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Show DAILY HERALD Sunday, March 21, 2004 B5 Cedar Hills refuses cell phone tax Water company billed some twice for service Caleb Warnock THE DAILY HERALD Some Payson residents are being double billed for irrigation water. Payson city manager Andy Hall said residents with lots larger than 1 acre have received bills for irrigation water from the Strawberry Water Users Association even though those residents have already been paying the city for the wa ter. It was unclear how many residents nmm inry nJ novo Pdin TllMwa double billing had been going on. "Payson city has requested on numerous occasions that the assessments be sent directly to the city for payment," said Hall in a statement to the Daily Herald. Strawberry Water Users Association has agreed on several occasions to submit the bills directly to the city. Unfortunately, the bills are still being sent to individuals for payment." Hall said residents should not pay the bill, nor should they ignore it. They should give the bill to the city so the city the Strawberry Water Users Associa"If the water shares are can pay it. Strawberry Water Users Association tion, Payson city will either require the reclaimed by the Strawberry , property owner to provide additional general manager Gary Aitken said the water to the city or terminate the presassociation withheld bills for lots small. Water Users Association, . surized irrigation water service to the er than one acre, hoping to reach an property," said Hal Payson city will either require agreement with the city over how the Aitken said that he did not have water can be used But lots larger than . the property owner to provide one acre were billed by the association, enough staff to determine which bills should be sent to Payson city rather even though all landowners pay $9 a additional water to the city or than to landowners. After the cjty signs month to the city for the water. terminate the pressurized an agreement to determine usage, how "The problem is there is not a contract for the city to be doing that (billing ever, all bills will be sent to the city re-the5 Hrrigatiorr id3icissaitfAiraenrrne snares gardiess of lot size, he said. Hall said the city wants to ensure it -belong to the land owner, the city would property. can get the bills to pay them on behalf merely like to deliver the water to the of residents. landowners." Andy Hall "What happens is the homeowner's Hall said that in the past the associaPayson city manager receive an assessment and they think 'I tion has sent bills to residents rather than the city and when the residents igget my water from Payson,' and so they nore the bifl, the association has claimed don't pay," said Hall. "And if they don't we don't lose water again because if we the payment was in default and repay it they go delinquent, add then do we won't have enough for the presclaimed the water shares as a conseStrawberry can claim that water. What we are trying to get across is that we surized irrigation system." quence of nonpayment. Aitken said no a need those bills to pay them because we shares were ever reclaimed by the need that water for pressurized irrigaI Caleb Warnock can be reached at tion. We just have to be cautious so that "If the water shares are reclaimed by Tammy McPherson THE " DAILY HERALD While many cities throughout Utah County have adopted a $1 cellular phone tax to pay iur or to make up for lost revenues, wateiervkrte they won't do it. The City Council recently decided not to adopt the telecom- munications tax, which is meant to make up for lost money from residents switching from land lines to using only cellular phones. Some argue that the tax ordi- nance, drafted by the Utah League of Cities and Towns and , telecommunications companies, helps to equalize the taxes paid by residents with home phone asso-ciatio- 344-254- 3. lines. Those w h"o have phone lines in their homes are charged a Herbert ends kicktiff tour Utah beats out two other states for aircraft plant THE ASSOCIATED THE PRESS DAILY HERALD An aircraft developer has chosen this city over sites in Kentucky and Texas as home for a plant that could eventually employ 500 OGDEN Utah County Commissioner Gary Herbert ended his tour of the state Satur- day afternoon on the steps of the Utah County Courthouse. The tour kicked off his campaign for governor. He started the trip Wednesday, March 10 at the Utah State Capitol, following his official entry into the governor's race. He visited every county in Utah stopping in towns from Garden City to Kanab and Monticello to Manti. ty . people. The plant in an existing hangar is expected to open by the end of the year, Rick Adam, founder and chief execd utive of Englewood, Adam Aircraft, said Friday. Within three years, it could be in a production facility, where 500 workers would assemble a new generation of carbon-fibe- r composite commercial Colo.-base- 80,000-square-fo- ot aircraft. State economic development officials described the jobs as " but no range was given. Adam said Ogden won the plant in part because of its proximity to Hill Air Force Base, which has spawned a skilled aerospace work force. In addition, Adam Aircraft will be the first company to test a new state economic development incentive that will provide it with an estimated $10 million over 15 years if its operation proves successful. "This is one of the biggest home runs Utah has hit in a long time," said Dell Loy "high-paying,- Hansen, a member of the state Board of Business and Eco- - ' nomic Development, which approved the deal Friday. The incentive is sanctioned by the Aerospace Aviation Tax Increment Funding Act passed by the 2003 Legislature. Hansen called the act "an elephant gun for industry hunting." Under the act's provisions, the state will rebate to Adam Aircraft a total of 30 percent of any new state sales, corporate and employment tax revenue the project generates over 15 years. The money will be returned to Adam Aircraft at the end of each year after an audit con , firms the tax revenue generated. The rebate percentage will begin at 50 percent for the first four years, then gradually taper off over the life of the contract to an overall 30 percent. Economic developers estimate Adam Aircraft will pump at least $100 million in tax revenue, wages and other money into the state's economy over that same period., "This is a golden company for Ogden, not just because of these jobs and the investment Adam Aircraft will bring, but of industries for the spin-of- f around it," Mayor Matthew Godfrey said. Colorado company to conduct seismic exploration near Price Did you read yours today? the hkrau) daily ;rkat customer service THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SALT LAKE CITY A Colorado firm will search for natural gas on public land near the southern edge of Nine Mile . Canyon. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Friday approved the Stone Cabin 3D project, proposed by Denver- - based Bill Barrett Corp. The company plans to use helicopters, explosives and thumper trucks to pinpoint deposits of natural gas more than 10,000 feet below the surswath of face in a 57,500-acr- e public land on the West Tava-put- s Plateau, 30 miles north- east of Price. BLM's announcement Fri day brought immediate condemnation from environmental groups, though they were unable to view the decision d documents because of a Internet shutdown at the BLM. "It's going to cause damage to both cultural and wilderness resources," said Steve Bloch, attorney for the Southern court-ordere- Utah Wilderness Alliance. Fred O'Ferrall, associate manager for the BLM's Price office, said the project will cause minimal environmental harm, mainly because his agency will require the corporation to perform a variety of measures designed to mitigate damage. The project likely will begin in mid-Ma- franchise tax while those with only cellular phones are not, Mavor Brad Sears said in the Cit Council meeting Tuesday! "i know a ton of people who have both," said council member Darin Low der. Lowder said he only knows of one resident in Cedar Hills who only uses a cellular phone. To implement the tax would mean that those who had both would be charged double taxes, he said. ' Council-membeJim Perry said he viewed the tax that has been adopted by other cities as a way of slipping a new tax past the residents. Most people notice when their property tax-- , es go up but don't pay as close attention to their cejlular phone bill, he said. "Fair means that everyone who has a land line is treated the same and everyone who has a cell phone is treated the same," Perry said. With about 1,500 households, the city estimated that it would have generated mote than $18,000 a year with the new tax. Several cities throughout the county that have adopted the tax include Provo, to bridge a $1.5 million gap in revenues; Orem, for a new fire truck; and Lindon, to help pay for im- provements and acquisitions of new parks. r v I Tammy McPherson can be reached at 344-255- heraldauto s.com IPilflfElHi SEldDlP button. It's all in the buttpn, the Enter the make, model, year & price of the vehicle you're looking for and let the auto dealers come to you! tJjrie Discount King Allen Patch SPANISH FORK Ford - Mazda JTlf ADMnAPQ M Mm KenGarff. ''''' fl fWwnn Ford in American Fork DOUG COUGAR AUTO OREM i UTOPLEX " nil II. 1. 1' Your Town. Your Neighbors. Your Newspaper. |