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Show Stmitr fltotmtg tftomtnr PAGE 3 Property tax shift will be minimal, Fishing Report RESERVOIR: MINERS VILLE Conditions are changing at the reservoir. Water level is rising and there is some turbidity in the upper end of the reservoir. Fishing has been tougher this last week but anglers spending some time are still catching some fish. There has been some surface activity', primarily large midges in the evenings on warmer days. Wooly buggers, leach patterns and nymphs have all been working. Spinning gear with a bubble and wet fliei or jigs have been effective too. Best success has still been fishing fairly close to shore. Trolling generally is not very effective until the water warms up a little. A good year class of small mouth bass (6-- 8 inches) are becoming active and are readily catchable. A few larger small mouth bass have also been reported. There has been significant fishing Remember pressure on weekends. flies and artificial special regulations: lures only, and limit of one trout, which must be at least 20 inches long. An additional AMENDMENT to the proclamation is NOW IN EFFECT. It is ILLEGAL to fish with anv item that contains ADD-ON-TTRACTANTS, chemicals, prepared food stuffs, or other material that attracts fish primarily by the senses of taste or smell. This new restriction is due to concerns with hooking mortality associated with the use of such attractants on artificial baits. The Utah Taxpayers Association study estimates the tax on a home in Beaver County valued at $50,000 will increase $15. Commissioner Chad governments and school districts be hurt as previously thought, according to a state watchdog group. The Tax Commission's Johnson is not necessarily WilTel decision, which strictly prohibits the convinced "You have to look at illegal taxation of the intangible values of who the Association Utah's centrally assessed property taxpayers, includes some that represents. " he said, e.g., utilities, airlines, oil & gas, and pretty big taxpayers, telecommunications, will result in only a LeeAnn Joseph, Beaver modest 1.8, or approximately $1 1, property County Treasurer, said her tax increase for the average Utah homeowner, inquiries at the state level according to a report by the Utah Taxpayers haven 't been productive. "They Association. The study is in stark contrast are just not telling us anything. with previous analyses which placed the tax Until the appeals are all in, I increase for homeowners anywhere between have no idea what to expect. " $47 and $98. "Based on this analysis and on conversations we have had with centrally assessed taxpayers, the Taxpayers Association does not believ e homeowners and small businesses in Utah will see the huge tax increase originally estimated," said Greg A. Fredde, research director for the Association. Under the WilT tl decision, centrally assessed taxpayers in Utah may identify intangible values and request that the value be removed from their taxable value. Intangible value may include cash, credits, bonds, stocks, franchises, copyrights, patents, goodwill, and other intangible property. The ruling is in harmony with the State Constitution which prohibits the taxation of the intangible values of centrally assessed taxpayers who are subject to the State's corporate income tax. The previous analyses suffer from two major shortcomings which overestimated the projected tax increase to homeowners, according to Fredde. First, the analy ses calculated the future shift by assuming all centrally assessed taxpayers, regardless of industry, will claim the same percentage of intangible value eligible for removal under the WilTel decision, i.e., 40 or "Because the percent of intangible value varies by industry, (i.e., telecommunications, power, railroads, etc.) any standard factor will not accurately estimate the future shift," said Fredde. Second, the initial estimate of the percent of increase40now appears high. "Based on our conversations with centrally assessed taxpayers, the percent of intangible property varies from 0 for mines to an estimated 30 for telecommunications. Statewide, we estimate nearly 1 1 decline in centrally assessed values due to the WilTel decision," noted Mr. Fredde. Based on the analysis conducted by the Taxpayers Association, the estimated increase to homeowners and locally assessed business resulting from the WilTel decision varies by county. In Millard and Emery counties, where centrally assessed properties comprise 91 and 92 of their respective tax base, homeowners and businesses can expect to see an estimated 9 increase in their property taxes. Based on average home prices, this translates into an increase of approximately $26 in Millard and $32 in Emery. By comparison, property taxes are projected to increase by only $7 in Cache, Kane, Utah and Wayne counties. The statewide average property tax increase is estimated to be $1 1. "The Utah Taxpayers Association is concerned about any property tax increase homeowners and small businesses will experience," Mr, Fredde said. "We dq not believe, however, ,thaj the, projected .increases represent a crisis and do not beUeve,tbatbased,oaour. analysis, a special legislative session is warranted," he said. Much of the confusion resulting from the decision has been due, in part, to inaccurate information reported in many rural newspapers in Utah. Some county assessors have mistakenly reported that many taxing entities within their respective jurisdictions are at their legal tax rate ceilings and that the recent decision will force a reduction in programs end services. "This is simply not true," Mr. Fredde said. "Under legislation passed by the 1997 legislative session (HB129), the legal tax rate ceilings do not apply if the increase in the tax rate is a result of appealed value," he said. "No services or programs will be cut as a result of the WilTel decision," he continued. The actual impact of the WilTel decision will be know in the middle of June when those companies appealing the property tax values file their appeals, said Fredde. A 50. 25, LAKE POWELL: The lake is now rising. Fishing can still be good for smallmouth if you fish deeper and fish vertical habitat, or the edge of dropoffs where habitat is not changed dramatically by the rising lake elevation. Trolling has been producing for supers in Wahweap, Warm Creek, Last Chance, Bullfrog and Dirty Devil. The best time is at dusk when spawning activity peaks. You'll also find some small inch stripers in the backs of shad are spawning. where canyons When you encounter these small stripers, please take some time and harvest as many as possible to help maintain the delicate forage balance that has made fishing so good this year. 8-- ' Mountain Fuel May Ran Natural Gas - Mountain Fuel representatives will conduct a SALT LAKE CITY canvass of residents living in and near the Beaver Grove and Canyon Breeze subdivisions and provide them an opportunity to sign up for natural gas service. With a commitment from 85 percent of potential customers, Mountain Fuel could begin construction as early as August. "We'll begin canvassing the areas June 5," said Doyce Coates, Mountain Fuel's southern region manager. "Many residents in these subdivisions have been asking for natural gas, so now we're determining whether it's economically feasible. we'll be able to get gas service installed at a We believe, with the necessary sign-u- p, minimal cost before the heating season." About 100 residents and businesses near the proposed pipeline route will be e contacted. If 85 percent sign up for service, each will be assessed an main lines. If $538 construction contribution, which helps cover the cost of installing is In reduced. more than 85 percent sign up for service, the Construciton contribution addition, new customers would pay the same charges other Mountain Fuel customers fee that can be paid over a period, and pay, including a $144 a $30 connection fee. Once service is installed, residents will receive a monthly bill for the amount of natural gas used, Natural gas is about half the price of propane. Mountain Fuel plans to extend Beaver's existing With the necessary sign-unatural gas system by installing new mains and service lines. The company's representatives will visit residents and provide individualized information about natural gas and natural gas appliances, the economics of converting to natural gas, how a service line can be installed to the premises and details about the construction project. Residents wanting to schedule an appointment with a Mountain Fuel 1 7 ext. representative can call the company's Richfield service center at 1 4111 or4112. door-to-do- Levels in Rural America This week the pride of Home ownership is being recognized in a special nationwide celebration, '"National Home The event is ownership Week," June 4. being sponsored by the National Partners in Home ownership, a diverse mix of 63 national organizations working together to increase home ownership opportunity. Rural Development state offices at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are working are succeeding nationally. After declining closely with local organizations. Nationally, during the 1980's the home ownership rate is once again increasing. In fact, during the past two years, the home ownership rate increased 1 .4 percent to 65.4 percent which means that 2.3 million homeowners were added Even more encouraging , these gains were broadly distributed. Over the same two year period: The minority home ownership rate increased 1.7 to 44.9. The rate for female headed households also increased 1.7to 50.4. The rate for families with less than the median income increased 1 .3 to 9.5 However, much work remains. Despite the recent gains in minority and Home ownership, many groups still lag behind the national average. The Clinton-Gor- e committed to Administration Home the ownership reversing declining trend. Raised in a rural community, President Clinton is well aware of the challenges facing rural Americans. The Administration's goal is to increase the rate to 67.5 percent by the end of year 2000 which would create 8 million additional homeowners. Partnerships between the state and local government, the nonprofit community, and private industry can make this happen. National Home ownership Week helps spotlight the positive benefits home ownership brings to our neighborhoods. But all of us must keep searching for new ideas and moving ahead with efforts to expand home ownership opportunities. By working together, we can translate the strategies set forth in President Clinton's National Home ownership initiative into achievement. This requires cooperation, endurance and hard work. The collaborative effort should help make the dream of home ownership reality for. millions of had working Americans across the country. Rural America deserves nothing less. nearly 100 groups across the country have joined the National Partners in their efforts. The purpose of National Home ownership week is to spotlight the sometimes important-b- ut extremely overlooked-val- ue home ownership brings to our society. President Clinton's National Partners in Home Ownership established a goal to add 8 million new families to America's home ownership roles by the year 2000. Seeking additional resources to achieve this vision, government agencies are partnering with the non profit community and private industry. Home ownership contributes to a strong economy, builds strong communities and, to the individual family, represents a powerful tool for building economic stability and In short, owning a home gives people a stake in where they live. And that makes all the difference. The United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development mission area is taking the leading implementing the National Home ownership initiative in rural areas. Rural home owners encounter unique challenges the USDA and its partner agencies are working to resolve. There are more than 2.5 million substandard housing units in rural America. The Rural low-inco- self-estee- housing implements Development programs that help address this challenge by annually financing new or improved Home ownership opportunities for over 65,000 low-t- o moderate- - income families. Over 2 million families now own their homes as a result of the Rural Development Home ownership programs. Home ownership has special significance for rural minorities who face high rates of poverty in rural areas. According to the Economic Research Service of the Department of Agriculture poverty rates for rural African Americans are three times higher than that of rural whites. The poverty rate of rural Hispanic inn? Dfflw msssmmaw iume 21,1997 or one-tim- up-fro- Partners to Raise Homeotiuership SATUnramv to Beaver Grove and Canyon Breeze is almost 40 percent. USDA's housing, programs provide stability and hope to counter these statistics. Minorities received one third of all housing loans granted by USDA's Rural Development in 1996. Increased home ownership often relies on innovative approaches. Since the formation of the National Partners in home ownership two years ago, nearly 100 locally based partnerships hav e formed in communities throughout the United States to develop creative responses expanding home ownership. By working together locally, we Development Joins ISDA-Rnr- aJ according to Utah Taxpayers Association study A recent Utah State Tax Commission ruling which reduces property taxes on utilities and railroads will not result in large tax shifts to other taxpayers as had been nor will budgets of local reported, JUNE 5. 1997 new-premi- se Bmvm RODEO GROUNDS, BEflUEKI (Go east on 200 north, approximatly 2 miles on the right, across from the race track.) Sign up 9:00 A.M. Showtime 10:00 A.M. $5.00 per class $5.00 grounds fee HALTER, PERFORMANCE AND SPEED EVENTS 28 CLASSES IN ALL. p, 00-323-55 4-- 11 WmI Show Contests will be held on Tuesday, kVjnty the Annual 4-June 10, 1997 at the MinCTSviJJ H AU4-H'ersa- have completed 1 State UmvereirvY 9-- WeX. J-S- theff For rV 386-2- i. in uicsc events, v..u i uuui miu jfa and participate jrWJ competing Contests at Utah to attend State 2123. 199?. ' j&Sjt l' re jfa "y"Vnmy ...u Concession stand will be open. A drawing will be held for a lap quilt and other prizes to raise money for the timer fund. Tickets are $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00 donation. 4-- H iXth I . .1 Public demonstrations at 9:00 a m. until noon. Talent Show will start at 2:00 p.m. under Foster. 4-- H nm and the 4-- H contact USU Extension Office at or Tami Foster at 438-503- r, .Nation, 6. 438-645- 0 or Grace Bealer at TOM For more information please call: 7 Gena Williams Lana Chadburn 386-220- Marianne Newswanger 386-100- 7 Sandy Collings 438-500- 438-595- 6 3 |