries and benefits 111 percent, decrease travel -10 percent and increase "operating expenses," including contracted services, 3(11 percent. Jones then said he felt the board was "losing track" of federal money. "Frankly, I'm ashamed. If . this were state- -funded, you wouldn't see the state coordinator getting what he is, or the local coordinator." Ken Olsen, the state coordinator, earns a $60,000 salary. Jones continued: "We're losing track because the accountability ac-countability is two pockets away. We're spending of a million dollars next year, and we'd better be a whole lot better off than we are now." Sawyers then pointed out that "by approving budgets, we're not The "area" workplan involved a "growth scenario." Alter some discussion, the board elected to pursue an area-level project, and Starr told the officials to go back to their communities and "come back with a shopping lis." Sawyers ai one point of discussion in the meeting stated, "The Air Force has been committed to a self-contained base. It always has been." Sawyers had expressed dissatisfaction at the state working group AVeeting Wednesday, that the' Air Force seemed to .. be moving ahead at full speed, assuming 100 percent on-base housing. When asked to respond, Air Force Major Bob McMains, representing the MX Information Office, said, "Just as you're looking at 'worst case' impact, the Air Force is looking at its 'worst case,' which would be 100 percent on-base housing." McMains continued: "As far as we're concerned, con-cerned, the ball is in your court. You have an opportunity op-portunity to express your desires." |