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Show i Development fund hearing set in Mid vale scene from "Fiddler on the Roof is staged by Crescent Elementary students as part of their "Reflections" program. Fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students presented the musical review for their parents and for students at Midvalley Elementary. About 120 students were involved A in the program. Just things By Jim Landers Even though the Sentinel played a part in bringing to light an almost hidden state statute that could provide some school building money for Jordan district this week, I wish the law had never been found. Or better yet, never been written. If Jordan School District were to implement the law and hold an election to decide whether to increase the mill levy by 10 mills or not, and the voters should happen to pass the proposition, the result would be disasterous. Consider that the home owners in the district are paying anywhere from $300 to $600 a year in property taxes and about half of that goes to support the schools. Consider that home owners are probably spending a like amount each year in sales tax and about half goes to support the state schools. Consider also that the cost of educating one child is in the area of $700 a year. Then consider that each home that sends children into the public schools has more than one child going to the schools. It becomes obvious that the homes with children in the schools are getting a real bargain for their tax dollars. But if a 10 mill levy increase were enacted to support new building construction in the district, the homes in the district that have no children in schools ; would have to take up part of. the slack. Even though the number of children produced from these homes in the past contributes to the present problem and they receive the benefits of a well educated child today, they shouldn't be asked to shoulder the responsibility of the present problems. If the mill levy in the district, which is already the highest in the state, were increased by 10 mills, business and industry would no longer find the area attractive to move into and some would undoubtedly leave. Without the business and industry in any taxing unit of government, that government would cease to exist. In the past Kennecott has been the big contributor to the Jordan school system. Now Kennecott has found itself in a position where it doesn't have to pay much in district taxes for a few years. Consequently, the district is suffering. But it isn't only Kennecott. Consider that if the mill levy in the area gets out of hand, industrial and shopping center developers that are presently looking at sites in this area for their projects would look elsewhere. And that existing businesses and industries would start to look to other areas where the taxes are lower for their operations. Governments and schools can't operate without the taxes paid from these sources. The school district has admitted that they missed the law in their consideration of possible options for housing children in the schools, but as I said above I wish the law didn't exist. Its enactment in Jordan district would only cause more problems than it would cure. Attending some of the neighborhood meetings that have been going on throughout the district is both impressive and depressing. The thoughtfulness that parents are giving the present school housing problems is producing ideas that can and should be used in the district for many years in the future. But the depressing part is that many parents feel that the whole scheme of the neighborhood meetings is an exercise in futility. Many parents feel that no matter what ideas may come out of the meetings, they aren't going to get any consideration from the education establishment and that the school officials will do as they please anyway. In the past it may have been true. But the school district is committed to continued public involvement in the schools. The present Jordan Board of Education is following through on this commitment and I can't help but believe that in the future anyone in the district who has ideas concerning the operation of the schools will be heard and their ideas considered. Sandy awards pipe contract SANDY - Water was Works Equipment awarded the contract by Company Sandy City to supply and install ductile iron pipes and fittings at a cost of $492,710.75, the low bid. The engineer's estimate was $500,000. Other companies bidding were the Crane Company, $513,626.60; W. R. Mt. States. $507,081.82; White, Plumber's $506,370.70; Supply, $571,581.67. The company will begin work within days and will complete the project within 45 days. This will complete a waterline along 1300 E. and 700 East, south to 1 1600 S. 10 The above contract was voted on at the council meeting held Jan. 19. with Mayor Dewey Bluth presiding. Also on the agenda was a report by Jim Ash on the negotiation on purchasing ground for the new number 3 fire station. The council agreed to let Mayor Bluth, Chief Bill Clough, and Administrator Ash purchase the ground needed for the station. The Midvale City Council will hold its second public hearing on the use of funds from Community Development during the Feb. 1 council meeting. The funds, earmarked for use during the next fiscal year, will total around $100,000. Citizens attendance is encouraged at the meeting. A citizen's committee under the direction of James Landers will be discussing the use of (he above funds and will also be bringing its suggestions to the council. Nolan and Son Construction Co. of West Jordan has been awarded a contract from Midvale City to undertake a series of improvements in the city's water system. The company obtained the contract after submitting the low bid of $4.1 451.50 for the work. According to the contract, all work must be done in 30 days, so construction will begin very soon. Residents and merchants should be aware that the largest excavations will be along East Center St. and on State St. between 7800 and 7200 S. In order to aid people to more easily locate the city's new police station, now located in the rear of basement of the old county library, Midvale will soon remodel and move the sign on the old hall to its new location. Use funds for fire truck, citizens say citizens advisory committee presenfor community development projects to the West Jordan City Council Tuesday. Bill Bailey, committee chairman, told the council the first priority lor the $75,000 should be a new fire truck. The committee also listed, in order of preference, several other projects including an animal shelter, flood control catch basin at 3200 W. and 7(KM) S.. lighting at intersections, fire station, park facilities, and resurfacing of the Old Bingham Highway. A ted its priorities Jordan Valley Sentinel Volume 44, Number 4 Continuing The Midvale Sentinel odd schooD eniroDlinnieinitt An obscure paragraph in the law could give Jordan District another option in dealing with the current enrollment and financial crisis but it would bring higher taxes for area residents. The paragraph was brought to the attention of district administrators by a state board of education employe at a public meeting last week. was included in the The law, Utah Code 24 years ago and has apparently never been used. It reads in part : Any board of education may at a special election called for the purpose submit to the electors of the district the question of levying a special tax for one or more years, to buy sites, build and furnish school houses, or improve the school property under its control; provided, the amount of said tax shall not exceed one percent of the assessed value of all taxable property in any one year in such district. group is asking the county to take into consideration the ability of entities, such as the school district, to serve the needs of the area before it okays new housing developments. "In the past, it's been looked at as the school district's problem, not the county's," he said. "But it's our contention that the problem is everybody's." The group is asking the county to coordinate planning decisions with the school district so that the problems caused by Jordan School District's rapid increase in enrollment can be avoided. "We're not asking for a no growth policy," Snow said, "We want slower growth, pending the ability of the school district to house the students." The biggest tax investment citizens make is in the education of their children, he said. In overcrowded classrooms, the child is not getting the quality of education he is entitled to, Snow said. Salt Lake County recently granted a conditional use permit to a developer in the Cottonwood Heights area allowing Porter Brothers Realty to buld 110 multiple unit dwellings. The citizens appealed the decision based on eight points. (Diitiijzeuns Representatives of two groups of parents presented proposals they said would help solve growth problems to the Jordan School Board at Tuesday night's meeting. A group from the Canyon View area, represented by Shirley Ritter, PTA president, read a letter to the board stating that the parents feel they can live with the problems and disruptions of double sessions and extended days, if they have to, and if they feel all the alternatives have been properly considered. The group asked the board to consider that developers be assessed a fee to help pay for new schools, that the school board work with the planning and zoning commission to help regulate growth, that members of the planning and zoning commission who are contractors and developers should be removed because of a conflict of interest, that legislation be enacted to allow the district to issue more-- bonds, that an ad hoc committee They contend that the county failed to consider elementary enrollment and did not require the.developer to dedicate land or pay fees for schools ; 2. the notice procedure whereby property owners within 300 feet must be notified of zoning changes, is arbitrary and leaves the "vast majority" of those affected without notice; 3. zoning application was defective; 4. failure to publish notice of the change properly; 5. views of property owners affected were not given due 1. 6. the development allows higher density than authorized by consideration; the county's Master Plan ; 7. the decision of the planning and zoning board was "contrary to sound public policy" because it allows multiple unit dwelling in a fault zone; and 8. the decision was arbitrary and capricious because it eliminated Master Plan requirements that said developers must dedicate land for parks. A hearing on the appeal is scheduled before the Salt Lake County Commission on Feb. 17. Meanwhile, the growth, that has created a problem with overcrowding in Jordan district schools, is also threatening the adequate treatment of sewage in the south valley area. Federal and state laws both require that all sewer plants must provide at least secondary treatment by June, 1977. By 1980, local plants will be required to meet more stringent requirements, and in 1983 treatment must be able to meet Class C water standards. Class C water must be fit for aquatic life and water postage paid Two bills that could affect local governments have been introduced into the Utah legislature. Rep. Elgin Hokanson, Midvale, has submitted a bill, (H. B. 162), that would require municipalities to hold public hearings before raising the water rates of users outside the city limits. Water fees for those users would have to be based on costs of service "or other objective factors," the bill states. Some municipalities may lose revenue if they are required to charge water users at a rate based on actual costs of service, according to the legislative fiscal analyst. Hokanson said the bill would insure that such increases are justified. Another bill, (S. B. 29) would make agreements between cities, counties, and local taxing districts subject to the approval of "an attorney." The present law requires such agreements to be approved by the attorney general. The bill was submitted by Richard C. Howe, y contact sports. Officials of the 208 Water Quality Study say treatment plants will be able to provide adequate treatment through 1980 if growth does not drastically vary from population projections. "We will be releasing marginal effluent, but with adequate disinfection, there will be not risk to public health," Dr. David Eckhoff, 208 project manager said. This is assuming nothing hampers the completion of the lagoons at the Midvale treatment plant, he said. "If the lagoons aren't in operation this summer, we're in real trouble," he said. The current treatment plant in Midvale is designed to handle 3.8 million gallons of waste water per day. The lagoons are expected to add 4 million gallons a day to the plant's capacity. The average flow is expected to be 6.5 million gallons per day by 1980, 7.5 mgd by 1985, 8.6 mgd in 1990, 9.8 mgd in 1995, and 10.7 mgd by 2000. A regional sewage treatment facility should be in operation by the end of 1980 if bonding for it is approved by voters. The regional plant will be able to meet state and federal requirements for at least 25 years, Eckhoff said. Currently, both the Midvale and Sandy treatment plants are "severely overloaded," 208 reports say. However, Environmental Protection Agency officials have promised in a letter that if sewage plants are in the process of improving treatment, no citations or fines will be issued. "-- " ' ';- -'' crisis Under this law, school districts have the right to ask voters to approve a special tax to build schools. The tax may not exceed 1 percent of the assessed valuation of the district, which would be equivalent to 10 mills. Also the tax can be assessed for only a limited period of time. Supt. Donald J. Parr, in reviewing the section, said that apparently it was intended to help districts meet short term building needs without bonding. He pointed out, however, that Jordan's housing problems are not short term and cannot be solved with such a tax. The maximum amount of revenue that the tax could raise would be $2,850,000 a year, which at current costs would only build and furnish one new elementary school, the superintendent said. Jordan District has enough additional students entering schools each year to more than fill three elementaries, making it obvious that the additional tax would not erase the need for alternative measures to house students. The superintendent did concede that if voters want to assume the extra tax burden it would bring some relief to the student housing strain. He also indicated that it was unlikely that the board of education would call a special tax election unless there were very strong indications that the public favored such a tax. Bill proposes changes in water assessments Murray.in the Cottonwood Heights area are asking Salt Lake County officials to adopt a new concept in planning and zoning procedures to help avoid some of the overcrowding problems the community now faces. Rod Snow, representative of the Cottonwood Heights citizens group, said the s Higher taxes possibDe option lesfidentts asCi coo ircfl Donatio oira ddh com unity pDamiirDDirDg cflecDSDoims Citizens Thursday, January 27. 1977 Published weekly at 125 W. Center St., Salt Lake County, Utah by Midvale Sentinel, Inc. Second-clasat Midvale, Utah. Subscription rate $4 per year. 3 years $10 in Jordan School District ' To give a picture of the effects of a special tax on a local homeowner, Supt. Parr cited the following example: Suppose a homeowner in a residential area paid property taxes of $600 last year. Next year he can expect an increase of approximately 60 percent, or about $360, due to reassessment of property. If another 10 mills were to be added for a special school fund, his tax bill could jump to $1,160, or very close to double what it was in 1975. The effects on lower income property owners or those with fixed incomes might be even more marked, the superintendent said. Math tutoring class set at Jordan High Adults who are having trouble with mathematics can get tutoring at the Jordan District Adult High School. Tutoring in mathematics will be available at Jordan High School on Tuesday evenings from 8 to 10 p.m. The class is free to any adult working toward a high school diploma, otherwise a small fee will be charged. The class will include help in regular math skills, algebra, or geometry from beginning to advanced levels. For further information or to register, contact LaMar Swenson, Jordan District adult high school coordinator, at ext. 212. He also pointed out that another tax conera is facing many district residents. The county is considering adding 9 mills to property taxes of residents in the unincorporated areas of the district to 255-689- 1, alleviate the problem of "double taxation." Jordan District residents are already taxed 53.3 mills, which is the highest mill levy of any school district in the state. Parr said that an additional school mill levy would be highly controversial because it might bring unbearable strain to farmers, businesses, and industries, as well as exceed what is reasonable and fair for local residents. The district is recommending that area residents give major consideration to the four housing options being proposed at public meetings during January and February as the best possible solution for housing students during the district's period of rapid growth. I Bid date on new school delayed f I I Plans for the new elementary school to be located at 11800 S. 1000 E. were not completed in time for H contractors to submit bids for this month's Jordan School Board meeting. The bid date has been & If rescheduled for Feb. 22, at 6:30 I . simggesti vays to ceiniftmDll girorfth be formed to study the possibilities of additional funding for the district, and that Stan Porter, chairman of the district's Ad Hoc Housing Committee be removed from his post because of a conflict of interest. The group also advised that families moving into the area be informed that there exists a "less than desirable educational environment" for their children. Mrs Ritter said the group would be happy to work with the proper authorities to solve the problems caused by rapid growth if the group could determine who the authorities were. She said citizens have called the county, the school board, the legislature, and others, and been referred to someone else each time. The board took the parents' recommendations under advisement. A representative of a parents' group from South Jordan polled the board on its support for asking the legislature to reassign $28 million proposed for the purchase of Antelope Island to a fund for schools. The board agreed it would support any attempts to fund additional money for the district, but noted it felt there was little chance of getting such a measure through the legislature. In other business, the board rejected a request from the contractor for early completion of the new Jordan High School, appointed two corrdinators, approved a tentative school calendar for next year, agreed to let the county build a detention basin at the East Sandy School site, approved trades and sales of property, and assigned Richard Anderson, newly elected member of the board, to find a name for the elementary school to be built next spring. Tom Peterson, representing John Price Associates, ask the board to okay an Aug. 15, 1977 completion date for the new Jordan High School. The contract lists the final date as Mav 1978. He told the board it would cost an additional $310,000 to move the date up, but said it would save money in the long run. District officials, however, said even if the building was completed in August, the district could not open the school next fall because equipment would have to be moved in and that would take several months. Officials added that the district would lose some of its invested revenue by paying the school off ahead of schedule. Board members thanked Peterson for his presentation and rejected his offer. The board also voted to appoint Mrs Dahl Carter school lunch coordinator and Lowell Ware as maintenance coordinator. An agreement is to be worked out between the school district and the county flood control department to allow a flood control detention basin to be built at East Sandy Elementary. The final agreement is subject to the approval of the board. Byron Parker, administrator of the flood control department, told the board the entire construction project would be completed during the summer months. He said the maximum depth of the basin would be four feet and all portions of the basin would be visible from inside the school. ( A storm that would make use of the basin necessary only happens about every 10 years, Parker said. The board also voted to obtain a school site at 11000 S. and 850 E. The district will trade approximately five acres on 1000 E. and about 11400 S. for five acres at the new site and will purchase the remaining six acres for about $10,000 an acre. The board also agreed to sell about 18 acres of property near the new site, at 10600 S. and 1000 E. The property will be put up for public bid. |