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Show Crime Council Major Discussion Issued eoch Thursday at 9124 W. 2700 So., Mogna, Utah 84044. Second Class postage paid at Magna, Utah. of Kearns Meeting KEARNS Reorganization of the Kearns Crime Council was the major order of business Thursday night as Council members met at Kearns High School. Members who have become inactive were removed from the board and a list of school, community and church represen-trative- s was drawn up in an effort to make the council more representative of present community make-uCouncil members agreed that broader p representation, of including local churches, the business segment and PTA's of all schools are needed to balance the Council and better accomplish the groups objective of preventing crime. Rep. Arlo James will be working with the Sheriff's department to convert the grid printouts to statistical charts With the charts to follow each month Council members will be able to determine which crimes and which need the greatest attention. It will also be valuable in charting the groups effectiveness. A discussion of the practice of police officers returning to the reporting partys residence to report on the representatives action taken was discussed Many persons seem reluctant to report a crime in progress for fear those arrested or friends of theirs will know who reported the crime and retaliate. It was suggested that officers report back via telephone rather than announce the witnesss address by parking a police car in front of his home Council chairman Chad Terry reported that in a discussion with probation officers he learned that the curfew tickets being issued by Sheriffs deputies to teenagers violating the Countys curfew or- dinances are proving effective. members worked for instigating the ticket program and are anxious to have officers increase curfew enforcement Council Bernard Hahn, Council coordinator, has not received word of approval yet on the Crime Councils Federal grant application If the grant is approved the Councils will be able to hire a full time coordinator and staff to assist the community people with crime prevention programs. $1000 Reward Offered By Company Fsces Incorporation - GRANGER-HUNTE- Residents R of Granger and Hunter will go to the polls Tuesday to decide the fate of the Granger-Hunte- r Community cils incorporation proposal. Coun- The area proposed for incorporation includes all of the Granger-Hunte- r Improvement District service area. (See accompanying map.) Mass meetings, debates and candidate meetings have been held several nights a week for the past three weeks throughout the Granger-Hunte- r area. Major arguments expressed at those meetings have :entered around the questions of adequate financing for the new city, quality of services, schools, and representation or qualified leadership. Cost of I ncorporation Those favoring incorporation their figures on a study done a University of Utah which the conclusion that inwould be possible for the opposition bases their a cost analysis by Dr. William M. Timmins who compared ago by the reaches corporation area. The figures on Granger-Hunter- s population, geographic size and necessary expenses with those of comparable cities and arrived at the conclusion government costs are being under estimated by two thirds by the proponents. Proponents expect to run the city for $3.66 million. Opponents giving the area, with the exception of which is to be congarbage pick-utracted with a private hauler. will Opponents say services deteriorate because the new citys budget does not allow for enough funding for services now being given the area, and the County is forbidden by law to provide more fire or police protection than the city actually pays for. The County is also required to charge the full cost of the services. say the cost will be in the neighborhood of $9 million thus ballooning Granger-Hunte- r property taxes. Both sides admit there is no wray to really know what the real cost will be at this time. No detailed budget proposal has been offered to the people and a salary schedule has not been introduced. p Randy Baker, who was hired by those favoring incorporation to represent their view, says careful budgeting will make it possible for the Schools Opponents have expressed their concern for the school system. They point out that Granger High School cannot possibly accomodate all of the city to simply exchange the mill levy amount now going to the County for special services to the city, add on license fees, Federal funds, and sales tax revenue and keep the cost of government at the same level it is now for residents of the new city. Granger Hunter and who Granger-Hunte- r require. Services Proponents claim services will not deteriorate because they plan to contract with Salt Lake County for the ery same services the County is now A Population Effect on Schools check with Richard McNeely of , .. ELMOND WILSON, PRINCIPAL of Carl students presently attending Cyprus, Kearns and Cottonwood High schools. They point out that state law requires the formation of a separate school district for any city which reaches a population of 60,000. Henry Price and Randy Baker dismiss this question as worrying over nothing. They say the areas population is under 53,000 and will not top 60,000 until after the 1980 census is taken thus delaying any worry over creating a new school district until after the 1990 census. They assure questioners that the state legislature will raise the limit when the time comes. was hired by the Taxpayers Opposed to Incorporation, points out that other comparable cities pay in the neighborhood of 17.1 mills and that they also receive sales tax revenue, license fees and all those other funds proponents cite. He states his belief is being that Granger-Hunte- r unrealistic to expect to operate on a third of the budget other cities Timmins, base year Wotfeirs .... - I Sandburg Elementary, served as moderator for incorporation debale held at that school last Thursday evening. Henry Price debated the pro side while Dr. Paul Smith took the opposition stand before a large crowd of area residents. Hercules Notes Dividends The board of 25, 1978 of Hercules Incorporated !:iv declared a regular . ldoi id of 25 cents a share on January directors t first-quart- . common stock, payable March 23, 1978 ockholders of record at the clos' business February 10, 1978. Salt Lake County Planning reveals that a field survey taken in January 1977 based on dwelling types and permits issued places the area's population at 59,000. McNeely stated he feels confident the population has already exceeded 80,000 by now. A spokesman for Granite School District said there is little doubt that the state constitution requires a city of the second class to establish a separate school system. The legislature has raised the population requirement before, but no one can just assume they will again, though it seems logical. The spokesman went on to say that the new city will have to face the school question now, not in 1990. A bill sent to the recent Utah State Legislative session which would have amended the state statute to allow school districts to remain the same in incorporation failed to receive consideration. The public information officer for Granite School District added that the district has received no request from those organizing for incorporation of for any kind of inGranger-Hunte- r formation concerning the school district. She said proponents have made no investigation whatsoever of the school situation. If a new school district is formed will be required to assume their fair share of Granite School Districts bonded indebtedness. In addition the new school district will have to purchase from Granite District any schools within the new citys boundaries to be used by the new school district. With the inability of Granger High School to handle a massive influx of students, the new district would be forced to build a new high school (estimated cost $14,000,000) or pay neighboring school districts to accept the students. The spokesman said the District cannot see a large enough tax base in to support a school Granger-Hunte- r has no large District. Granger-Hunte- r industry. Granger-Hunte- r Representation The representation question seems to bog down over whether or not a specific individual has been able to get through to one of the county commissioners by telephone. Opponents to incorporation point out that reaching a busy individual by telephone the minute someone wants to isnt much of an indication of how responsive that individual is. The question continues as to how responsive the new mayor and councilmen might be, especially since all but one of the certified candidates are from Granger. Only Hiland Kent, who is opposing two Granger men, Edwin and Henry Price, for the mayor's post is from Hunter. No candidates are from Academy Park. Early meetings concerning in- corporation were generally poorly attended and only presented the proincorporation side. January meetings were well represented by both sides of the issue, attendance was high, both views were presented and those eligible to vote were urged both to vote on the incorporation issue and to be prepared to vote on candidates whether casting a yes or a no" vote for incorporation. A thousand dollar KEARNS reward was offered this week by DeGraff Associates for anyone offering information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who severely damaged a duplex home owned by the company. Vandals entered the structure at 5611 South 4000 West last Friday night and proceeded to shoot up the interior with at least eight shotgun blasts. One shot exited a window and broke out another window across the street. the shotgun shells were purchased and that they were purchased within the past three weeks. They also have other unreleased information concerning the case. Investigators for the Sheriffs Department have determined where determines formation. Damage to the building was quite extensive and was estimated as several hundreds of dollars worth of destruction. Anyone having in- formation can call DeGraff Associates who will award the after the Sheriffs the validity $1000 Department of the in- Assessment Ratio Averages 10.99 The assessment ratio of all locally assessed property in Salt Lake County averaged 10.99 percent during 1977. This fact was reported by Utah Foundation, the private tax research organization in their analysis of an assessment sales ratio study recently prepared by the State Tax Commission. The study shows that assessment d levels of property throughout the State last year averaged 12.88 percent and ranged from a low of 5.63 percent in Sanpete County to a high of 18.95 percent in Juab County. Sanpete County never has been revalued under the state wide reappraisal program while Juab County was revalued in 1976. Property in Salt Lake County has never been reassessed. According to the Foundation report, property assessment ratios have been declining generally despite the fact that the first cycle of the revaluation program has been completed in 25 of Utahs 29 counties. Assessment levels have declined from an in Utah average of 17.98 percent in 1967 to locally-assesse- 12 88 percent in 1977. Foundation analysts point out that the effect of the property revaluation program has been to equalize assessments among individual properties and to raise assessment levels in the counties that are revalued. During recent years, real estate values have been rising faster than the assessment changes. As a result, the overall average state wide level of assessment has been declining The initial aim of the revaluation program was to equalize the general level of local assessments at about 20 percent of fair market value. In general, the program has come reasonably close to achieving this 20 percent objective, at least in the initial stages following revaluation. However, because of inflation and rapidly changing property values, the initial equalization results soon become outdated. Still to be completed in the first cycle of the reappraisal program are Carbon, Salt Lake, Sanpete, and Sevier Counties. New valuations are scheduled to be placed on the tax rolls this year (1978) in Salt Lake County with the other three counties scheduled for completion by 1979. If the 20 percent valuation objective is achieved, the increase in Salt Lake County local assessments would average 82 percent. Legislation enacted last year will delay implementation of new assessed values that will be developed during the second cycle of the reappraisal program until after the work is completed in all 29 counties of the state. Local assessors, however, will be required to "maintain their local ratios of assessment to fair market value. Presumably this means that local assessors will be required to make adjustments each year to further slippage of prevent assessment ratios. Hercules Tests Rocket Motor Hercules Incorporated disclosed e today it has tested its last planned rocket motor at the Bacchus Works 20 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. A Hercules spokesman said testing e of small or motors and will on an irregular continue charges e basis. The spokesman said most testing was transferred to a newly constructed rocket motor testing range completed over a year ago west of Tooele. The final planned motor was a successful firing of a second stage full-scal- solid-propella- sub-scal- full-scal- Poseidon surveillance unit produced at the Bacchus Works in January 1975. Hercules completed production of both stages of the Poseidon fleet ballistics missile in late 1975. Hercules hopes to meet all present and future full scale motor testing requirements at the new location, the Hercules spokesman said. Since completion of the new facilities, Hercules has used the Bacchus test range only infrequently e for large motor tests. The last motor was tested there a year and a hall ago The Hercules Bacchus Works test range has a long history of involvement in virtually all of the rocket nations large programs. The test bays and data acquisition facilities were completed e motor in 1959, and the first - was an early Minuteman third-stagtested there late that year. Since then, it has served as static test site for Minuteman I and II, Polaris A2 and A3 second stage motors, Poseidon C3 first and second stage motors and Trident I (C4) first, second and third stage motors and full-scal- full-scal- -- e numerous smaller solid-propella- space motors. In its 19 years of operation, the range has conducted e motor firings. more than 750 full-scal- |
