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Show SECTION WEDNESDAY, Marc Haddock CITY EDITOR Tax rate lowered to help local restaurants , , r v t , i Gubernatorial candidate's new proposal includes transportation funding fume Amie Rose ; DAILY HERALD ' HERALD Utah can't afford to wait any longer to start making decisions about long-tertransportation including funding refunding construction of Interstate 15 in Utah County, says gubernatorial candidate Scott Matheson Jr. Matheson released a plan for quality growth and efficient transportation Tuesday at Utah Valley State College, the eighth in a series of pledges the Democratic candidate has made. The newest plan includes ensury growth; ing efficient, integrating funding for transit, . highways and trails; creating a long-terfunding plan; and achieving fairness in statewide transportation investments. Matheson proposes creating a 2-- 0 RESTAURANTS, mhaddockheraldextra.com 344-258- 6 1--15 A tenth of a percent reduction in Utah County restaurant taxes will give local restaurants a competitive edge, says the president of the Chamber of Commerce. "I think restaurants are really looking forward to that reduction," said Steve Densley, chamber of commerce president. Utah County commissioners voted Tuesday morning to reduce the restaurant tax from 1 percent to 0.9 percent, starting in 2005. The county won't be losing any tax money, though. The 0.1 percent will be replaced by the new 7 percent rental car tax, said Utah County Commissioner Steve White. See 2004 Matheson presents growth plan at UVSC Amie Rose DAILY SEPTEMBER 22, high-qualit- : JOSHUA BROWNDaily Herald Scott Matheson Jr. unveiled his statewide plans for transportation growth proposals on Tuesday morning at the Sorenson Student tenter on the campus of V V&C. D3 funding forum immediately after the election to evaluate transportation funding plans. The forum would include members of the business community and local leaders and would build on the work of the state Legislature's Transportation Funding Task Force. However, Rep. John Dougall, says that's already happening. "We're already doing it," said Dougall, a member of the task force. "I think we're well down the path on that one." The task force has been studying transportation funding for the last two years, getting input from local leaders and the business community. It will have recommendations on funding options ready for See MATHESON, D3 Fields of Gold stmpw infill . . JEREMY HARMONDaily Herald Roger Egbert, 18, of Woodland Hills, makes his way through a field thick with sunflowers while hunting dovek with two of his friends on a cool Tuesday afternoon near Salem. The hunt started on Sept. 1, and the friends say they like hunting this field late in the season because most of the people think 'the birds are gone. The three still had a successful hunt, bagging several doves. Provo City Council OKs text part of general plan Eagle Mountain signs with jo b growth company City is first in state to contract with U fn UTAH not replace economic development but complement the one niche that is missing," he said. "We are deliberately focusing and specifically targeting a approach to economic development". The time frame assures that the job wOl be a long-terone. If it isnt, then the company will stop collecting the commission, Jury said. On average, the company would collect a 10 to 15 percent commission on each job with the goal be-- . ing 50,000 jobs over the next five years, with 20,000 of those specifically in Utah County, Jury said. "We feel coUectivery Utah County has the most promise if we can make it there, we can make it anywhere," he said, "nd if we cant deliver, nobody Elisabeth Nardi DAILY HERALD . Eagle Mountain is the first city in Utah County to enter into an agreement with U 'n UTAH, a private company that will try to bring jobs and businesses to the ... city. The City Council decided Tuesday night to contract with the group, which company officials say will' bring 20,000 ; jobs to Utah County. Eagle Mountain is signing on to what is essentially a private market approach to economic development. The plan, according to Stephen Jury, managing partner for the company, is to, in a sense, "sell" Utah and Eagle Mountain to prospective businesses. U'nUTAH will go out and recruit businesses to come to the city, county and state. In return the company will receive $ 100 per job per year for 10 years for every job it brings in, Jury said. The city will only have to pay for jobs that pay a rninimum of $35,000 a year, he said. "What we are suggesting is that we do ar . , owesusanickeL" Jury has been att over the state speak-- a ing with city councils and said most cities in Uah County are in one stage or another of considering the agreement. Eagle Mountain is the first city to step up, but Jury believes others wul foUow. Gerald Kinghorn, Eagle Mountain city attorney called Jury's plan "innovative" and said the city has put a five year clause in the agreement that basically states that if no jobs have come from the group then the agreement is dissolved. "We have taken great pains to put safeguards into the agreement, to make sure nothing happens unless these jobs get here," he said. "We see this as a Lehi Mayor Ken Greenwood said for now the Lehi City Council has decided not to enter into an agreement with the company. The reason: He is unsure if it is possible for one company to take all the credit for jobs or businesses coming to a city. With the recent experience of a major sporting and hunting store, to corne to Lehi, he said he knows it takes more than one person. "I think economic development is too much tied into too many things that are intangible," he said. "It's like a quarterback making a touchdown and saying 'I won the game.' It's not a simple thing; it's a very complicated thing." In an interview earlier this month, ' Chris Hillman, city administrator for Eagle Mountain, said that Jury approached the city six months ago, and since then DAILY HERALD win-win- ." , ; . See AGREEMENT, D3 r. David Randall . . After two years of revisions and over two hours of deliberations, the Provo City Council passed the text portion of the Provo City General Plan the basic outline meant to plan city growth over the next five years. At least seven Provo neighborhood chairs came to voice concerns about the plan, which designates, among other thing, commercial, residential and public use zones. Several chairs said they were worried about 200 North, which passes two schools, becoming a collector road in the proposed plan. Council members did not change the status Of the street, but said they would consider it when they discuss the map portion of the plan, which was not approved Tuesday, but will be voted on after council members can discuss it in a study meeting. Other changes and amend ments were made throughout the evening. "As much time as we put into it I'm not sure that we'll get to the point where we feel 100 percent like everything is where it should be," said Jan Yeckes, director for community development to the council Yeckes took input from the 34 neighborhood chairs as well as City Council members about the direction the new general plan should take. The plan is meant to . be amended every five years, al-- " though in the past the city has gone up to 20 years without amending it. "It's the direction we expect Provo to go in terms of land use," said Terry Harward, executive d assistant tot he council, and program coordinator. A major part of the general plan is the map, which developers can look at to get a picture of where the city is headed and what areas ; ... neigh-borhoo- . See PLAN, D3 |