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Show T(sw By MARILYN L. KARRAS Staff Writer LAYTON Legislation pending before the Utah Senate to change the distribution of sales tax revenue has Layton city officials upset enough to discuss the possibility of a moratorium on new business in the city, and things of the like toll roads and Layton Hills Mall property. City Attorney Bruce Barton urged the City Council last Thursday to consider a moratorium on new business until the legislature acts on several bills proposed to restructure the sales tax distribution system. " He said if the city loses part of the sales tax revenue from the present local option sales tax, we could not afford to service new business. Councilman Lynn Wood said the city budgeted no funds for capital improvements this year and we cant operate on a zero capital improvements budget again. Wood said the smaller cities in the state that support the legislation and stand to gain substantial revenue if it is nt Prpsm wont get the money for passed nothing theyre going to pay somehow. Wood said the city would have to consider a $5,000 business license fee if the sales tax was reduced, but he said the people from outside Layton who patronize the businesses should also have to pay to help provide the services Layton has to provide commercial establishments. How about a head tax on all nonresidents in the mall or toll roads, he said facetiously. Councilman Randy Harris said if cities like Layton increase business license fees and in other ways discourage business the sales tax base would be reduced to where no one would benefit from it." The businesses would have to pay, and only the big ones would survive, he said. The local businessman would be closed down. Harris said Layton could always play our ace in the hole. We could allow building in the safety zone around Hill Air Force Base. Mayor Lewis G. Shields said he has never been more concerned about the future of revenue sources than he is now. Weve worked hard in Layton for the 10 to 12 years to build a good tax base, and now it looks like we may lose it, he said. If new business becomes a we may liability, we dont want it have to consider a moratorium. Councilman A. Kent Randall said, It makes me furious that the bedroom last communities have never wanted business in their towns because they know what it costs, but now they want to eliminate their property taxes completely by taking our sales tax. The concerns of the council are based Ain)g(Birs L jpffom) split, with the greater portion to be distributed on a point of collection basis. In a letter to Rep. Franklin Knowlton and Sen. Haven Barlow Barton outlined the reasoning behind Layton Citys strong objections to the bill. The letter states that Layton, the second largest city in Davis County with 27,000 people, has undergone two tremendous events in the past year completion of the Layton Hills Mall and annexation of the former city of East Layton, which added about 4,000 people overnight. Bartons figures estimated the city has spent more than $1.1 million in establishing services for the mall, including building a major road, installations of pipelines and purchase of fire equipment. He said additional expenses amounting to several hundred on Utah House Bill 228 which has been passed by the House and is being considered by the Senate. Originally, the bill would have taken the revenues from the local option sales tax, which is now distributed to those cities where it is collected, and divided it, giving 50 thousand dollars have also been percent to all cities on a population committed for the near future. ' He also cited increased demand for basis, and leaving the other half at the services in all city departments as a point of collection. The bill has been amended, and the result of the mall. He said it takes at 0 least six months from the time a dollar split distribution is now a 0 70-3- 50-5- is spent before the city actually receives any sales tax revenue from that dollar. I cannot overly stress the point that Layton City deliberately sought to have a mall built in this city and indeed competed with the neighboring city of Gearfield to obtain a major mall in our city, the letter states. The only reason we did this was because we understood the rules of the game which were in existence at the time and understood that in order for our city to survive, we needed additional commercial sales and the resultant sales tax from those sales, it continued. Layton Citys mill levy is 15.35 and has not been increased for 10 years. Bartons letter said that the city has had the philosophy that it was better to provide services through sales tax revenue than by raising property taxes, because many of the services are provided for transients, specifically those who live in the city briefly or merely shop there because they are with the military at Hill Air Force Base. The letter also states that Layton would not have annexed East Layton if the city had known there might be a decrease in sales tax revenue. It said the citys department heads have had to increase their workload dramatically to provide service to the area with no additional income. The letter states that it was not easy several ways for East Layton to disincorporate and be annexed by But perhaps this Layton City. example of East Layton and Layton could be used in other cities which are in similar situations, it said. in I personally know of cities who have denied and turned down commercial development because they wanted to remain a small city with a rural residential atmosphere, Barton said. But in todays times, it is most difficult, if not impossible, to keep a low property tax mill levy and still keep rural residential as the primary element in a city. Index Classified Economy Review Home Living Obituaries Sports Vol. Serving 3 1,SOO Families From Roy Through Centerville No. 29 1 KAYSVILLE The Kaysville, Redevelopment 'Agency and the Kaysville City Council, two entities with identical membership, both approved an area in the city as a redevelopment survey area and amended a contract with a consulting firm to broaden the scope of the consultants work. The redevelopment survey area is identical to the area designated by the city council last year as the Kaysville downtown revitalization target area when the city applied for a federal block grant to fund improvements. It includes roughly the older, downtown area of the city, extending east and west of Main Street to include Reviewing The News Earthquakes are a fact of life for Utahns who live along the Wasatch Fault, though most of the tremors which happen almost daily cannot be felt. According to geologic history of Davis County, this area may be due for a major earthquake, geologists say. A geologist and engineer for the Utah Geological and Mineral Survey told a Lakeside Review reporter that officials may not be doing enough to prepare for the possibility of an earthquake. Read her report on the possible effects of an earthquake and what areas may be hardest hit. The story appears on page 8A of todays Lakeside Review. Coble CLEARFIELD Strong opposition to a second cable TV franchise within the Gearfield city limits was voiced by the manager of the franchise presently operating in the city. But the ' question as to whether Wasatch Community TV of Utah even had a valid franchise or a business license within the city limits was brought up by the city manager during Tuesdays city council meeting. Kim Magness, manager of Wasatch Community CATV of Utah and George Lee, regional manager, strongly protested another franchise and also leclared that they did not enter into any marriage with Star West for installation of cable throughout the city. A discussion during the Feb. 24 council meeting addressed the xissibility of joining together to install :able. But city manager Gayle Starks aid it was never implied that a narriage (agreement) had taken lace. Magness said he felt that certain egments of the community would be solated if two cable companies perated in the community. He said 1 the properties between 300 East and 400 West, and extending to the city shops and north to 600 North, then south along 100 West to 200 North. The agency amended the original map to include the homes located on the west side of 400 West also. The agency approved a resolution instructing the consultant, Thomas A. Kenster and Company, to propose to the agency one or more project areas comprising all or part of the survey area and to formulate a preliminary plan for the redevelopment of each proposed project area in cooperation with the city planning commission. Revitalization of the citys business district is the primary objective of the redevelopment plans. Hie agency also asked the consultant to include in his plans a definition of redevelopment as it differs from rehabilitation of existing business B 2A f. IB 10B 4B - 8B Thursday, March 12, 1981 THIS OLD WOODEN bridge at 975 W. 800 N., Clearfield, is one of two bridges to be replaced if funds are approved by the Department of Transportation. The bridge is actually in better shape then the concrete bridge at 450 West, which also will be replaced. The concrete bridge is a used bridge placed there in 1975. It replaced another rickety old bridge. A major concern of the city is that the bridge will not support very much weight. Review Alternative Designs facilities. Kaysville formed the redevelopment agency last fall to pinpoint areas for revitalization in an effort to improve commercial activity and increase sales CLEARFIELD The replacement of tax revenue for the city. The Kenster company was hired to two bridges and the road between them was discussed at a public hearing help the agency formulate plans and during the Gearfield City Council areas for redeveloptarget specific meeting Tuesday night. ment. Ronald W. Smith, project manager The agency ' also asked Kenster Engineering, told specifically for a separate study on a for Forsgren-Perkin- s k area west of Main Street the council that $1.6 million will be from Center Street to 100 North, ex- needed for the project. Both bridges are cluding the Barnes Bank and Kaysville located on 800 North; one at 975 West, the other at 450 West. Both bridges span Theater buildings. The agency also approved a contract railroad tracks belonging to Union for legal services with Eugene Jacobs, Pacific and the Denver Rio Grand. The street at 450 West, and some an attorney with experience in private property near the bridge, municipal redevelopment issues. two-bloc- woneir Comp! some homes could be left out of the service area if gaps were created during installation of the system. Lee said if two cable companies came into the city, the second one would create havoc with the utility poles. He said the use of the poles is very expensive for one company and more expensive for a second- - and third company. He informed the council that Wasatch Community CATV is part of Tele Communications Inc., which is the second largest cable TV company in the country. He said the company will soon be the largest. Lee said the council should look into the financial backing of any company coming into the area and make sure they are financially sound. Starks told the Wasatch representatives that he wasnt so sure that Wasatch even had a franchise in Gearfield. He also pointed out that to his knowledge, Wasatch had not purchased a business license yet. The only agreement Starks could find was one that informed the city of the cable companys intent and fee structure. 10B-11- ms That agreement was made in 1966. At that time. Haven Barlow owned the franchise. . Lee argued that his files did in fact show an agreement with the city and would show it to the council at another time. Wasatch TV bought much of Barlows interest in the company 18 months ago, and at that time, Wasatch approached the council and made another agreement with the city, Lee said. At that point, Councilman Kay Chandler made a motion to table the discussion until more information could be gathered. But Darryl Schuttloffel, operator of Star West Cable, objected and asked to speak with the council. He argued that his company is sound and has financial statements to prove it. His company, he said, is a Utah corporation specializing like conin areas dominiums and apartment buildings. He said his company only wants to extend its system across the street from the Pepper Ridge Apartments to the Sundowner Condominiums. financially high-densi- ty tudf Bridge Proposals created some special engineering problems, Smith told the council. The bridge could block the street and cut into property owned by Larry Mills of Gearfield. Smith offered five bridge designs for the council to chose from. The first plan created an underpass so 450 West could remain a two-wa- y street. The bridge would pass over the tracks and 450 traffic to pass West, allowing two-wa- y under. The second plan elevated the intersection and created a steeper approach to the bridge. This keeps 450 West open and does not require an overpass for 450 West. The third plan closes 450 West. The fourth plan creates an underpass 2 Hearings By Council ROY Unable to reach final decisions during two public hearings Tuesday the Roy City Council moved to continue both at a later date. The first hearing was on the adoption of a mobile home subdivision ordinance which will allow the sale of mobile home lots within the city. City Attorney Roger Dutson explained in a memo to the council what the differences were between this ordinance and the existing mobile home ordinance in the city. He said the major difference would be the allowance of private ownership of each lot. Current requirements do not specify this and most mobile home parks are built for lot rentals. include the in- stallation of the trailers permanently Continued on Page 2A il one-wa- h about the cutting into his property. The road leading to the bridge will cut into his property by 10 feet. He plans to build a four-pleand if ' any more frontage is taken, he will not be able to build. He was also in favor of the second plan. The council voted to approve the second plan and Sant said his city would probably do the same.. There are no special design problems for the bridge at 975 West. Of the $1.6 million for the two bridges and road, the Utah Department of bridge-approac- Transportation will contribute $1 and Urban million; Housing Development will provide $476,000; the cities of Gearfield, West Point, Sunset and Ginton will provide $15,000 each; and the railroad companies will pay $87,000 $30,000 from Union Pacific and $57,000 from Denver Rio Grand. Layton Might Cancel Delayed Other changes like the first plan but only allows for y traffic, with the other one-wa-y road going around the bridge. The fifth plan is to do nothing at all. The second and third plan cost $150,000 less than the first and fourth, Mayor Norm Sant of Sunset, which will be participating in the bridge construction along with Gearfield, Ginton and West Point, favored the second plan. That plan elevates the intersection and creates a steeper approach to the bridge. Sant was strongly opposed to closing 450 West, which runs through Sunset. His city has agreed to contribute $15,000 to the construction of the bridge. Sunset would not participate if the road is blocked off, he said. Larry Mills, a property owner next to the proposed bridge, 'was concerned League Membership LAYTON Layton City is threatening to cancel its membership in the Utah League of Cities and Towns after the league voted to support proposed legislation to distribute sales tax revenue at least partially according to population, rather than to the cities where the tax is collected. Layton stands to lose substantial revenue if the legislation were approved by the state legislature, City Attorney Bruce Barton said Thursday, but he recommended that the council wait until final action is taken by the legislature before withdrawing from the league. Barton said he was told by Herschel Hester, executive director of the league, that Hester believes the league's action was a mistake. V But he (Hester) cant tell the board how to vote, Barton said. Herschel said Layton is a sort of freak because the legislation would affect us dif- ferently. Mayor Lewis G. Shields said, It may be too late to do any good by withdrawing, but its not too late to let them know there is a city of Layton up here.. Theyre saying weve hung you, but were sorry youre dead, now Councilman Lynn Wood said. They can take their league and put it wherever they want to. I dont think we should pay to belong. Theyre supposed to be representing our interests, but they have ignored us on this one when we needed it, Councilman A. Kent Randall said. |