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Show B4The Timeslndependent, Thursday, March 13, 1986 Consolidation has improved local health administration in Utah health administration, Foundation, the private, nonprofit research agency. Before health districts were organized in the early Cooperation and consolidation have been the keys to improving local public health administration in all parts of Utah, according to Utah multi-coun- ty Taxpayer group gave high marks to recent legislative session - Our Association and our Commission is now mid-wa- y into a comprehensive study of the states tax structure and any attempt at this time to raise our income taxes or to remove the federal income tax deductibility would have been premature, said the UTA spokesman. Olson said, Only six states now have higher sales taxes than Utah, as related to personal income. I believe the session was wise in beating back attempts by school districts to put the camels nose under the tent and to use this traditional state revenue source for local school districts. Utahs economic development efforts were given an unprecedented boost by the passage of the unitary corporation income tax bill. The legislature deserves high marks for the passage of this law alone. Im positive that the passage of this one bill will result in thousands of new jobs and generate millions of new state tax dollars in the near future, said the director of the Utah Taxpayers Association. The legislature should also get a firm pat on the back for solving the complex and decade-ol- d problem of how to distribute the costs of assessing and collection of property taxes. This was only possible through the joint lobbying efforts of the Utah Taxpayers Association, mem- bers are very pleased that the legislature stiffened their backs and turned back all budget busting raids of the spenders and buried dozens of bills that would have hiked state and local taxes, or would have imprudently shifted our tax burdens. The Utah Taxpayers Association is especially happy that the lawmakers refused to increase school property taxes. This move would have been unwise in light of the record $38 million property tax increase in Salt Lake County this past year. Higher property taxes school districts, counties and cities. Taxpayers will also benefit from the amendments passed to the law. Tax and budget hearing notices will be upgraded and easier to understand in the future. The whole process will be much improved in years ahead Olson said. Truth-In-Taxati- on Extensive grading work will need to be done to remove excess soil from a hillside. Drainage pipes will also be installed. Work on the project will begin this spring. The contract allows 90 working days and should be completed by late summer. Presently there is a temporary detour around the slide area which will remain in use while the new road is being built. There will be minor traffic interference during construction. One hundred percent federal funding will be utilized on this project. SR-27- half-mil- LaSal chairman appointed for two-lan- arthritis drive A San Juan County resident has been appointed chairman for the 1986 Utah Arthritis Foundation in Campaign LaSal. The chairman is Shan an House-to-Hou- Smile Awhile se Crist. The Arthritis Foundation House-to-HouCampaign raises funds for Any form of praise se would be greatly arthritis research and public and patient education. Arthritis affects 240,000 Utahns. Seventy-eigpercent of the money raised goes directly to research and education. Volunteers are essential to the Arthritis Foundations fight against the more than 100 forms of arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. Most forms of arthritis have no known cure; however, much can be done to control pain, keep joints moving freely and prevent further joint damage caused by the disease. For more information or a free booklet about arthritis call or write the Utah Arthritis Foundation, e at or 1733 South 1100 East, Salt Lake City, Utah appreciated. ht 1983 Toll-fre- FAMILY DRUG CENTER 84105. Michael L. Gorman, R. Ph. Phone Where courtesy is contageous. 259-777- Let Us Save You Money on Your Next Printing Order! 1 The Times-lndepende- RICHARD E. STIEFLER, M.D. Adult and Pediatric Dermatology extends his practice from Grand Junction to include a clinic once a month inMoab. For appointment call Moab Family Health Center 267 N. Main, Moab, Utah 2594916 Monday-Frida8 to 5; also Saturday y health departments, the Foundation in a research report released this week. At the present time, all of Utahs 12 local health districts, covering the entire state, e health officers with have departmental staffs. In Salt Lake County, where city and county health departments were merged in 1969, health services have been extended to all parts of the county and the volume of health services provided has approximately doubled since the merger was effected. At the same time, efficiencies of consolidation have reduced the cost of operation, in terms of constant dollars and when adjusted for population growth. Foundation analysts point out that actual consolidation of local health departments has been effected within the last 15 years, but efforts which led to the mergers began more than 50 years ago. Concerned citizens and members of the medical profession in both public and private sectors launched, in the early 1930s, a campaign for the consolidation of the Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County health departments, in the interests of efficiency and economy. y The movement toward health departments, to provide poorer rural areas with sufficient tax explains 8-1- 2 multi-count- Pruning workshop set March 18th Utah State University Horticulture Extension Specialist, Bill Varga, will be giving an ornamental pruning workshop on March 18 at 5:30 p.m. sharp. Everyone will meet at 801 Locust Lane, (4th E. and Milts), and do a walking pruning tour through the neighborhood. Sharon Myron, Grand County Extension Agent said, Mr. Varga is exceptionally well trained in home landscaping maintenance and will be available to answer any questions. Some of the plants that will be used in the demonstration are forsythia, lilac, several evergreens, roses and others. The demonstration is free and everyone is invited to attend. For further details, contact the U.S.U. Extension office, 259-759- Clay Hills Pass project scheduled by UDOT The Utah Department of Transportation has awarded a contract to construct a new section of State Route 276 at Clay Hills Pass in San Juan County. After reviewing 14 bids received at a bid opening held February 4 the contract was awarded to Procon Corporation of North Salt Lake whose bid was $719,000. Their bid was well below UDOTs official engineers estimate of $1,078,684. The project involves relocating a section of 6 around a slide area at Clay Hills Pass, approximately hine miles east of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area boundary. e e The new section of is constructed highway being on solid earth formation approximately 100 feet to the south of the existing road instead of near the unstable slide area. full-tim- full-tim- were being pushed by both the Governor and the education community, Olson said. The Governors Tax Recordifi-catio- n The Utah Taxpayers Association gave the 1986 legislative session an "A for not jumping taxes and for adequately funding state programs. I feel the criticism being heaped on the lawmakers from education, state employee groups and social service interests is shortsighted and said Jack Olson, unfounded, Executive Vice President of the tax watchdog organization. Taxpayers should always be nervous and put their hands on their wallets whenever our bureaucrats, tax spenders and local units of government come out after a legislative session and praise our guardians of the treasury for their good deeds and generosity, said Olson. Criticism from, these people makes me more convinced that the lawmakers did a bang-u- p job of protecting our hard earned tax dollars. "I think the legislature struck a good balance between taxpayers and state agencies considering the depressed state of Utahs economy, the shortage of tax dollars and the angry mood of taxpayers. Overall, we are overjoyed with the performance of the session, even though our association did not get all we wanted. 1970s, only two counties in Utah e, were served by professionally-qualified health officers and 8. base to finance effective health services, began later than the effort in Salt Lake County, but continued for a number of years before reaching its goal. In both metropolitan and rural areas, the key factor in achieving consolidation was the solution of financial problems. In 1967 the Legislature authorized local health departments to levy up to 2 mills in ad valorem tax on the property within their jurisdictions for operating the departments. This opened the way for the Salt Lake consolidation, City-Coun- ty which had been held up by the difficulties foreseen in trying to operate a department on the basis of joint contributions. In 1971 Utahs local health code, which already authorized the formy ation of health diswas tricts, again amended. The Legislature appropriated $72,000 to help finance the formation of such districts. Poorer counties, where the need for consolidation was greatest but where the means to effect such consolidation had been lacking, were able to join together in y health districts. to the Foundation According study, Utah now has 12 local health departments, covering the entire state. Six of the departments are y units, and six are districts, with the number of participating counties ranging from two to six. Cities within all of the counties are included in the local health departments, as is now mandated by law. The Utah State Department of Health has established a bureau of local health services to promote closer cooperation between state and local health administrations and to provide asistance to local departments. The State Department of Health has no line authority over local departments, although the law requries local boards of health to make reports to the (state health) department as prescribed by department rules or contract. Utah law provides that local authorities may request the State Health Department to establish a branch office in their area in lieu of setting up a local health department, but this provision has never been implemented. The state makes annual appropriations for the support of local city-coun- ty multi-count- multi-count- single-count- multi-coun- ty and the method of apportioning the state general fund money among local health departments has been a subject of debate. There is general agreement that the apportionment formula should be weighted in favor of poorer districts, but concern has been expressed that this may act as a disincentive to local districts to make their own maxinfum effort. A task force was appointed in September, 1984, to study the funding of local health services. Representatives from both urban and rural areas served on the task force, with the director of the Utah Department of Health and the director of the Utah Association of Counties serving ex officio. The task force in a report issued November, 1985, recommended a change in the distribution formula for state general fund money to achieve greater equity, and also recommended that each local health department be required to make at least a specified minimum financial effort in order to qualify for its full share of state money. Sixteen counties already exceed the proposed maximum requirement ($3 per capita), but 13 counties were below this level of support in 1985, some failing only minimally. If the task force recommendation is put in force, these 13 counties would have to make an additional financial effort, but in all cases the required total effort would be less than the return from 1 mill in property tax. New Post.,, The election of Gregory M. Christensen as assistant vice president and commercial loan officer at First Security Bank in Spanish Fork has been announced. A native of Utah County, Mr. Christensen is a graduate of Spanish Fork High School and Utah State University. He has been with First Security since 1972 and has held officer positions at the banks Moab, Blanding and Payson offices. Mr. Christensen is a veteran of the U.S. Army. fTrefnfTThTtffrfiftpmn DavidlOrozco Couldnt have done it without you!" This year were pledged to finding more Americans the biggest tax refund they have coming. What can we find for you? K&R BLOCK" WHERE MORE AMERICANS FIND A BIGGER REFUND. South Hwy 191 & Bittle Ln. Sat., Open Weekdays, 9 A.M.-- 6 p.m. 9-- 5 MasterCard and Visa accepted 259-664- 0 |