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Show UTAH STATS FSSS3 AV7 EAST SALT LAT2 A 200 SO. CUT, UTAH Sill 1 A J THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 1981 - 2$ PAGES VOLUME l FIFTY-ON- NUMBER E THIRTY-EIGH- T M Momey By TOM BUSSELBERG - FARMINGTON" The Davis County Library has been left holding the bag when it comes to settling county-relate- d legal costs in the Jeanne Layton Case. A BILL OF $7,695 resulting from the hearings and other matters of the dismissal case of Director Jeanne Layton in late 1979 and early 1980 will be paid from library funds. That deci sion was confirmed with apparent reluctance by the library board during its regular monthly meeting Monday. Bountiful Atty. George Fadel presented the bill for services totalling 170 hours at $45 an hour. He was hired to assist County Atty. Rodney Page, a practice that is fairly common when it requires additional workload, Mr. Page said in a telephone interview after hiring the outside legal help was questioned by some attending the board meeting. THE COUNTY attorneys office includes six attorneys, e three of whom work only and maintain their own is private practices. Mr. Page that group. among In explaining the bill, Library Board Chairman Evan Whitesides said the issue was raised near the end of last year g Com. Morris by then part-tim- Term Dependent Upon Council And Health By MARK D. MICKELSEN ClearCLEARFIELD field City Manager Gayle Starks announced Wednesday his decision to accept another three-yea- r contract with the city will depend on his health and the city councils support. MY HEALTH isnt as good as it ought to be and I dont know if Ill fill out another term or not," he said. Mr. Starks current contract with the city expires in July, but the council has offered him another term if hell accept it. TEETERING over a decie civic leader sion, the said I dont know at this point. He said his decision to renew the contract probably wont come until after July and will depend on his health and the councils support at that time. long-tim- POPSICKLE TREE Mi Fop By MARK D. MICKELSEN CLEARFIELD Budget restrictions and a statewide shortage of secondary power generators have all but shut down Clearfield's search for a back-u- p power source for the municpal building, a city official announced Wednesday. THE CITY doesnt have funds allocated to purchase a generator, City Manager Gayle Starks said. At the request of the city council, Mr. Starks has been on the lookout for a secondary power source for the municipal building. He said he had wanted an army surplus generator that was in relatively good shape, but said Wednesday he has been unsuccessful in finding one. A RECENT statewide pow- er blackout crippled opera- - The icy grip of winter silences natures beauty for another day. Seeonto Poujgp lion tions at the city building. And' had it not been for a small secondary generator in the police office, the citys dispatch system would have been out of business. Mr. Starks estimates the cost of the secondary generator at $20,000, but said he had no idea when he started looking for one that the cost would be so high. THE CITY requires one, he said, powerful enough to sufficiently light the building and allow the necessary emergency operations to continue. But since the council did not allocate the money for the generator, the city will have to look at funding at their next budget meeting in March. In the meantime well have to FARMINGTON - Davis County Commission has accepted bids from Olsen Chevrolet, Layton, for six sheriffs department vehicles. Starks said. IN ADDITION, the city plans to look at the purchase of OLSEN SUBMITTED a bid for $44,650 for five patrol cars and $9,250 for a Chevrolet Caprice to be used by the departments administrative officials. Tony Price Chevrolet, thekaysville WEEKLY REFLEX 197 "B" North Main St., Layton, Utah 84041 Phorte ' 376-913- Published Weekly by CLIPPER PUBLISHING CO. John Stable. Jr.. Publisher Second Class Postage Paid at Layton, Utah SUBSCRIPTION $4 50 per year Out of State Subscription $5.50 Oversees Subscription $15.00 (Payable in Advance) Bountiful, submitted bids of $43,655 and $9021.64. THE COMMISSION agreed to accept the high bid from Olsens after learning that a allowance would be involved in the deal, thus saving the county extra money. After taking the bids under trade-i- n advisement, Sheriff Brandt Johnson recommended the commission accept the Olsen offer. THE SHERIFFS department cars are replaced yearly due to the extent of wear on the vehicles over a period of time, mdm d battery-powere- emergency lights. Mr. Starks pointed out that the municipal building . quires at least a re- 30 kilowatt generator to handle city services during a power outage. But again, he said he has no leads" on such a system. HE SAID Ive even had the Civil Defense department in Farmington on the lookout for one. If money is approved for the generator in the March budget meeting, he said the city will still ha ve to wait until after July to purchase one. THERE IS a possibility that a generator, if found, could be loaned out to the city on a contract basis until July. But the city manager said "that isn't a good practice, and doubts if the city council will okay any such measure. ' i AFTER RECEIVING a formal letter of resignation from Mr. Starks in late December, the city council voted unani-- 1 mously to offer the acting city manager another three year contract. th assistant city manager to assume Mr. Stark's duties if he decides he can no longer fill out the term. MR. STARKS said if he does accept another term, his fulfillment of the job will depend on his health, and added that he wants a clause in the contract that allows him to step down if and when he feels he can no longer do the job. Mr. Stakes was mayor of Clearfield for several years prior to accepting the city manager position. Davis Names New THE commissioner said the late September" and he had written a letter indicating he felt the insurance company would pay, Mr. Whitesides related. The insurance firm said they could only pay a couple hundred dollars, however, he noted. The bill was passed between the attorney and commission offices with no action taken by either group. Meanwhile, Mr. Fadel awaited payment. bill had been received in WITH THE county commission claiming poverty it was left to the library to pay through its carry-over- " funds from the 1980 budget, It Mr. Whitesides said. appears weU be stuck for that expense. I told the county attorneys office they should pay and the three commission- ers (former) said it should come from library funds. Mr. Whitesides called the issue unfortunate, noting Mr. Fadel has waited four months for payment. I ASKED Morris Swapp who would pay and he said very definitely the insurance would pay for it, former commission candidate Leo Kinsman said. And while current library board member Com. Glen Health Director - A pubFARMINGTON lic health officer from Pueblo. tion with the county begins March 16. Colo, has been selected by the Davis County Commission to head the countys health department. The county commission unanimously approved Dr. Leopardi for the $5().()()()-a-yea- r DR. ENRICO A. Leopardi will assume the duties formerly held by Dr. Richard E. Johns, who left the county in February last year to fill a position with the state community health department. In a letter expressing his enthusiasm in the Davis County job. Dr. Leopardi insisted that his interests lie "in providing limited clinical services, specifically in the jail health program and well child clinics, plus in other programs that might develop." DR. LEOPARDI agreed to resign from the Pueblo Health Department Jan. 27. His posi job based on a favorable recommendation from the county health department, mdm WFRC Renames Two Leaders The acting BOUNTIFUL chairman and of the Wasatch Front Regional Council were reappointed Thursday by their council peers to serve another year. IN THEIR first meeting since last October, the WFRC unanimously approved South Ogden Mayor J. Farrell Shepherd as chairman and South Salt Lake Mayor James W. Davis as Saunders agreed county employees are covered by liability insurance, Atty. Page said the insurance company considered the matter was the "liability of the library people themselves. It was at the request of the library board to have additional (help). MEANWHILE, legal cases incurred by Miss Layton are considerable, she says. She has footed the bill along with the Freedom to Read group and a private group that formed a fund to help pay the bills. That group has contributed several thousand dollars, she said, but some remains to be paid. The fees could be the responsibility of former library board member Swapp and current members Sharon Shum-wa- y Smith and Robert Arbuckle, however. The three are named in a suit that is still pending. No date has been set. Miss Layton said in a telephone interview. All Abatement: 000 Deserving? $200, Mr. take our chances, Bids For Sheriff s Vehicles The several IF HE DOES renew he said there will be some personnel changes, but would not say in which departments. In addition, the city manager wants to see the city get busy on a plan to complete the Clearfield Cultural Arts Cena project he said has ter been in a static positon for the last three years. There was some discussion at that meeting, however, over the possibility of appointing an Swapp, w ho sat on the library board and was involved in the Layton caie, By MARK D. MICKELSEN FARMINGTON Last year $200,000 worth of tax burdens were lifted from the countys indigents, veterans and elderly residents. But according to a source in the Davis auditing office, some of the people getting the abatements may be cheating the county. LEGALLY, county officials have the right to check out questionable affidavits from anyone requesting tax assistance, but admits Deputy Auditor Fawn Jensen, "we just feel like well take the persons word for it. She said the county rarely questions the honesty of the abatement applicants, although she said, I sometimes have questions in my mind. THE COUNTY "has gone all out to cooperate and help people," she said, disturbed that so few people actually realize the time and effort being spent by government to help residents with tax problems. But there are problems. She said a bill passed in the 1972 state legislature now disqualifies disabled veterans from receiving any abatement assistance if their yearly income is higher than $12,000 and if they filed after 1972. BACK IN 1972, that (12,000) was good enough- ,- Mrs. Jensen said. But now the county feels as though the wage require ment should be changed to meet the standard of living requirements. Up until now, she said the legislature hasnt done anything to increase the requirement. Those veterans who filed before 1972 can make as much per year as they want, she added. IN THE operation of the auditing department, she said she sees a lot of people who make a lot more money per year who are honest and should be able to qualify for some assitance. But she said they won't file an affidavit to cheat the county. day-to-d- Most of the abatements are issued to the blind, indigent, veterans or their widows and the elderly, while tax reductions on personal property make up the remaining balance. THANKS TO a program known as the circuit breaker, set up by the state legislature several years ago, Mrs. Jensen said widows and widowers are benefitting from ' tax breaks. the Under plan, a tax abatement is issued to qualifying applicants whose yearly income is less than $8,999. THE WIDOWS and widowers can receive as much as $300 in tax credit, depending upon their yearly income. The credit is determined by the county auditor and is deducted directly from the applicants prop erty tax notice. Mrs. Jensen said the $200,000 worth of abatements granted by the county last year may increase now due to the fact that people may be eligible for both the "circuit breaker and some other form of tax break. For instance, if a person is a widower and blind, they can legally qualify for both the exemptions. UNDER THE circuit breaker," the county is reimbursed from the state for the actual amount of taxes abated, but Mrs. Jensen said the auditors time is not calculated into that amount. Neither is the time spent by county employees processing the applications. Like the "circuit breaker," she said "we have questions in our minds over those wanting Veterans Administration benefits." VA applicants, unlike many of the other programs, are certified based on the seriousness of their disability, Mrs. Jensen said. IF THE veteran dies, his widow is allowed the same amount of coverage, but must forfeit the abatement if she remarries, according to the law. In a breakdown of the 1980 abatements, Mrs. Jensen outlined where the money has gone: $65,478.55 WAS spent on breaker" abatements. i circuit Veterans Administration tax cuts totaled the most at $75,756.38. BLIND AND indigent applicants were abated $17,319.54. The remaining approximately $42,000 was abated in personal property settlements. MRS. JENSEN said the total of indigent abatements decreased last year due to the "circuit breaker, but said a lot of people now claim exemptions through both. ONE OF the major problems the county faces, she said, is the fact that a lot of people think its the county's responsibility to notify abatement applicants that it is time for them to file. "The county is under no obligation to send out notices," she said. She said out of courtesy the county used to mail out applications, but with an increase in the cost of postage and a more extensive increase in the number of qualifying applicants, she said the county cannot afford to do it anymore. AND, SHE explained, the county notified those people three years ago that the service would be discontinued. Still, scores of applicants complain to the auditor's office and county commission that they did not receive their notice. On several occasions the county commission has refused late abatement applications. ; |