OCR Text |
Show Budget The Key to-Better Government County officials are now busily Most officials value these near-engaged near-engaged In preparing 1968 buddings. Without them, they would gets. Good budget making is imDe in vacuum having no way portant at all levels of govern ment not lust counties. Budget s not only determine the levels of spending, they also determine levels of taxation. According to the Bureau of Census, Utah schools, counties, cities, towns, and special districts spent $250 million last year. The property tax bill alone now amounts to $132 million. This is a lot of money -- more than enough to warrant taxpayers knowing more about government budgets what they are, how they work and how to control them. State law requires all local units of government to prepare a budget and to hold public hearings. hear-ings. There are 40 school districts, dis-tricts, 29 counties, 213 cities and towns, plus some 90 specie dis-ti dis-ti ids. The law says they cannot spend public money unless they first prepare a budget and give the public an opportunity to be heard. What Is a budget? It Is a financial finan-cial program of planning, controlling, con-trolling, and analyzing the ex penditures by a government unit for a definite period of time, It Is prepared In advance and shows the means provided for financing. A budget should Include revenue and expenditure com parisons with past and current years. It should give detailed es timates of expenditures and rev enues with pertinent financial and other details. Why budgets are important They are the tool that allows taxpayers to control waste and get economical and efficient services. They aid In separating the necessary from the un necessary. They stand guard against government overexpan sion and are a safety signal to taxpayers. A good budget makes good officials. It forces them to live witin their means and to study and analyze needs against income. A good budget is a balance bal-ance wheel on public spending and aids in foresight by using hindsight. Without a budget, officials of-ficials could not inform the public about proposed programs, nor could taxpayers get all the facts about government operations. Attend hearings. No public expenditure ex-penditure should be sacred from inquiry. Our laws clearly guarantee guar-antee all citizens an opportunity to be heard at these public hearingsThis hear-ingsThis is a right, not a privilege. Taxpayers can accomplish accom-plish much by attending. Public officials will be more careful and responsible when their spending programs are being carefully scrutinized at face to face meetings with those who pay the bills. Hearings give the public an opportunity to participate in government from which they receive re-ceive services paid for by their tax dollars. Unless they participate partici-pate they are in very poor post tion to protest tax increases. to poll public opinion. When are hearings held? Counties are held in December, Decem-ber, School Districts, and Cities in June. State law requires them to advertise their meeting dates in a local papercounties two weeks in advance and schools one week. The law also stipulates that they have the budget on file with the School Clerk, or County Auditor, for public Inspection in advance of the public hearing. Look for these notices in the classified section of your local paper, or call our office. What to look for when examining exam-ining a budget. First, figure the percentage population growth (or decline) last year for schools use pupil enrollments. Add to this about three per cent for inflation infla-tion and start asking questions whenever expenditures exceed this amount. Question and determine if every ev-ery employee is carrying a full work load, whether a proposed new program is necessary, or whether any old programs can be discontinued. Question whether a procedure should be dropped In favor of one which will be more efficient and economical. Question Ques-tion whether economies can be made by combining duties, or consolidating positions. Are jobs growing faster than the work load? Are salaries comparable, L. R. Newman Now Serving in Viet Nam Construction Electrician First Class L. R. Newman USM, son of Mrs. Thelma P. Newman of Alpine, Utah, is in Vietnam serving serv-ing with Mobile Construction Bat talion Six. In Vietnam, the "Seabees" provide technical assistance to villagers with construction projects. pro-jects. They also build airstrips, temporary housing, port facilities, facili-ties, fuel storage tanks, drill water wells and construct other facilities as they become necessary. As the "Seabees" conduct the routine job of construction in support of U. S. Forces, they may become targets for enemy snipers. When such incidents occur, the builders become de fenders and put to use the corn- bate skills they acquired through hours of training. The first Navy Medal of Honor recipient in Vietnam Viet-nam was a "Seabee." or higher than in private enterprise? enter-prise? Are there duplications of work between departments, or even .''(ferent units of govern-i govern-i ment? Dots ihe budget follow le-ga le-ga requirements? When the assessed as-sessed valuation goes up, do taxes come down? Use this yardstick Compare per capita spending trends back over a period of years. Compare Com-pare local government units with each other using the per capita yardstick. Analyze school dis tricts the same way bv using pupil pu-pil per capita costs. Start asking ask-ing questions and demanding answers ans-wers when these suddenly jump. Budgets by themselves cannot stop waste, or guarantee efficiency efficien-cy and economy. They are only the tools of economy--mot self-operating self-operating tools. Taxpayers must follow-up the operations from be ginning to end. Goverment can not be left entirely to the discretion dis-cretion and whims of public officials. of-ficials. Only when we do this will we get economy and efficien cy in government and reduce taxes. tax-es. UTAH TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION Now that school has started, many youngsters are on their own" for the first time. The Utah Safety Council asks that you protect pro-tect them by respecting school zone speeds and watching for flashing red lights on school buses. African Officials Tour Utah County Eight officials from the government gov-ernment of the African Republic of Senegal toured Utah County on Monday and Tuesday of this week. The group arrived at the Soil Conservation office in Lehl Monday Mon-day afternoon. From there, they were taken to the diversion structure struc-ture and measuring weir at the Mill Pond; saw pasture seeding, closed drain, leveling, and ditch lining; farming operations and All that one gains by falsehood false-hood is not to be believed when he speaks the truth. artesian wells; and concluded the tour at the Dry Creek Multipurpose Multi-purpose flood control structure. Jerry Hansen, SCS unit conservationist, conserva-tionist, and Claude Hunting, Utah County Agricultural Stabilization Conservation Service chairman, served as narrators lor this part of the tour. On Tuesday, the touring party visited other sections of Utah County where they visited an 1he Oldltmvi AMUSEMENT FASGO SEPTEMBER TRIPLE SPECIAL 50 lbs. Laundry Detergent Low Sudsing in reusable re-usable garbage pail. Free deli-very. Reg. $10.95. During September $9.45 Fill Hose High pressure, for all Automatic Washers. Reg. $2.50 $1.59 Lint Filter Fits most Kenmore and RCA Whirlpool Washers. Reg. $4.90 $2.95 FASGO 385 West Main, Am. Fork Phone 756-2231 orchard, a pasture program for production of beef, tree planting plant-ing procedures, and various irrigation irri-gation methods. Included were such operations as an Irrigation well, water division structure and concrete lining, water diversion from a live stream - Provo River, open drainage, sprinkling systems, irrigation systems, water conservation ponds and distribution. Officials touring with the group THE AMERICAN FORK CITIZEN, Thursday. Oct. 5. 1987 said the African leaders had been Oe IWted States for about su. c;eks. After leaving Utah, they will spend two weeks In Maryland before returning to their homes. Prior to coming to Utah County they had spent a week at Utah State University. While in Utah they studied irrigation methods and obtained ideas on how to conserve and maintain the resources of the area for use by future generations. genera-tions. Ray Walker, former UtahState Conservationist, is serving as their technical advisor for their stay in this country. Also on the Utah County tour were George A. Lawrence, SCS State Engineer, and Clifford Collings, of the Utah State ASCS. 3 3 FALL S I if I 1 .. h..mim mm mi inn fin Mm iiiii tun uiu uiu iuu mil mu mu mil iu.uiii uiu m n t mn ALE FOR CHILDREN Boys' and Girls' WINTER COATS and sim, suits Girls' TIGHTS and Fish Net HOSE All Sizes COLONIAL CHILDREN SHOP 20 North Center American Fork 1 rr I 1 kj J i ....... OLLOVJ THE CROWD - - TO HUNTS TEKACO LET'S DO FRIDAY AflD SATURDAY it again - 08TCBER 6 AMD 7 HOT BOOS and BRINKS U1 S. 1 " ',S H-n""!. 4 rfilS "' Opel Utr EBBBSBEEEESEBBBI FEVER ' j II (At) A SEAMLESS rrV&P CUSTOM W JtVfrA FLOORING Kf IVr vr Design a Floor of Your Own tS?'' 'T tV M J" "J And Well Put it In Your .. -"T I fj nPIlrvr OnAni Orttmn t IV MS 1 SSL IA Torginol Flooring ft 'S k -?T dd5f IU IQ u 1 no sa. t i m Scouring dl... I II R E FOB INFORMATION CALL " K SlSl iff L U O L Michael Bringhurst HOLLEY " J With the Purchosc 7T i nilTH ,1 L. of 8 Gallons ofGas Don L. Bringhurst , ? A 768-2379 v S APARTLlEflTS i(WJWK iu- Kooen wiison 617 west SPECIALS 2 GALLON GAS CAN -Reg. $1.59..... 89 10 GALLON TRASH CONTAINER - Reg. $2.29 . $1.49 CAR WASH BRUSH -Reg. 98c 79$ VII RAKES -Reg. $1.69 79$ FLOOR MATS - Reg. $2.98 $1.98 FREE DRAWING of 2 Famous Brand Til G LETS 1007c Human Hair (In Your Color) LADIES come get your tickets "509" FIREST011E TIRES Buy one at list price and gel second at HALF PRIOE (Passenger Cars Only) HOW LEASING OR RENTING BONNEVILLE 273 West Main American Fork Now Ready for Occupancy Contact Holley Auto Co. Or Call 756-3533 or 756-2574 GET YOUR FREE TICKETS on Two Snow Cap Tires (Passenger Cars Only) ism mm mArn uu i En? viv i baHv rj MAIN AMERICAN FORK -51 ( Ml eif i |