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Show '' S Ground Breaking page 4 4 .. ? i. J,i j. : , i :ia. ifcgf zVStlu n iTTUrn tteuh .aSa. VOLUME 101 NUMBER 20 Henry Day Ford . miv ' page 10 . i . 3722 I LikAilfite. 00001 a .Vo''!: ;4 Council divided over tax increase; public hearing Aug. 12 WVC By Colin B. Douglas News Editor The West Valley City Council at its May 3 regular meeting unanimously adopted the tentative budget for 2008-- 09 proposed by City Manager Wayne Pyle. The tentative budget includes a property tax increase of about $12 a year for a $200,000 home, expected to bring in an additional revenue of about $600,000. A public hearing on the proposed budget will be held on Aug. 12. Pyle proposes to use the increased revenue to hire 10 new employees, improve streetlight maintenance, and send police officers to an FBI academy. The debate at the May 3 meeting over the tax increase revealed a difference in philosophy among the council members. When the budget came up for discussion, member Mike Winder immediately moved for approval of the tentative budget without the tax increase. The motion was seconded by member Joel Coleman, who explained that he was seconding it in order to move the discussion Metro gang unit's public enemy 1 The Metro Ci.ing Units current Public Enemy Number One is Jamie Ralph Hamlin (61580). Hamlin is a member of a Hispanic street gang. He is considered armed and dangerous and il is wanted on a fugitive warrant.. Hamlin is a convicted felon with previous arrests for aggrano-ba- vated assault, a concealed weapon, theft, and drugs. Jamie is a white male, 61 and 180 lbs, with brown eyes and brown hair. He has numerous tattoos, including fully sleeved arms and legs. He has his last name, tattooed on his Hamlin, abdomen. He has tattoos on the backs of both hands. le has several tattoos on his neck, including a spider web on his throat. He may use the moniker Deviouz. If you have any information that would assist in the arrest of Hamlin, please call the Metro durGang Unit at (801) 743-58ing business hours, or Dispatch at Your call will (801) remain anonymous. Individuals who provide information leading to the arrest of this Public Enemy may be eligible for a cash reward. If you need additional information about Jamie Hamlin, please call Detective Steve Wozab at (801) 743-700- 831-660- 8. that lack sidewalk within elementary school boundaries and assigns points based on certain criteria. The overall estimated cost for the sidewalk projects on the index is approximately $23.4 million, with $3.7 million worth of projects on major streets. Were excited to be moving forward with these sidewalk projects, City Manager Wayne Pyle said. Some of these sidewalks have needed help for awhile, and its not only going to increase the safety of our pedestrians but will improve the aesthetics throughout the city. Committee for study of tailings impoundment announced Public officials: Salt Lake County Peter Corroon Mayor County Councilman Michael Jensen County Councilman Randy Horiuchi Sen. Brent Goodfellow, Valley City Rep. Carl Duckworth, D-W- Community leaders: Jo McDermaid, Laura Magna Community Council Code enforcement: County tells Magna, you get what you asked for 0. moves forward with sidewalk prioritization list Salt Lake County last week announced the members of the independent committee to study the safety of Kennecott Utah Coppers (KUC) tailings impoundment as follows. KUC President and CEO Andrew Harding presented the county with a check for $250,000 to fund the study. opposite view, supported by Burt and Brookes, that increases should be made He incrementally. observed that the 66 percent increase made in 2006 was used merely to maintain services, but that the incremental increase purposed for 2008- - 09 would be used to make improvements in serv ices that the citys residents are demanding. Burt argued: There are more and more people who cannot help themselves. When people are in need, crime goes up. This is the time when we need better I believe that we need this increase. I belies e this increas is rather small, and it will be used to help those who are less able to help themselves. We cannot afford to lessen our services to our constituents. City Manager P le said that if the increase were finally rejected, some improvements in park maintenance, street repair, snow plowing, and court administration could not be made. Twelve dollars a year on a $200,000 residence is not that much, he said. 1 WVC West Valley City has completed work on the first sidewalk listed on the recently created sidewalk prioritization index that analyzes which areas of the city are in need of new sidewalks. A new sidewalk was completed at approximately 4620 W. and 3855 S. in the area of Jackling Elementary. West Valley City Public Work crews poured 743 feet of concrete, moved and repaired sprinkler systems, and removed about 160 tons of dirt and debris. The sidewalk prioritization index identifies street segments foreward. After the discussion, the council voted four to two to reject the motion, with Winder and member Corey Rushton voting for it, and Russ Brookes, Joel Coleman, Carolynn Burt, and Mayor Dennis Nordfelt voting against it. (Steve Vincient was absent.) They then voted unanimously to approve it, with the understanding that the tax increase might still be rejected when they vote on final acceptance of it. One view, as articulated by Coleman and supported by Winder and Rushton, was that we should leave the taxpayers money in their own pocket as long as possible, finally raising taxes only when it was absolutely necessary. I have gotten the message loud and clear that residents want us to tighten our belts, Rushton said. A tax increase by the city council this year will be a very difficult pill to swallow, Coleman said. Even without raising taxes, we still will be improving our services significantly. Mayor Nordfelt argued for the Chick Paris, Magna Cham- ber of Commerce Mel Palfreyman, Magna Town Council Ed Hansen, Magna Water Co. community members: Brint Peel Dave Nicponski Kelly Harman Lex Watterson Margaret Uzelac Michael Sullivan Randy Campbell Still to be named: Magna planning commissioner PTA representative from Pleasant Green Elementary At-lar- ge Experts (nonvoting): Jack Hamilton, U. of U. Engineering Experiment Station John Wallace, GeoEnviron-mentServices Inc. Source: Salt Lake County al "V' " n f , f - , By Bennion Gardner Staff Writer After a heated Magna Community Council meeting in April, Salt Lake County representative Stacee Adams took a moment at the beginning of the Magna Town Council meeting on May 1 to justify the Countys recent crackdown on code violations. Many of you may know someone who has received a code enforcement citation in Magna, Adams said, referring to a new push by the county to provide increased code enforcement for Magna. This has been something that I am really glad were are moving forward on, because I have been hearing complaints from this council, the Community Council, from residents of Magna, and the whole time I have been doing my job in this community. Just last September the Town Council put code enforcement on the top of their list of concerns for The Lake Salt County. also been has Council Community pushing the county to increase code enforcement. The county has reacted to the communitys desires, and as a result Magna is currently undergoing a systematic sweep of the entire town for code violations. Every two weeks you will have every single code enforcement officer that the county has, Adams added. So youll get six code enforcement officers every other week coming through the neighborhood. Theyre working on a grid system; they will be hitting every single neighborhood in Magna. Salt Lake Countys sudden change from enforcing code violations only if reported to a more aggresive approach has caught many residents off guard. Adams made a point fo saying that the county does not have any sort of hit list but is simply reacting to input from town residents. She said, Some people, and we wont name names, feel that there is a lot of unfairness thats going on, but it is important to know that everyone is being held to the same standard, and that is the standard that is written in the law. One Magna business owner who is familiar with the code enforceis Donny ment crackdown Oil of owner Changes Sweazy, Etc. on Main Street. Sweazy was primarily responsible for the heated discussion at last months Community Council meeting and was in attendance at the Town Council meeting to voice his concerns. Sweazy says he has been targeted by the Code Enforcement Office in the past: There is nobody out of control like Code Enforcement. I lost three million dollars, my moms house, my house, my car lot, my junkyard, all to Planning and Zoning, all to s. do Last year, Sweazy purchased a home across the street from his business to provide extra room for his already packed car lot. A dozen vehicles including trailers and boats were soon parked on the narrow lot, with junk filling in the rest of the space. When Sweazy purchased the 1909 home, it was Wal-Mart- in poor condition, and he has done some work to restore it. After numerous complaints from residents, Sweazy was given notice to clean the property by Code Enforcement Officer Pepper Mosinger. Sweazy contends that since the property is zoned commercial he can park his cars there. Mosinger said that, although the it still does property is zoned C-not allow for junkyards. Mosinger said the property would have to be zoned M-- 2 for Sweazy to use the property in that way. Eventually the lot was cleaned up except for a motor home, which could bring Sweazy a penalty since he is not living in the home. At the Towm Council meeting, Sweazy was looking for support from council members and threatened to leave Magna if he felt he wasnt being supported: We lo e Magna and want to be here, but if were not wanted here, theres no sense in wasting a lot of money and time. We should put up five for sale signs. Sweazy found no official support from the council, hearing only comments on supporting 3, business in general in Magna. members recommended that Sw'eazy cooperate with the county and encouraged him to proceed with a planned expansion and cleanup effort. Sweazy offered his own ad ice to the council: Ive spent the last 30 days doing nothing but dealing with the county on planning and zoning. We really need to take some of the control back away from them. They are judge, jury, and executioner. Council Sky falling? Call Public Works probably call city or county public works to clean up the mess. The nation will recognize the guardians of the streets, the soldiers of the sewers, the warriors for water, and the fighters for faster fleets as the American Public Works Association calles National them, on May 18-Public Works Week. 25, awqay- 4,44 4teir v unifa ifi i ' 4 struction equipment, learn how traffic signals work, understand how traffic signs are made, and vote for your favorite entry in the Snow Plow Painting Contest The open house will be held May 20, 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m; May 21, 9 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.; at 7125 South 600 West, Midvale, Utah. In connection with the commemoration, Salt Lake County Public Works invites the public to an open house with events including including the third annual Snow Plow Painting contest and an open house, with a tour of Public Works on May 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and May 21 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 P.M. You can see and explore con If the sky were falling, youd A '"4 Jlhri Jr r?' P yd 1, fimdL H frft lA- - ,J ifcf l.a.i .aJl VA.A |