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Show - $12.50 each By KINT SOMERS CLEARFIELD Clearfield owners will smile for a moment next ty ' year if city officials adopt a proposed utility franchise tax in order to hold down property taxes. But that tax could also make those smiles disappear when phone, power and fuel bills arrive each month. City Finance Director Rod Davenport told the City Council last week that a utility franchise tax would more evenly distribute the cost of running IXthe city from homeowners to renters. In an information packet distributed , ' to the concil, Davenport said that the average homeowner in Clearfield pays X approximately (1,250 each year on tax rate. He explained that a property tax increase would cost the average property owner $6 a year, resulting in revenue to the city. A percent franchise tax would cost the average homeowner approximately $12 a year, but would result in $25 of revenue to the city, according to Davenport. The difference in the figures results because commercial property, such as the Freeport Center, is not included in the $10 V - . .... " lower figures. Davenport said the higher return is due to the increased participation of apartment dwellers and other multiple unit renters. Davenport said that although renters do participate in property taxes through their rent, they do not pay as much as property owners. A one mill increase on one apartment building in Clearfield would cost the owner about $4 an apartment while the same increase would cost the home owner $6. Many of those apartments house families, said Davenport. Davenport said the Freeport Center would also make a sizeable contribution to the franchise tax fund, especially if more manufacturing sites in the center open. In. the information packet, Davenport said the Freeport Center would pay 27 percent of the total franchise year. The tax would be assessed to the gross revenues of each utility in Clearfield. The utility would then probably pass the tax on to the customer, said Davenport. The franchise tax is attractive, said Davenport, because the return on the citizens dollar is greater. The 'city would not have to worry about delinquent taxpayers not paying a higher Review Staff power, heat and base telephone charges. If a 1 percent franchise tax was assessed on the utilities, it would cost the average homeowner an extra I- fv4UV, If A Utility Pmmhhe Mjt m j - tax. He said the property tax base of the center is also 27 percent of the total city property value. Davenport said the passage of the utility franchise tax would certainly be accompanied by a drop in the citys mill levy. The extra money raised by the tax would fund city departments, such as recreation, that have had an increased demand on their services in recent years. The money could also go to other departments, such as the police department, which have suffered budget cuts. Clearfield, frankly, is a great community but we must face realtiy, Davenport said. We are a community of people but mostly of blue collar workers. But because of the blue collar effect, there has been a tremendous increase in recreation (dewell-to-d- o mands for the city). Davenport said the city could also use a portion of the money to fund a e fire department. He said the city is still operating with a part-timdepartment as it did 20 years ago, despite the addition of the Freeport Center. He said it is conceivable the city could be held liable for damages if a fire or other accident occurred at the Freeport Center because the city neglected to provide proper fire protection to the facility. Although Davenport said a 1 percent franchise tax increase would bring the city more money than a one mill property tax increase, there is a disadvantage to the tax. A property owner could deduct the added property tax from his income taxes, but if the franchise tax is not equal to the area sales tax it is not deductible, according to the nal Revenue Service, said Davenport. full-tim- e G&vnii) 'VHi vj.x ,1; l. 23X3- - Vol. 3 No. 29 Wednesday, March 16, 1983 Layton Challenges Awei irdl i mg f m nf s By LYNDIA GRAHAM ' Review Correspondent Citing what one official glaring fallacies in the applications of several cities for federal block grants, Layton City Council and the Layton Downtown Rehabilitation LAYTON termed Committee have challenged the of those 51, of Centerville was in serious but stable condition in the Intermountain Burn Center at the University of Utah Tuesday, after this tanker truck he was filling at Tom Randall Distribute ing Co., in Layton caught fire last Friday. According to Layton Police Chief John H. Adams, the engine on STANLEY, RANDALL, , . ; the tanker Randall was filling was running when the gas overflowed. Fumes were sucked into the engine, causing it to catch fire. Randall's clothing also caught fire. He is burned over 50 percent of his Review Correpondent Despite a history which includes as many, ups and downs as the stock market, plans for Roy Citys planned $10 million shopping center at 1900 W. Riverdale Road are finally beginning to show signs of progress. Workmen are clearing part of the area for construction of the first tenant, Harmons Food Store, which hopefully will open in December, Harmons is so confident about the success of its new location that it is considering expanding original plans by 10,000 square feet. The new shopping center will be called Roy Marketplace Plaza. It covers ROY body, ' FARMINGTON The Davis Solid Waste Management Project Board has been asked to make a go or ho go decision on a proposed resource recovery plant by June 1. If the board gives its approval to the project, underwriters will begin selling $40 million in industrial revenue bonds June 1 and conclude the sale June 22. the company that would build and operate the plant, will pay $15 million as equity capital to make the total price of the project approximately $55 million. Harold E. Miller, executive vice president of Katy Industries, said the plant in Davis County would be the first his Katy-Segher- s, r J J th Continued on Poge 2A In Inspection Fee Issue . By KENT SOMERS Raviaw Staff 16 acres and will have 225,000 square Steak House, a pizza restaurant, Citifeet of building space. Royal American zens Bank, theaters, a home building center, a video store, a shoe store and Development Company, the developers of the center, has already leased 65 a florist. Possible tenants are an percent of the space. They hope to emergency trauma center and a clothing store, as well as other anticomplete construction by early 1984. Harmons is the keystone of the cent- cipated shops. er and is expected to attract business Royal American representatives from areas outside Roy. It is con- - said they selected the Roy site for two sidered such a significant factor in the main reasons: location and financing centers success that JBs Family Re- terms. The city presented us with a staurant has a contingency clause stat- marketing study showing the strength ing Roys redevelopment agency will of the location and was willing to offer its site if Harmons is not the financial benefits of being in a build. redevelopment area, said Michael S. Businesses planned for the center Anderson, one of the, developers. include Harmons, JBs Family ReAnderson said Roys tax base has Sizzlin Western eroded by malls been staurant, Hardys, 80ln) By KENT SOMERS by COG. In that letter, Shields said that Lay-to- n viewed the awarding of the grants to be unfair or unreasonable because, in, its opinion, some of the applications for the grants did not meet criteria for awarding the grants, the process of awarding the grants was unfair because of the way the ballots were tabulated, and several applica- tions did not have proper documentation and certification as required by law. Clark Adams, chairman of the Downtown Rehabilitation Committee, said he had made an study of the eight grants which were awarded . Tenants Signed for Roy Center By SHELLEY KANCITIS grants and will purawarding sue legal recourse if the grants are awarded as specified by the Davis County Council of Governments. Laytons own application for a block grant was denied for the second year in late February as they were ranked ninth after the COG awarded eight block grants to cities and other agencies. A letter, signed by Layton Mayor Lewis Shields, was sent to Buzz Hunt, director of the community development division of the Department of Community and Economic Development; stating Laytons position and I right to challenge the awarding of the , grants. Will Jefferies of the Wasatch Front Regional Council also was sent a letter questioning the awarding of the grants T iraslh on The Davis County FARMINGTON filed a motion of office has Attorneys a and request for a new trail objection or rehearing, protesting a 2nd District Court ruling that food service inspection fees charged by the county to restaurants are illegal. Deputy County Attorney Gerald Hess said he filed the motion last Tuesday partially to clarify our interpretation" of the courts ruling and he said a hearing on the motion is scheduled for March 22. Judge Douglas L. Cornaby ruled last month that the Davis County Board of Health did not follow proper statutory procedure in establishing the fee and did not have the authority to impose such a fee. IPlsimt-lb- able interest rate, possibly betUpham and Co., the company that will sell the bonds, said ween 8.5 and 9 percent because trying to market the bonds1 in bond laws change July 1. June to , such a short time Jeffery F. Clunie, a represenof R.W. Beck and As22 be tative would and challenging, June were, accomplishments favor more a in could result sociates, an engineering firm willing to put all of our time and but Miller said. behind talent this, We have satisfied ourselves that we have one of the best systems around the world. Miller showed the board members a model of the plant and told them they would be amazed at how nice and atJ tamr, tractive it turns out to be. He also told the board his company was willing to jump the gun and begin work on the site before the bonds were sold if the board indicated it was in favor of the project. Warren Gregory, vice president for Smith Barney, Harris MODEL shows basic design of proposed recovery plant . company has constructed in the United States. We are looking for the plant to be one of our outstanding , r V f jiila y Cornaby said in his ruling that because the money raised from the fee went into the general fund and not into reducing the costs of inspecting the restaurants, the fee actually was a tax. He ruled that the board of health had no authority to impose a tax. But Hess said that he thought the county had evidence that the money collected from the fee schedule went to reducing the costs of the inspections, although it did siphon through the gen- eral fund. The judge also ruled that the money raised from the fee must be used di- & rectly for the costs of the inspections and must not exceed those costs. The suit was filed last October by the Utah Restaurant Association and An- Continued on Page 2A Jume conducting an independent review of the plant, said his firm changed some previous figures estimating inflation and growth factors affecting the plant it had H ALC should have a decision in 60 days. fi .. Clunie also said his companys reports suggested that a formula be used in the been given and made them different contract to sell electricity promore conservative. duced the plant to Utah PowBut Clunie said that his firms er andby That Light. study has found that the plant is would result in a higherchange purchfinancially, as well as technical- ase to the utility, Clunie price ly, feasible. Clune said the final said: .. xr results of the study would be To build on the plant the profinished shortly after the final drafts of the contracts involving posed site on 700 South in Clearfield, Clearfield City must grant the plant had been finished. An official from Hill Air a conditional use permit. The Force Base present at the meet- city council has formed a committee to study the ing said the contract to sell steam produced by the plant to plant and bring a recommendaHill was in an agreeable tion to the council. A timetable for the plant lists stage at this point and is in the hands of the Air Force Air Log- April 26 or 29 as the goal dates istics Command. He said the for obtaining the permit., ' , seven-memb- er 3 Lvrvnit:i i In Rhythm Jill t Members of the High School U marching group, the Lancelles, nave won awards for their marching abilities this year, Layton Again Lay-to- n mm Layton High got sixth place again, but this time it was the girls at their basketball tournament. ic i m. ID ' i o i rf CL |
