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Show Tooele, Utah, Thursday, January 8, 1981 Volume Eity-Si- x Cost: Twenty Number Thirls Two Fite Cents County Fights Impending Tax Reassessment By Conrad Wallen of over a four-yea- r stale sallies reduced bs so mm h. Hie tax shift is w li v Tooele commissioners are particularly worried. Tooele could argue strongly from this Tooele property taxes may increase 25 to 30 percent unless a fif'ht organized by the Tooele County Commission alters a state reassessment plan. Local officials worked Thursday to battle a I'tah Tax Commission order to equalize all probity taxes in one step, instead period as was expected. TH E est imat ed 25 to 30 percent figu res came from County Assessor F. Derris Porter, the man required to do the mathematics to bring Tooele property taxes up. Each county has leen directed to adjust its assessment depending on how far out of line it is. The state Itelieves Tooeles valuations are at 9.97 percent of market value. They should lie at 20 percent, half of what they are. This means a Tooele home worth $60,000 is lieing taxed as if it were worth $30,000. TIIE afternoon meeting called together county attornies, a jssors and commissioners to unify the struggle that several counties have begun individually. Among those, Utah County has gotten a temporary restraining order against the Utah Tax Commissions demand that all 29 counties accomplish the reassessment in four months. And Emery County officials have promised to join any effort agaiast the reassessment. Although Tooele Commissioners Charles Stroinlierg and Reed Russell said they were not sure what to expect from the meeting they initiated, County Attorney Ron Elton said several strategies exist. THE counties can challenge the call for concurrent assessment, since historically it is done one county at a time. Or they can challenge it because of adverse effects the reassessment will cause. position, Elton said. Tooele could lie among the seven hardest hit counties, he said. RrMrmcnl r COMPARING percentage increases that different counties face, Tooeles 78.4 percent docs not look great, but it is an increase that appears survivable. Emery County, the county that said it would support any effort to fight the State Tax Commission, needs to raise its assessment 289.1 percent. Millard, the next least fortunate, must increase by 197.4 percent. The figures are based on past property sales. But percentages are not everything, and despite Tooele's reasonable assessment appearance, Elton's prediction of Tam are too high, o more monet ii collected than needed. Mill It y N then reduced. state-assesse- Richcoaching and living in Tooele, hart said after formally accepting the position. After high school, college, Army service in Germany, a stint in Indiana, and coaching at BYU we (Richhart is married and is the father of two children) are tired of moving around and can hardly wait to get settled The mill decrease will help ttalMtmkrd proper state-assesse- d Net riled: Homeowner taie go up. Mate aseed propertv taxes go down. The homeowner pass the tirv like railroad and mines became the wont he fraeed. Their taluet remain constant, and their laxrs become lower. difference. state-assess- state-assesse- Pacific-Railroa- state-assesse- state-assess- care of the administrative duties that come with coaching. It is my intention to balance it off 60 percent running and 40 percent passing, he said. I KNOW that a high school team that can pass the ball will win a lot of football games, so I expect to employ all the passing possible. Right now I want to line up my coaching staff, which will consist of six assistants. I am going to have to rely on their past experience and knowledge. By the time football practice opens this fall, I hope to have everything in order - assistant coaching duties assigned to the applicable coaches the talents of our players - the calibre and type of opposition we will run into - so that we can get right to work, Richhart said. FORMER head coach Sonny Suds bury has been retained as one of will as also and remain assistants, the head baseball coach. Other assistants will be named later, although Dick Raben, Tom Kingsford, and Mike Kemodle all indicated that they would be willing to work as assistant coaches. Richhart was one of 15 who applied for the job. The selection committee - -- -- Rich-hart- Accepts THS Post RICHHART and his family currently live in Provo but are now looking for a place to live in Tooele. Officially, Richhart will not assume his new duties until August, but he pi. ns to spend the rest of the school year, becoming acquainted with the school, the kids, the coaches and taking It would seem likely that taxing groups, like the county and city, would reduce the assessments levy when rise by 78.4 percent. Rut thats not necessarily going to happen, warns Howard Stephenson of the Utah Taxpayers Association. their taxes reduced by more than 50 percent, while taxes on homes consistently grew. Their taxes were up slightly by 1980 to $71,074, but this is still less than half of their taxes 18 years earlier. It is ironic, lielieves former Commissioner George Buzianis, that while properties have gone up d in value, properties have re locally-assesse- d state-assesse- duced in value according to the state. I low can they !e worth levs when they live in the same inflated world we do? Buzianis wonders. PORTER said part of this difference was created by the state which the state-assesse- d properties were paying too much for a while and gave them a break. But he could not explain how the The UTAs concern Is that the Stephenson noted, however, that smaller counties are more responsive to voters and are more likely to reduce the mill levy if voters want it. The Utah Taxpayers Association consisted of James Gowans, instructional director of the Tooele School District, Paul Skyles, Tooele High School principal, and Dan Hill, a (Continued on page four) years. Task forces comprised of 106 prominent Utah citizens then made broad recommendations of how the state legislature should address these problems. In the report and re- Deseret News and a member of the state of the task forces were Agenda for the 80s committee, said that in made public and the purpose of the the 1970s that public schools average Wednesday meeting was to give the pub- yearly enrollment increase was about lic an opportunity to add to or challenge 3,000 students. these recommendations. HOWEVER, it has been estimated that ALTHOUGH we would like to have during the 1980s, that figure could rise to seen a larger crowd on hand tonight, said as many as 18,500 students in the state. Bertha Graham who conducted the comTooele resident Sterling Hanks made ment session, we are very appreciative of the suggestion that Utah expand its unithose who attended and expressed versity system to include more junior colcomments. leges. California has the perfect state One of the major problems the state supported junior college system, and I feel will face in the upcoming 10 years is that that should be made a high priority during of unprecedented enrollment growth in the 1980s for the state of Utah, Hanks said. public schools. Wendell Ashton, publisher of the LORETTA Giebink, who works in the commendations FIRST LEAGUE GAME YK1S ws Friday Jan. 9 JV: 5:30 p.m. Varsity 7:30 p.m. 2.50 Adults 1.50 Other Students CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DK1SALILAYDM IDAC(y)M is working with the Utah Tax Commission to draft legislation to deal with that. The hill would require a mill levy to rollliaik when assessments increase, Stephenson said. Author and educator Dr. Victor B. Cline will be the featured speaker at a Tuesday night grand opening of Tooeles Parent Education Resource Center. Cline, a child care specialist and a Ph.D. professor of psychology at the University of Utah, will talk about his recently published book. How To Make Your Child a Winner Or Ten Ways To Raise Responsible Children. A 7 P.M. ribbon-cuttin- g ceremony will precede Clines speech at the Oquirrh Hills School on Vine Street. The ceremony will include officials from Tooele City, Tooele County and Tooele School District, said PERC Director Connie DeSimon. The center was designed to assist parents in raising children and providing reference material to do it well. THE PERC also will sponsor courses for adults. These begin Jan. 20 and include Your Marriage, topics such as PERC-U- p How To Live With Your Teens and Like It, Understanding Your Young Child and a class on Raising Responsible Children. Registration for the classes will be Jan. 14 and 15, with the first 15 parents enrolling in each one of th classes receiving a $5 scholarship. The hours of the resource center are 1 to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and 1 to 9 on Tuesday. Mrs. DeSimon said persons can come in the center and use the variety of materials the center has collected, or they may check them out library books at no charge. Sherrie Mallen and Connie DeSimon examine materials at Tooeles Parent Education Resource Center. A grand opening will be held Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Oquirrh Hills School. Truck Purchase Delayed BURR SAID he spoke with the state Pursuit of a new firetruck purchase to fire marshall who said the city would do be delivered after July 1 was supported by well with a used 1,000 gallon pumper. a Grantsville City Council motion apThe state fire marshall also said he would proved Wednesday. The council agreed unanimously that a look in trade journals to hunt for used new truck is needed, but they disagreed truck sales. One nearby station is preparing to sell a on the method and type of vehicle. THE COUNCIL discussed whether the 1,000 gallon pumper which it has had for Tooele County Human Services depart15 years. Burr said. The fire city should hunt for a used vehicle at a engine bement, said her department reviewed the good price or go after a new fire engine, longs to Salt Lake County. recommendations made by the social serBurr said he asked the Salt Lake Fire with the three council members in favor vices and health task force and feel comChief to put himself in the citys position of the new truck passing the motion. fortable with those. Council chairman John Burr abstained and asked for advice. The fire chief said he MILO Higley of Grantsville said he was from the vote, saying he wants the city to suggested a used truck from the city counin opposition to the proposed Central get a new truck, but that the council was cils point of view, although he admitted a Utah Water Project because it would raise rushing to make the purchase. I want the fire chief would prefer a new truck, Burr the level of the Great Salt Lake and create maximum amount for our money, he relayed. The motion, initiated by Councilman flooding problems for Tooele County and stated. Councilman Claude Parkinson cast the Richard Castagno, said the truck would be the Wasatch Front. only dissenting vote because he said he paid for out of the citys cemetery fund, Tooele developer Paul Bevan suggested which in turn would be repaid by the that the recommendations made by the favors a used truck. mill increase approved by voters. three council three OTHER THE members, Agenda for the 80s be condensed into a resaid their talks with residents however, will that to port contain growth problems face Tooele County during the next 10 show that the people believed the special item on the November ballot in Grantsyears. ville referred to a new truck. Criminal charges listed on two GrantsThat ballot asked Grantsville voters if Reports have a tendency to get filed ville men arrested for a series of burglaries and forgotten about. A committee should they would support a three-mi- ll levy inwere reversed accidentally in Tuesdays h and urge our county com- crease to purchase a new fire truck. It missioners and city officials to study this passed easily, by a 2 to 1 margin. newspaper. The story should have said George The city already has garnered bids once report and see what can be done about the William Bureau has two charges, one fora problems we will face during the 1980s, and selected the best choice on a new third degree felony and the other for a seBevan said. 1,000 gallon pumper. But because they recond degree felony. ceived those bids so long ago. Mayor Keith Charges against Kevin Lamar Hack ford d the Brown suggested the council include four third degree felonies, a secost to truck near $70,000. expected Jan. 17, 1981 - Public Invited cond degree felony and two Class A Burr, who was unconvinced that the Officers Club, TAD misdemeanors. best found its had deal, suggested city Honoring Dr. J. Herbert Millburn The mistake was caused by the Grantsville investigate the savings a used For reservations call 0 reporter. truck could offer. Sparse Tooele Crowd Attends 80s Agenda A sparse crowd of 15 offered a handful of comments at the Agenda for the 80s meeting Wednesday in the Tooele High auditorium. The Agenda for the 80s was organized last year to identify the major problems the state of Utah will be facing in the upcoming decade. TOWN meetings were held in July in all 29 counties to identify what citizens of the state felt would be the major areas of concern for Utah during the upcoming 10 govern- ing Irodies will allow the levy to remain high and to let taxes soar, Stephenson said. "PAST experience has shown that most local governments will not voluntarily reduce tax levies as valuation increase," states the UTA January newsletter. Opening -- COACH DELANE RICHHART 1 Parenting Center Sets - coach at Tooele High School. Richhart brings to Tooele a list of credentials as long as his muscular right arm, that includes playing experience as a high school and college player and seven years coaching experience. He has coached youngsters 6 years old, high school, and college. THE Tooele job marks the first head coaching job that Richhart has had. His previous coaching experience, included coach of the offensive line for an Army football team two years as a graduate assistant at Purdue, one year as an assistant coach at an Indiana high school, and one year as a graduate assistant at BYU. TOOELE Assessor Porters prediction that taxes will go up hv one fourth while the assessment must jump by three-fourtis rased on an assimqition. The avsiiuqrtion is that the null levy will if assessments increase that locally-calculate- Half of Tooele Countys taxes come properties like mines, railroads and public utilities. The state claims to reassess those properties yearly, so those values won't jump. While homes and other locally assessed properties will become worth more, and consequently worth more in taxes, properties will not. The mill levy multiplied by the assessment determines how high taxes are. If the mill levy goes down, as Tooeles might, the slate assessed properties will assessed properties. d The tax break for propersurface with a savings because that is nothing new. Traditionally, the would ties of the county's taxpayers portion not see an assessment increase. If the taxes have shifted to homeowners. assessment part of the tax equation does County Treasurer Pendleton showed not go up and the levy goes down, the how this happened with Western assets in Tooele County. d businesses save taxes. IN 1962, the railroad paid $151,170 in If properties save money, the difference must be made up by locally taxes to the county. Twelve years later, Delane W. Richhart, graduate assistant coach at BYU, was named today as the new head football state-assesse- d much. doom may lie valid. d BECAl'SE of heavy reliance on properties, Tooele homeowners would lie hit hard, agrees Tooele County Treasurer Grant Pendleton. from The reason Tooele will lie hurt when other counties will not is that the others don't have the properties to the extent Tooe'e does. They can alter the tax equation so that an equal amount of tax money is collect cl from the same taxpayers. BYU Graduate Assistant Accepts THS Football Post The new Buff gridiron mentor played in high school, two years in college at Purdue, one year of Army football while stationed in Germany and football in Michithree years semi-pr- o lineman. as a all gan, "I am really looking forward to 411 loralU ittfwrd proprrH will hr rahrd hum 9 97 lu SOprrrmt at nuriH talur. Correction follow-throug- re-bi- 882-069- |