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Show The Salt Lake Tribune UTAH Sunday, February 9,208 Talk of Tax Hike Spacious New Library Building More Common Among constitwents in April and say we STATE or rut STATE COUNTIES MAKING NEWS ’ : Utah’s Legislators WASHINGTON @ Continued from C-1 @ Continued from C-1 Arts and other museums. “This building embodies the idea “I don’t want to go back to my passed the Pledge ofAllegiance ifbawe dintpee ‘There is a lotof trash talking going on around additionalfunding.” Washington County these daysafter the county's Spe- Documentary thata library is more thana repository of books and computers it reflects and engages the imagination and aspiration,” Tessman said. Modern light fixtures throughout are designed to refract light into the rooms rather than glare down on readers or children working at the PCs. The library's collections have been beefed up by 80,000 new additions to make up more than 500,000 books, CDs, DVDs and multilingual Outside, a five-story crescent- shaped walkway slopes up from the south endofthe block to City Library's lop garden. The address, next door to the neoGothic City-County Building’s grassy campus,puts the library squarely at ‘TRAX stops and near the hoped-for buzz of Main Street two blocks away. Thelibrary hasretail shops and cafés on the ground floor; beverages and snackswill be allowed inside and the library staff has been instructed never to “shush” anypatrons. Boston-based architect Moshe Safdie, who designed the building, spoke to Saturday’s grand-opening crowd about organizers’ dream to have a communal space that encourages public interaction and allowsart, culture and free thought to flourish. As such,hesaid the new building appears to meet Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky with it, he saidlast week,“there will have to be some revenue enhancement, no doubt aboutthat.” Revenue enhancementis the polite term for tax hikes. One plan that appears to be gaining some appealis a bipartisan brainstorm of Democratic Rep. Pat Jones, of Holladay, and Republican Rep. Steve Mascaro, of West Jordan. The measure is in flux, as the sponsors attempt to expand support. It started outas a bill by Jones to eliminate the state income tax exemption for children. Then Mascaro teamed with Jones to combine that tax increase on families with a general rate decrease. But while that plan would generate an estimated $71 million in additional revenue, with most of it dedicated to public education, it was in political trouble from those viewing it as “antifamily.” Other critics complained thatit wasregressive, by giving most of the tax relief to upper-income households, The two revised their proposal once again Friday, pushing a new plan that would grant tax exemptions for children but eliminate the state deduction for 50 percent offederal taxes paid. Thattax break, whichis offered by fewer than 10 states,is estimated to cost the state $150 million annually in lost revenues.It is overwhelmingly tilted to benefit upper incometaxpayers. Instead of spending the whole $150 million on state programs, Jones and Mascaro showings and programsfor children propose using about $90 million for education and othercritical needs, then plow some $60 million back into a different kind oftax relief. already are planned. On Feb, 14, for example, City Library will host 19 no- rate (paid by two-thirds of Utahns) from 7 Anderson's desire for “more than just alibrary.” A year’s worth of lectures, art table authors starting at 8 p.m. with _ live music andhors d'oeuvres. Tickets are $50 and the event is part of the public library system's 105th anniversary. It will give patrons a chance to mingle with writers such as Isabel Allende, Chuck Bowden, Tony Hiller- They would cut the top individual tax percent to 6.9 percent, and significantly change the brackets so that the top rate did notkick in quiteso fast. Insteadofapplying the maximum rate to all taxable income above $8,626 for a married couplefiling jointly, the top rate would kick in at $11,386. Robert Single taxpayers would pay thetop rate beginning at $5,693 in taxable income, Listening to Saturday’s ceremonial speeches in the atrium, visitor Patricia Gomez looked up at the large hanging sculpture above the crowd. Designed by Boston artists Ralph Helmick and Stue Schechter, the work has 2,500 pint-sized books and butter- rather than the current$4,313. Brackets for all the lower-incomelevels also would be increased to reducetax liability. man, Diana Sabuda. Kennedy and flies hung by hundreds of strings to form the shape of a huran head. “T'll haveto go upto one of the upper floors to see it,” Gomezsaid. “It just lookslikelittle books and butterflies tome.” “Withthisbill you get a progressive way to do income tax, you get an overall lower rate, rebracketing and ongoing money to fund education and higher education,” says Jones. “I don’t want to go back to my constituents in April and say we passed the Pledge of Allegiancebill but we didn’t pass additional funding.” Mascaro predicts Republicans “will like this idea better” than eliminating the child cial Service District proposed stricter new rules for garbage D-Holladay collection. Thedistrict has asked tax exemption.“Butitstill is going to come down to a battle over packaging.” Some Republicans want to combine an education funding increase with tuition tax credits for families with children in private schools, Blackham and Stephens confirmed such a packaging scheme could be in the works. If so, the proposal could lose the support of minority Democrats and moderate Republicans. And Jones vowsto fight against her bill if it is shackled to tuition tax credits. Stephens, though, says “that’s how they have the best chance of support” among House Republicans. Another tax hike that is now receiving renewed discussion after appearing to be a no-starteris a gas tax increase. “It's been raised in caucus more than once,” said Senate Majority Leader Mike Waddoups, R-Taylorsville. The Republican controlled Legislature has not approved a general tax increase since 1997, when the gas tax was hiked by 5 cents per gallon to help pay for the recon- struction of Interstate 15. Lawmakers and Gov. Mike Leavitt trimmed a number of taxes during the 1990s, claiming taxpayers saved $1billion. Someofficials say those cuts during the “go-go” daysare part of the problem now. State Treasurer Ed Alter, a Republican, said that enacting those reductions at the sametimethe state more than doubled debt for road construction squeezed the budget from both ends and “did mortal damage to the general fund.” Alter recently passed outletters to law- makers from thestate financial adviser on bonding warning that the state’s AAA credit rating could be in jeopardy from relying on short-term fixes and borrowingto weather the budgetstorm. The adviser, Kent Michie, a vice president at Zions Bank, urged increases in all major taxes: income, sales, property and gasoline. While lawmakers seemed surprised at those drastic recommendations, Michie’s was notthe first warning of a financial train wreck. More than two years ago, the Utah Legislature’s top budget expert issued clear, but little heeded warning: State government needed to cut spending or increase taxes to avert disaster. “Weneed to start thinking of howto deal with this structurally,” Legislative Fiscal Analyst John Masseysaid in his November 2000 five-year budget projection report. “The choices maynotbe that popular.” CLEARFIELD containerfree, and a third for $3.a month. Mostofthe reaction has been favorable, and Hurri- i 775 8813 * Now Hiring Server * ; oe_ ” api-374-0633 LENNOX MODEL CLEARANCE SAVE! $ SAVE! 929 EFFICIENT FURNACE — The Spectrum INSTALLED Furnace and Air Conditioning Packages 262-4671 6 months Same as Cash O.A.C, water issue as Utah’s crippling drought continues Q through the winter. SUMMIT The 1000 South well, whichthe city has owned and maintained for many ParkCity’s Joanna Char- nes has been honored for years, has been offline from community leadership by the United Jewish Federation of Utah. the city water system because ofiron and manganese deposits, which makethe water cloudy and sour tasting. Buta driller was hired, andafter probing about 80 more feet hit a new aquifer whichis producingclear, sweet water. Butthe size — and volume Charnesis a founding memberofTemple Har ShaJom,has worked with the ParkCity Jewish youth group as an adviser and was co-chairwoman oflast year’s reception forIsraeli athletes during the Winter Games. She is chairwoman ofthe — of the new aquifer has not been determined,and city officials are hoping it will bea gusher. — Springville Herald Summit County RAP Tax committee for recreation funds and has served as executive director of the Park City/Summit County Arts Council. — ParkRecord Q MORGAN Q The FE. Schumacher wood products plantin BOX ELDER Brigham City Police Cpl. Morgan is closing after nearly 40 years in thecity. MargiePorteris retiring after 20 years of service with the force, beginning as a Theplant's homeoffice is in Ohio, and the Morgan facility specialized in cutting wood parts from Oregon and shipping to the door manu- clerk in 1983. Porterspent12 years investigating sex crimes, which she describes as “really hard.” But she was encour- facturing division in Ohio. Virtuallyall of the plant's products were shipped in and aged that female victimsfelt more comfortabletalking to a out byrail. But wood products are only a small percentage of the Ohiofirm’s business, muchofit now in aluminum door and window products. “It’s a sad deal,”said Bernie Carter, with the com- womanofficer. Somecolleaguescall Por- ter “CommanderData,” because ofherability to remem- ber names, addresses and case histories, Porter notes how times have changed, how computers are now big part of police work. ‘That andwearing a bullet- According to the Credit pany for 25 years. “It’s been part of my life for a long time.” — Morgan County News enjoy rates and fees that are amongthe lowest UnionJournal,Salt Lake City Credit in the Country and friendly, right back to our members. personalized Service that has been our Salt Lake City Credit Union tradition for more than rankedin the 60 years, top 10 credit unions of Become a similar size memberof Salt nationwidein Lake City Credit both “Total Return Union today and to Member" and staring1990 Plumbing Heating Air Conditioning Springville is reporting somerare good newson the adopted the newrules. 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