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Show Five county AOG gives view of purpose Elected officials from southwestern Utah received an overview on the Five County Association of Governments Govern-ments in a meeting Friday afternoon on the Southern Utah State College campus. "The overall mission of the Association of Governments is to serve as a multi-purpose organization to provide a forum to identify, discuss, study and resolve areawide problems of common interest," stated Five County Executive Director John Williams. Williams also pointed out that multi-county associations can provide "staff capabilities and expertise over a wide range of areas" for governmental units that would otherwise not be able to afford such services. ser-vices. The Five County Association of Governments, Govern-ments, formed in 1972, consists of Beaver, Garfield, Kane and Washington counties. Iron County withdrew its official membership in 1977, though it still contracts several services ser-vices through the association. Though the association's philosophy and relationship with local governmental units were discussed, most of the time Friday was devoted to reviewing its accomplishments over the past year, as well as going over its $1.2 million annual budget. AOG Natural Resources Director Vaughn McDonald and Human Services Director Howard Foremaster gave an overview of their departments' activities for 1980. Some of the Iron County highlights from McDonald's presentation: presen-tation: -Brian Head and Cedar City were receiving master plan assistance, and Parowan zoning ordinance assistance under the Farmers Home Administration 111 program. -Seventy Iron County homes were weatherized under the Department of Energy's Weatherization program, adding up to an approximate cost of $54,500. Some 276 were weatherized in the five-county five-county area. -Over $5,500 was obtained ob-tained for a juvenile court library. --The AOG provided technical assistance for a labor-market survey for Cedar City's industrial development plan. -The AOG said it has helped Cedar City apply for weatherization of three public buildings, with a potential of over $150,000 of the projected $180,000 cost coming from the Federal government. McDonald quickly added that continuance of the Federal programs would hinge on the proposed budget cuts from the Reagan Ad- ministation and what Congress did with them. The Iron County-related County-related highlights from Foremaster's Human Services report: -Iron County was the benefactor of $223,026 of the $850,000 spent regionally on the CETA program, which is designed to provide skill training and work experience ex-perience to low income unemployed. A total of 212 Iron County residents participated in the program, by far the largest number in the five-county area. -The Area Agency on Aging budgeted a total of over $23,000 last year in the county. -Nearly 10,000 meals, costing $18,660, were served to county elderly, under the Nutrition Program. Five Iron County senior citizens were aided under the Alternative to Nursing Nur-sing Home Program, costing $5,191. "Federal funding is voluntary," Executive Director Williams said. "If counties or cities don't want it, they don't have to have it. If an area is eligible for federal funding, our job is to notify them and identify those opportunities." |