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Show Thursday, June THE HERALD, Provo, Utah, 14, 1990 Intermountain Power Agency hoping to settle tax problems By KEN RAND Herald Correspondent A tax protest by IPA DELTA could be settled in a Tax Commission hearing requested by Millard County Commission and the Intermountain Power Agency. "Millions of dollars now being held in escrow could be freed by a favorable ruling. With respect to the property tax issues covered by those rules, IPA would settle its tax protest by stipulation," IPA general manager Reed Searle said. A public hearing before the Tax Commission in Salt Lake City to receive comments on the proposed administrative rules has tentatively been set for July 11. The request for the hearing was made June 5. "We have worked out with Millard County, in my opinion, about the only interpretation of the statute that I think we could have worked out," Searle said. "I don't think Millard County would have agreed with our interpretation of the laws ... and I can say with assurance that IPA would not have agreed with any interpretation of the statutes different than those we I have presented to the Tax Commission." IPA paid $24 million in taxes in 1989 but protested 44 percent of the payment. The protested amount was put into escrow to be distributed after the dispute was resolved. Taxes paid for 1990 were also protested but not put in escrow. The Intermountain Power Plant north of Delta, operated by IPA, accounts for 85 percent of the county tax base. In a unique relationship, Millard County also acts with regard to IPA as a collection agency for other taxing entities, including the state school board. Six issues were originally protested. Under the proposed agreement, three will be resolved in the county's favor, one in IPA's favor and two are still pending court rulings. "We explained to (the Tax Commission) our negotiated settlement and the compromises that we had come to," Styler said. "We told them we were still not all unanimous, but we felt like it was a compromise that we could agree on." The county commission has heard - Page Barbara Murray celebrates 80th An open house, given by her children, will honor Barbara Murray for her 80th birthday from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the Mapleton City Hall. The event is open to all friends and relatives. They request no gifts. She has two children, nine grandchildren and 13 a legal opinion by Peterson and another attorney that they should not compromise on the municipal tax exemption issue, which in the proposed ruling would favor IPA. The .county commission has opted to not abide by the opinion. Styler said Peterson may be correct in saying the county could prevail on the issue in court. He said, however, the commission has opted to join IPA's request for a as a practical way to free the escrowed money. The Tax Commission may yet reject the proposed compromise. It is not cut and dried, Peterson said. Other entities will have a period to comment on rules proposed for adoption by the commisrule-maki- 30-d- sion. "If the proposed rule is not adopted, then we're back to square one," Searle said. IPA has already filed with the Tax Commission a petition for determination of how much taxes it should pay. Millard County has filed to intervene in that action. No date for a hearing on that separate matter has been set. FREE COOKBOOK from Creamette. It's in today's paper! s 11 Photo courtesy of Sonni Schwinn d Elmo Ford stands in front of his country store, which his family has owned since the year he was born. The store is in danger of going out of business Eighty-year-ol- Elmo's store may fail; victim of EPA decision By SONNI SCHWINN Herald Correspondent WALLSBURG A new Environmental Protection Agency requirement to monitor underground gasoline storage tanks or move them above ground could mean the end of Elmo Ford Merc, an Wallsburg business. Elmo Ford, who is the same age as his store, said his father, Alfred, set up the little mom and pop mercantile in Wallsburg and installed a gasoline tank to supply the local Model T owners. At that time, there was no electricity. Elmo said the gasoline was d into a container and poured through a funnel into the gas tank, one gallon at a time. But today, there are two modern gas pumps in front of Elmo Ford Merc, and two underground storage tanks. Elmo says he doesn't make much money selling the gas. In fact, he doubts that he even breaks even. He says he makes it available to accommodate residents of Wallsburg, which is about five miles from the next gas station. Even during peak summer months he sells only a couple thousand gallons a week. Last week, he sold about 450 gallons. He said he also enjoys tending the store, now that his two sons have taken over most of the responsibilities for the 50 head of beef cattle on the 100-acr- e family farm. "I don't want to complain because it's been good to us. But we hand-pumpe- 500-gall- can't operate without gasoline," marElmo said. His small-to-zer- o gin of profit on gasoline doesn't justify, and certainly can't pay for, digging up the two tanks and setting them up above ground, or to modify his tanks to bring them up to standard by installing the monitoring equipment and pay for annual inspections, which . the EPA now requires. In fact, he hasn't decided yet what to do about a bill for $140 he just received from the health department for not registering his tanks two years ago. He doesn't think the penalty is fair because he didn't know until a few weeks ago that he was supposed to register them. But he understands and agrees that soil and underground water supplies must be protected from any possibility of contamination by hazardous chemicals stored in underground tanks. In some cases, leaking gasoline stored underground has caused fumes to accumulate and create fire dangers. The EPA now requires states to identify where all the underground tanks are located. Then, they will have to be brought up to EPA standards and monitored. The alternative is to move them above ground. Simmons Beautyrest mattresses and box springs Enforcing the requirement to register the tanks has been assigned to local health departments. That Health Departputs the ment Director, Phil Wright, in the position of acting as an enforcer. "I feel bad that this is going to run a lot of these little mom and pop operations out of business, so I didn't want to get involved. But we have to protect the environment," Wright said. Noel Cook, owner of Cook Oil, who installed Elmo's tanks, estimated that it would cost about $20,000 to upgrade the tanks to meet EPA standards. He said it costs $10,000 to $12,000 to dig up a intank, without any above-groun- d stallation costs. He estimated that some 26,000 small businesses across the nation, like Elmo's, will have to close down because of the cost to comply with the EPA regulations. He said the problem is that the EPA is finally doing something that should have begun long ago and City-Coun- ty & A. Enjoy Herald Correspondent HEBER CITY Although protecting wetlands is not in county jurisdiction, the laws directly effect construction and development that encroaches on wetlands. So Wasatch County Planner Bob Mathis is trying to learn all lie can about the subject. He said he took on the project a few years ago when a couple had to answer to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for excavating to install a drain pipe across a wetlands in Midway. They were discovered as a result of a complaint that the Homestead Resort had drained a wetland in order to install its golf course. Mathis has also learned the corps will work with individual building permits. But he cited a couple of .specific cases that demonstrated it is more complicated and costly to tamper with wetlands and get - king size in - --- f three pieces. InwMMmMwnmiii 0 Five-p- - j- Ill patio set c. B. Reg. $565 Save over 45 on this durable enameled wrought iron set that includes a 42" table and four arm chairs; choose from black, gardenia, white or oxford blue. Furniture It 7:. Mil - i- -. 5 V T i- -' 1 IlifiSSftM RETURN i AGIO sale is ever final at ZCMI! If you're not completely satisfied with your purchase, bring it back for exchange or a full refund. How's that for satisfaction? No ff" - -- fV., x Mr : IPifen ten On all handmade Oriental rugs Cheese t'c cf gerure Persian ad caught later than to work with the corps from the beginning. Mathis' motive of .,..:.v v. n semi-retire- Therefore, a great price on one Sleep Shop Planner learning about wetlands By SONNI SCHWINN i any she1 our most popular mattresses; includes a warranty with the first five years unlimited. 'King and queen sold in sets only; accomplished gradually, rather than catching up all at one time. Cook said he hoped that when the effect on rural America becomes evident, some form of financial help would be made available to help small businesses with their underground tank problems. In Utah, a small amount of funding is available. One half a cent per gallon is charged at the gas pumps to spread the cost of solving environmental problems. But Cook said it took two years to convince legislators to charge even that. And, according to recent news reports, the fund isn't being used for underground tank problems. Cook said some states charge one cent per gallon and put the money into a fund from which people like Elmo can borrow in order to comply with environmental laws. But he said since protecting the environment is a community problem, money should be given, not loaned. Cook doesn't think individuals like Elmo should be required to pay large sums of money to solve a problem that belongs to everyone. In the meantime, Elmo still has to decide whether or not to pay the $140 penalty. Then he must decide whether or not to comply with the EPA regulations and stay in business. If he does, he says he would lose money. "But we're here to serve the people. And I'm 80 years old. I have to have something to do," Elmo said. It would be a sadder day for Wallsburg than it would be for Elmo if he should have to close Elmo Ford Merc. The store is as much an historical Wallsburg landmark as it is a convenience, and a d place for a charming, gentleman to hang out. rss U U U c- e -' ly'Ql ir d:cr $e;e:'.cr Chirese, aure rugs, cd color mary ceo j' U pcHes in learning about wetlands is so that he can inform people about the problems cf building in wetlands before they invest in any projects that would have to be corrected later, possibly at great expense. "My concern is that people are aware that there is an increased concern about wetlands protection and that there is help available 1 '' l5Sr 90-Da- y Plan .cjOfSC'esdvcyp,' 'tSsesisec.s'e'ot 2e'a's through the appropriate federal agencies, and that they should be cautious," Mathis said. He said he has met with a representative of the corps twice during the past month, and was not surprised by anything he learned. "But it made me want to make sure that my work in issuing building i permits considers the impacts on wetlands, and that's whore I felt I didn't know enough." SHOP ORDER BYPHONIiV.TTHWZCMlCrWGE ALL STORES THIS FRIDAY ACCO'Jf.T CAllTOLL Kit 24 "OL'SAD: 10-1- AND SATURDAY 0 f 321-666- 10-- 9 .St. V4t P.'j TDSAES 1 B7 |
