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Show Sun Advocate, Price, Utah 5A Thursday, December 22, 1994 Council supporting legislation to fund judicial pilot program The Utah Judicial Council recently announced that it has proposed legislation to fund a pilot program to expand the judicial performance evaluation process. The legislation, which has been in development since late summer, is sponsored by Sen. David Watson. The pilot would explore diversifying sources of information on judges to performance include groups such as jurors, litigants, witnesses, court personnel and other court users. The program will test the feasibility of providing more diverse and detailed information to the voting public, including survey scores and biographical information opens Price branch SOS Carbon County Chamber of Commerces Kathy Hanna (center) helps cut a ribbon at the grand opening of a local branch of SOS Temporary Services. Also on hand, left to right, were area manager Todd Weckers, local branch manager Peggi Farlaino and company about the judges. Utah is one of the few states that provides any information vice president Howard W. Scott Jr. The company provides customers with qualified, experienced people for short-terprojects filling openings ranging from clerical positions to light industrial jobs. The state individual Tax. Today, 43 states impose the individual income tax. And as in Utah, it is one of the top three revenue producers along with the sales and property tax in these states. The individual income tax in Utah yielded $842 million in 1993. Utahs state individual income tax was first enacted in 1931, with a fairly progressive rate structure. The highest tax bracket, 4 percent, applied only to those with incomes greater than $8,000, a large sum of money during the Great Depression, stated Michael Christensen, foundation director. Over the years, the Legislature gradually increased the rates and made occasional modifications in the taxable income base. Today, the highest rate, 7.2 percent, applies to married and joint filers with taxable income above $7,500 or above $22,000 gross income for a family of four. Since 1947, all of the proceeds of Utahs individual income tax have been placed in the uniform school fund and divided by formula among the states 40 local school districts and the office of education. The individual income tax is now the single most important source of revenue for public education in Utah, two-thir- Utah lawmakers have allowed the burden of financing public schools to shift away from the property tax, which has always been an unpopular tax. Public educa Watch: (Continued from Page The pilot program will study the merits and cost effectiveness of the small number of programs in other states that attempt to cast a wider net in assembling judicial perfor-mac- e measures. For example, Alaska and Arizona survey court users other than lawyers and provide more information to the public than does the current Utah program. The cost of these expanded judicial performance evaluation programs is considerable. The Arizona program has an annual budget of $269,000 e for four staff, a consultant and other costs. In addition, Arizona appropriates $80,000 biannually for the dissemination of election information to the voters. The Alaska program has an annual budget of $150,000 that pays for the equivalent of two e staff, a part-tim- e consultant and other costs. tion has benefited by having a tax source that has grown naturally at a rate greater than inflation, something the property tax was simply unable to do. The growth of income tax revenue was largely due to vears ofinflation and required no action or votes by lawmakers, stated the report. By the 1980s, income tax had become the primary funding source for public schools in Utah. As a primary funding source, the state personal income tax came to be viewed as something everyone would contribute to, not just the wealthy. The transition of the state income tax from a minor to a major source of state government revenue has provoked some debate - Jason D. Wanlass, Salt Lake City, and Sophie T. Christopherson, Price. Matthew D. Ross, Dec. 16 A. Frandsen, Price; Lara and Price, Timothy A. Hopkins, Wellington, and Jennifer Jensen, Wellington; John K. Scott, Wellington, and Deidre D. Burke, Price. SECTION WHICH RAN $199.99. a jtteVMf JOY TO THE WORLD THE LORD IS COME vrtibtmai PelviaA: Sat., Dec. 24, 7 pm Candlelight Service Sun., Dec. 25, 11 :00 am - Dramatized Monologue "Nicodemus and the Savior" 510 East 100 South, Price ! 637-676- 3 THE CORRECT AND THE SAVE EVEN MORE WITH A PACKAGE SHOULD BE WHEN YOU PURCHASE WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE THIS MAY HAVE CAUSED OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS. members of Matt Warner Chapter 1900 - E Clampus Vitus would like to thank all of the local businesses and the many citizens of both CarbonEmery Counties for their generous donations and We abundant support during our fund raisers for were able to help approximately 44 children and 1 6 families this year. We thank you all, once more, for making Christmas a reality for those who, otherwise, would not have had one. We the a. Thank you all. WE Matt Warner Chapter 1900 - jHeWitf oUdcuf E Clampus Vitus chlh(maA (fyt Check Out Our Great Selection of Guy's & Gal's Leather Jackets All 20 to 50 off All Gal's Jeans Z. Buy 1 pair Get 2nd Cavaricci, Pepe, Lawman, E.N.U.F. Lucky Brand, B.U.M. Equip. Second pair must be equal or lesser value. m-- pair 12 OFF : Large Group Gal's SS Tees & Blouses W m. E e r W 1 IQ 8 ' OFF EX , Silver Tab Jeans $34.98 .o $39.98 Blk ivbheb ifou ON THE BACK PAGE THE RAICHLE CE 3.7 SKI BOOT IS PRICE SHOULD BE $2 1 9.99 In Good News Church: Assembly of God personnel. Alaska surveys attorneys, peace officers and probation officers even if the respondent has never aDDeared before the judge. The Utah pilot program will identify the strengths and weaknesses in the evaluation programs of other states and show how their experience can be used to benefit Utah voters. 4. their home that afternoon. d court THERE IS AN ERROR INTHE PRINTING OFTHE G ARTSPORTS Their homecoming will be on December 25, 1994 at 9:00 am at the Price Second Ward. They will greet family and friends at Editors note: The Sun Advocate reminds readers that the only individuals appearing in the jail bookings section who may have been convicted of crimes are those servcommitments. ing JJ lfowi sons of Bill and Frances Potter, Dec. 15 question. Arizona surveys witnesses regarding judicial performance, but not litigants unless they also happen to be a witness. Alaska does not survey witnesses, litigants or reported this year on 45 Elder Mark Potter, Marriage licenses Utah CORRECTION The Arizona program spawned a recent initiative petition drive to place proposed revisions to the tax on the ballot. The initiative failed to gather enough signatures, but the debate continues. The initiative proposed changing the tax brackets in order to achieve greater progressivityThough more progressivity is welcomed by many, the report concluded that the proposal does have two negative impacts. First, it would place Utah among the top six or eight states in terms of the highest marginal tax rate. Second, because this proposal does not have an indexing provision, inflation will over time push a greater proportion of income into the highest tax bracket of 9 percent. have completed successful missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Paul served in the Spain Barcelona Mission and Mark in the New York Utica Mission. that deserve careful review. In both states, although the voter information pamphlet reports the average survey score, the scores are reported for general subject matter areas rather than for each judicial evaluation program is about $40,000 every other consuyear for a part-tim- e ltant to conduct the attorney survey plus about $14,000 every other year to publish the evaluation results. A single part-tim- e staff attorney is to assigned the Utah program. The Utah program biannually evaluates 100 judges and commissioners of the courts of record and about 125 justice court judges. In 1994, the program published information on 62 judges standing for retention election. Preliminary inquiries to Arizona and Alaska indicate that those programs have some design characteristics full-tim- and James Chidester vs. James Barnett Chidester, married July 24, 1993 at Helper. . full-tim- and even Elder Paul Potter 3A) Roselie Marie Schade Dec. 19 vs. Terry James Schade, married Nov. 4, 1989 at Wellington; Andrea court-ordere- said Christensen. For many years, individual income tax was a relatively minor source of revenue for public schools and in the overall state and local government finance picture. In a supplemental role, it was regarded as appropriate to tax mainly those with the ability to pay. The rates were relatively high levels of income when measured in todays dollars. The steady effects of inflation following World War II pushed a larger and larger proportion of Utahns taxable income from the lower tax rate brackets into the highest one. According to the report, the result of years of bracket creep of Utah is that over who are married taxpayers and filing jointly have income that is taxed in the highest bracket. For a family of four using the standard deduction in 1993, all income above $20,752 would be taxed at the highest rate of 7.2 percent. Because of bracket creep, net collections as a percent of total personal income increased substantially from less than one percent to 2.75 percent. 25. The budget for the regarding judicial performance to the voting public. m Report details Utah income tax income tax, once a relatively minor source of funding, is now nearly even with the property tax and sales tax as leading revenue producers for state and local government purposes in Utah, states the Utah Foundation, a private public policy research agency in its latest research report, Utahs Individual Income judges up for retention election; the Alaska program on Bleached, Bordeau, Eucalyptus, Stonewash, Hunter Green, Black (student), Indigo (student) Other Silver Tab Items Include Shorts, Wallets & Belts Special Holiday Shopping Hours Monday Dec. 19th thru Friday Dec. 23rd 9:30 am to 7:30 pm |