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Show THURSDAY, APRIL 1 0, 1 98- 0- 'SoPages -- VOLUME EIGHTY-TW- O NUMBER FIVE L Layton Counci Koras Sheriff Chief Pro Tem By DONETA GATHFRUM The EAST LAYTON East Layton City Council named Davis County Sheriff Brant Johnson as police chief pro tem Tuesday night in the face of seven reasons listed by an attorney for retaining the former police chief. ! The massive project with high rise hotel and large recreational complex is scheduled to begin by end of July. Cost of the project is estimated at about $50 COMPLEX TO BEGIN SOON million. By DICK STUCKI LAYTON The Layton Plaza, the biggest project of its kind in Davis County, will begin construction near the new Layton Hills Mall by the end of r July, according to Art E. of Holland-Paske- r and Breinholt, project architects. Fifty million dollars will be spent to bring this major addition to the county. Pas-ke- THE LAYTON City Council held a public hearing last week to determine if a 57 acre tract of land should be re zoned from RIB and l to CP3. At the hearing, some people expressed concern that the high-ris- e hotel and office buildings would ruin the view from their property to the north of the project. C-- BUT THE majority of the citizens that crowded the Layton City Council chambers were not opposed to the rezoning of the land. As people spoke up in favor of the recrea- tion complex the audience the council and the project will now go forward. The massive project will be the only one of its kind in the county and will be only of the very highest caliber, according to Bernard C. Bemey, chairman of SPC Financial Corporation who is the project developer. THE LOCATION of the project will be at Hill Field Road and Antelope Drive and goes north to about 2300 North in Layton. This will encompass 57 acres over which the Layton Plaza will spread. By the first of August, work will begin on the 12 story hotel 0 complex which will have rooms and be on the northwest corner of the project. 250-30- ALONG WITH the hotel will be a deluxe convention center which will rival any convention center in the state, says Mr. Berney. Atop the hotel is planned a first class restaurant, adds Berney, gave much applause. And when a local doctor stood before the council and gave the support of the entire staff at Davis North Medical Center, requesting that the council approve the rezoning, the audience once again applauded. and there would be at least two others. A national hotel chain will be contracted to run the hotel and manage the convention center says Berney, but none have been signed yet. Bemey states that one of the main hotel chains he has spoken to is the Hilton chain. LAYTON CITY Planning Commission recommended to the Layton City Council that the rezoning be approved, and reported that it would meet all of the requirements for the The new zoning of CP-was approved by all of r, ACCORDING to Mr. one of the truely unique features of the 12th floor restaurant will be a ties in to the air control tower at Hill AFB so that patrons will be able to listen through head phones while they eat and hear 3. Pas-ke- By GARY R. BLODGETT Davis County home builders told BOUNTIFUL Bountiful city officials last week that they are displeased with the citys attempt to attach impact fees on new developments. Its discrimination, said one home builder. WE DONT mind paying our fair share, but some of these proposed impact fees are directed at the poor old subdivjder and we donhave any more money than does the city, said another. These and other remarks of anger arose during a lengthy meeting of home builders, realtors and city officials. THE IMPACT fees have previously been reviewed by city officials but this was the first meeting held to allow homebuilders input into the matter. Not all of the fees suggested pertain to home builders, however. Several of the impact fees being proposed will be paid, if approved, by all residents of Bountiful. IN MAKING the presentation to the home builders, City Engineer Jack Balling explained that because of an extreme shortage of revenues into the city, an impact fee proposal was drawn up as a means of regaining some of the lost revenues. We all have three choices, said Mr. Balling. First we can increase taxes, second we can increase revenue through new and increased fees, and third we can reduce city services. HE EMPHASIZED that the city has already dismissed 15 air traffic activity. At the Salt Lake International Airport Executive Terminal this is done now in the restaurant. MR. PASKER pointed out that all of the building will be built with energy conservation IN THE south end there will be two 8 story high rise buildings. One will house a medical clinic or professional medical offices and the other will possibly be a major office building. A series of one or two story office buildings will be around the perimeter of the plot with a major bank located in the center of the west side of the project. Among other benefits, such a large complex is going to bring a large number of new jobs to the area. At the public hearing, the Layton City Council also passed and approved $10 million in Industrial Revenue Bonds for the project. The bond ac- tion, according to Mayor Shields will not mean any crease in taxes. in- (Continued On Page 2) completed within four years Thev FARMINGTON went about it through the back door, but Davis County Commission was successful in selling $1.9 million in anticipated tax revenue notes. THE COMMISSION last week accepted a bid from Zions First National Bank based on a makeshift discount procedure at 10.86 per cent interest. Heres how the discount procedure will work: Since the state statute of only 8 allows a maximum percent interest to be paid by counties on tax anticipation notes, Zions First National Bank the low bidder of three bids submitted will deduct $30,400 up front money. THIS IS the amount of the 6-- THE HOTEL will produce at least 300 new jobs not to mention all the jobs that will be created by the sports mall and recreation complex. from the start of the project. $1.9 CJliion Notes Sold THE HOTEL will be the first started, but rapidly followed by other sections of the plot. In addition, there will be a full scale sports mall with racquet club and Olympic size pool, says Packer. There will be a recreation complex that will encompass a dome covered ice and roller rink along with first class bowling alleys, movie theaters and dance arena, adds Pasker. in mind. The estimated cost is $50 million and it should be Water Goes On The 1 5th Wayne M. Winegar, manager of the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, announced that starting April 15, the Weber Water irrigation lines will have water turned into them. SINCE WEBER Basin serves a very large area, from Ogden to Salt Lake City, the process of pressurizing the lines could take as long as two or three weeks. Certain of their facilities are exposed to the elements more than others, which means that there is no set order to be followed in turning on the lines. MR. WINEGAR reminds all water users to be sure they turn off all of their water valves prior to April 15. If any major breaks are discovered after the lines are turned on, you can contact the district office to report them. city employees and cut back on services in all departments to help meet this economic crisis. That leaves only increase of taxes or obtaining revenue from other sources, said Mr. Balling. SOME OF the home builders said an increase in taxes would be the most equitable or a combination of impact fees and an increase in taxes. But the group said it felt that impact fees would be less politically motivated than to increase taxes. IT ALL results in taxation, no matter how you try to camouflage it, said Larry McMullin, vice president of the Davis County Home Builders Association. Impact fees means you are taxing some people more than others and this is not fair. Art Gregerson, president of the DCHBA, added: You should be realistic with us (homebuilders) and from 6 to give us a break or two. Reduction in taxes mills lias been a tax relief for all residents during the past few years and now we need some relief. 1 1 1 MR. GREGERSON also criticized the city officials for adoption of its Hillside Ordinance and other restrictions pertaining to local home builders. Now Im asking you to review this ordinance and see what effects it has had the past few years, he said. . UNDER THE proposed impact fee schedule, additional fees total $530 per lot for undeveloped land above Bountiful Slvd. and $385 per lot for new developments below Bountiful Blvd. difference between the 8 percent allowed by state statute and the 10.86 percent bid offer by the bank. At the end of the year, Davis County will pay the remainder of the loan the total $1.9 million plus 8 percent interest. COUNTY officials were told that they will receive their money on April 30 and funds from the loan will be used to operate the county for the remainder of the year. A GROIP of about 75 residents waited until the end of a very lengthy council meeting to hear word on that appointment by Mayor Delyn Yeates and discussion of the police chief appointment by citizen Kent Forbes. The two items became intertwined when Attorney Dale Gardiner of Salt Lake City, representing former Police Chief Dave Davis, indicated he had been hired by the former chief and citizens who support the chief to investigate the legality of the mayors action. Mr. Davis was not reappointed as chief in the regular March 25 council meeting. MR. GARDINER indicated he was there to wear the hat of counselor, not the black hat of an enemy. He presented a brief outline of seven legal points he claimed were violated when Chief Davis was not reappointed, indicating further a summary of legal problems would be followed by a more comprehensive legal brief to be given to city officials. Major points from that outline included reaffirmation that Mr. Davis is the chief until the city decides on a new police head. The attorney Clean- - And the loan approval couldn't have come at a more convenient time. Davis County was fast running out of money, literally, and would have been a real economic crisis within a couple of months, according to the commissioners. THE TWO other banks who submitted bids, using the same were discount formula, Davis County Bank, Farming-ton- , and Bank of Utah. Both used a 10.88 percent interest rate, but Bank of Utah was willing to loan only $500,000 on the total amount. The discount for these bids was $32,699. BASED ON the low bid, Davis County will actually collect $ ,869,600 for operation of the county for the remainder of the year, it was explained. 1 These fees would be in addition to standard fees already charged by the city in connection with new development of property within the city, it was explained. INCLUDED IN the proposal are fees for sewer and water connections, sanitation hookup, storm drainage, and fire and police protection. But its the latter two proposals both new under the that have the home builders the impact fee proposal most irate. These proposals under the category of public safety call for home builders to pay a fire department impact fee of $125 per lot below Bountiful Blvd. and $200 per lot above Bountiful Blvd. ALSO, A police department impact fee proposes $135 per lot above Bountiful Blvd. and $85 below Bountiful Blvd. Theres no way I can agree to something like this, commented Larry McMullin. I can understand some of the other fees although I dont agree with them either, but I simply can not see how a city can tax the home builder with fire and police department fees that no one else has to pay. MR. BALLING explained that with expansion of subdivisions, especially east of Bountiful Blvd., it becomes necessary for police can to be equipped with drive and also requires additional communications equipment. He also noted that a new fire department substation was needed to serve the southeast section of the city when that was developed in the last few years. four-whe- Kaysvilles annual spring cleanup has been set for the weeks of April 14 and April 21. Cleanup trucks will begin on the east side of Main Street on Monday, April 14, at 8 a.m., and will begin on the west side of Main Street on Monday, April 21, at 8 a.m. YOUR CLEANUP must be out by the date specified for your side of town because once the crews have collected on your street, they will not return. Anything put out after the spring cleanup is over and will not be hauled by the city. All regular house and yard cleanup will be collected. The truck will not take orchard trimmings, tree stumps, construction materials, etc. Old cars or car parts will not be hauled. These may be disposed of at the North Davis Refuse Dump. advised the return to work for the city after his U days severance pay is up or within the next week. THE SECOND point indicated the governing bodv , or the city council, appoints the police chief. There appeals to be conflict in the Utah Law Code over who appoints the chief. Mr. Gardiner claimed precedent had been set establishing the council, not the mayor, to appoint chiefs Only the council can remove, suspend or recall the chief The fourth point said when the council allowed Mr. Dav is to be sworn into office Jan 8 and he was paid for his services they were consenting to his appointment. It said further that the swearing in of Chief Davis by Justice of the Peace Ray Adams was legal although the justice was living outside the county at the time, and was believed to be acting according to law. POINT FIN E said the rights to be police thief are protected by the state constitution. Ch'ef Davis has the right to know why he is being removed from office and receiv e a hearing before the city council. He can only be removed from office if he is unable or unwilling to serve in that office. Countering those points were Mayor V eases and City Attorney Steve Bailey who said the conflicting sections of the Utah Code did not carefully state the police chief was (CONTINUED ON PAGE 2) Set ALL TRASH must be piled back of the curb line and placed out for collection in such a manner that it can be readily loaded. Anyone placing debris out after the cleanup or failing to keep their property free of weeds, debris, etc., will be prosecuted. DAVIS NEWS JOURNAL 197 "B North Main St., Layton PhONE 3 Published Weekly by cuppRPisunco. John Stahle, Jr., Publisher Second Class Postage Paid At Layton, Utah SUBSCRIPTION $4.50 per year Stale SiAncripbon $5 SO Ovena Sufeacrnon SIS 00 Out of (Payable in Advance) MR. BALLING emphasized that the impact fees are not meant to be a burden on the home builders, but it is new development that creates situations requiring additional capital improvements. These fees will be used solely for capital expenditui es, not for services. Everyone pays equally for the services, but someone must pay for additional capital expenditures and if its the new subdivisions creating the need for the capital improvements then these home owners should be the ones to pay for it, he said. BUT ONE home builder argued that he and other like him paid for original capital improvements buildings, equipment, supplies, etc. out of their taxes so why shouldn't new residents do the same? We have until now, Mr. Balling replied. But the time has come when the city doesn't have the funds for capital purchases. The city is barely getting by with minimum services. MR. GREGERSON reminded city officials that home builders, too, are out of money. Home building has come to a virtual standstill. Mr. Balling agreed and noted that 80 g residence permits were sold the first three months of 1979. To date this year, only 10 permits have been issued. single-dwellin- THAT ISNT even one home per builder in this room, one builder quipped. It was agreed that further study would be made before any action was taken by the city council. |