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Show I WEEKLY REFLEX-DA- NEWS JOURNAL, VIS NORTH DAVIS LEADER, JANUARY 22. 1981 Clearfield Adopts Plan To Charge City, Develop ad Checks By MARK D. MICKELSEN CLEARFIELD A drastic increase in the number of bad checks received for water ments prompted the Clearfield City Council Tuesday to recommend a $5 penalty charge for violators. THE insufficient funds checks are being received at the rate of two per day, Deputy Recorder Judy Cottrell told the council. And while there was some . argument from the group over the legality of a government entity charging penalty fines, City Manager Gayle Starks said the city is losing a lot of time and money because of the problem. ,THE OFFICE secretaries, Mr. Starks noted, said the problem of bad checks is increasing rapidly," with little hope for change. ;The city can shut a residents water off, Mr. Starks said, but recommended that the council approve a penalty fee instead. AFTER SOME discussion, City Councilman Kay Chandler said I don't think it'll (charge) make one iota of a difference in the amount of bad checks we get. Mr. Chandler owns a business in Clearfield where he says he sees a barrage of bad checks all week. "Maybe the answer, the is in councilman suggested, shutting their water off. This, he urged, is one way to show the citys clout in such matters. SOME OF THE people who The latest in a long string of improvements at the Wahsatch enlargeShooting Range ment of the entire facility has been approved by the Davis County Commission. MEMBERS OF the Davis Army Reserve agreed Tues- day to complete the work which consists of dynamiting a large boulder and some Capt. Richard Maughn approached the new commission to get their permission to go ahead with the project when summer arrives. 7 THE CAPTAIN said his unit is willing to do the work as an educational venture, but said because the Army is involved, certain precautions must be taken. One of the precautions involves insurance, which Capt. Maughn explained must be obtained for the protection of the men involved. He said the earthmoving can be completed t without problems, but said there is always a danger to the men when using dynamite. A BOULDER near the THE ONLY real problem remaining with the bad check charge is the fact that the $5 wont even begin to cover the citys time and efforts ex- pended in taking care of the violator. According to Mr. Starks, the charge will probably only break even. county commission to explore plans for enlargement, then find someone to do the work for the least possible cost. Formerly, the Weber Basin Job Corp had expended some of its youth workers for various projects. But the directors managed to get a hold of the Army Reserve people, who agreed to do the work for no charge. ACCORDING TO Mr. Walker, the county currently does not have enough budgeted to cover the costs of major construction, and is pleased to have the Army doing the project for nothing. Permission was given by the county commission for the Army and range authorities to ity is blocking further enlargement and the Wahsatch directors have asked that it be moved. The only way to do this, according to the captain, is to dynamite it. summer construction. MR. WALKER said hell check into liability insurance to cover the workers against accidents that might occur during the development, mdm Planning department authorities claim that the development of a master plan is a better method than the conditional use zoning currently being used by the city council to discourage CHANGES FARMINGTON An ordinance inci- dence of renters "skipping out" on unpaid city water bills is being studied by the Sunset City Council. THE PROPOSAL would require the landlord or landlord's agent to sign an agreement accepting responsibility for the payment of delinquent renter water bills when application for water service is made with the city. The ordinance, according to Mayor Norm Sant, outlines the fact that all rental owners are responsible for their water. If the owner lives away from the actual dwelling, the ordinance requires the owners agent to accept responsibility, the mayor said. AS AN incentive for the ren- ters to pay their bills, Mayor Sant recommended the. rental owners not return a renters cleaning fee until the water payments are paid in full. Suggestions for the ordi- nance came up when city officials noted a drastic increase in the number of renters skipping out" on their water department bills. And the mayor said the losses to the city can be blamed on renters alone. MOST OF the money is being lost through renters, he told the council Thursday night. One resident present suggested that the city should shut the renters water off if the bill continues to be delinquent. BUT THERE was some con- cern over the legality of the measure. Mayor Sant asked that the ordinance proposal be sent to the city attorney to see if the measure is discriminatory to TOO OFTEN too many organizations let them be clustered on the lower level. We should advance them. I will try to emphasize that in the next two years, Mr. Miles continues, noting there have not been any complaints from employees or federal and other government sources. With the aid of the merit the position with the top five By TOM BUSSELBERG Davis Countys personnel system has a new director and along with it a number of changes are in the works. FOR ONE, the county's merit system set up to provide protection for employees, has received conditional approval from the Utah Intergovernmental Personnel Agency, a government body that will also conduct a reclassification study of the countys personnel system next month. personnel-industri- al development director but has placed his emphasis solely on industrial development. THE IPA WILL visit the county in February and conduct an audit of various job positions to determine what re- sponsibilities fit with various titles and coordinate between similarjobs in various departments. "They (IPA) will come in, analyze positions without regard to sex, race, handicap, etc. and will recommend the appropriate position. I hope we can address salary discrepancies like that, Mr. Miles says. THE PROJECT should take about three months and will cost the county about $5,000, Mr. Miles says, compared to if a private consultant were hired. Similar studies were recently completed for Weber and Utah counties. In addition, changes in hiring procedures will be implemented. Applicants for a job will complete applications at the personnel office with those appearing most qualified asked to return for oral and written testing, he explains. TESTING WILL be done in conjunction with supervisors in the department advertising Without Payin SUNSET Its a period of transition for the county af-- . personnel department and policies new of employees, says fecting hundreds personnel director Melvin Miles. PERSONNEL et Wants To Halt Renters Who Leave designed to cut down the it ings, but said conditional use zoning has worked" for the city. Under the rezoning provision. Sunset would be able to downzone any area in the city eventually eliminating multiple-unit dwellings. COUNCILMAN Bruce Watkins told the group there are not enough areas available in the city to make the rezoning proposition feasible. He and night. who served as DIRECTORS AT the Wahsatch Shooting Range were asked by the former Sunset has "more than its dwellshare" of multiple-un- the city council Thursday Spearheading this and other projects is Melvin Miles, the new, youthful Afton, Wyo. native, who has taken over personnel responsibilities since Jan. I. He replaces Earl King Commissioners Harry Ger-lac-h and Glen Saunders asked for a review of the construction plans. County Clerk Rodney Walker said the county should consider obtaining jn- surance for the workers during the blasting. HE AGREED with the planning department's claim that spearheaded by the planning commission as a way to decrease the number of multiple-uni- t dwellings, was outlined to AND IF they dont respond. Chief Green said, the city has an option "to go civil, shut off their water, or go criminal with the charges. It makes them (violators) aware that its illegal, he told the council. like to handle the problem that way, but rather give the violators a second chance to pay for . the purchase. In a lot of cases, the chief said, the underpaid check is "an oversight. ties. THE MEASURE, being Under the plan, violators continue with plans for the facil- Sunset officials SUNSET have accepted a proposal to rezone the entire city and form a master plan for future develop- ment. are notified by mail that they have passed a check without sufficient funds to cover it. They are then given ten days to respond and pay for the purchase. THEY COULD be arrested, he added, noting, however, that the police dont argued that Sunset is a small city with very little growth and not to be conpotential fused with larger communi- By MARK D. MICKELSEN THE CHIEF said the police already have a plan to prosecute bad check writers. Shooting Range Change Approved FARMINGTON Mew Master Plan have lived in the city for a long time do it out of carelessness, Mr. Starks told the council. Police Chief Daren Green suggested that the checks be turned over to his department since bad checks are a form of lawbreaking. allow the city to Will Rezone unset names then provided to the department for final choice, he says. "In the past we sent all applications to the department and they chose. Now we accept applications, screen and establish a register for all who meet the minimum standards. Its a fair, logical thing to do, Mr. Miles says, noting it follows merit system stan- council and reclassification the personnel department will be aided in making sure it's "not discriminating, he adds. dards. "The purpose of the merit council (and system) is to combat the spoils system and OFTEN A system is built on tradition and I wouldnt be surprised if there are some changes. I don't feel there are huge discrepancies between what men and women make. We have so many employees who are women, now, not too far from half. Speaking of county salaries, Mr. Miles says he considers 1 feel then to be "quite fair. we can strive for greater internal equality. Right now our employees are compensated quite well. patronage." THE MERIT council is a body who will meet quarterly with the personnel staff and at other times when needed. The independent body rules on various employee questions such as when an employee claims to have been fired unfairly. three-memb- An updated affirmative action program, aimed at providing equal employment opportunities for women, minorities and handicapped, is also a major goal for the former BYU football linebacker. , WERE TRYING to promote a society where everyone has equal opportunity. I dont think its healthy to limit any segment, he says, emphasizing. ty "Im not saying the counguilty of that." Noting the county has 467 employees, including 318 fullhe says time and 149 259 are male and 208 female, including 7.5 percent from minorities. Speaking of that minority irepresentation he says, "Weve got room for impart-tim- e, provement. I'd like to see minority employees promoted where possible. CITING A recent salary comparison he says county employees are paid comparable to counterparts in the states larger cities and counties although not up to Salt Lake. Were very competitive with the others and above some. "We have to be competitive. Were competing with the State, Hill AFB and (as an ex- ample) West Valley City (where some county em- ployees have gone). We should be competitive enough so that we dont pick up rejects by paying low salaries. MR. MILES lives in Centerville with his wife, the former Laura Jenkins. multiple-un- it dwellings. some of the other council CHAIRMAN Harold Ebom told the council that in larger cities, the use of the conditional zoning usually results in lawsuits against the municipality. members pointed out that the g planning commissions would actually be spotzoning. and would be down-zonin- But Mayor Norm Sant Planner Ebom said the conditional use zoning has worked for the city, but said it is "an outmoded vehicle" for holding back multiple-uni- t developments. UNDER THE planning commission's proposal, a master plan could be set up for the town to determine areas of future growth and designate zoning restrictions. After some discussion. Mayor Sant agreed with the commission's proposal. What you're recommending would work." he said. MR. EBORN pointed out that people w ho want to live in the city presently have no recourse against future development without some kind of zoning master plan. Those who want to protest against future zoning efforts, he explained. can do nothing now. The commission's proposal was unanimously approved. 200 Meters For Sunset SUNSET said the inaccuracies may be costing the city money. The new meters will be picked up between January and July and installed during the summer. The Sunset City Council has approved the purchase of 200 new water meters for the city. SOME OF the older meters are registering slower than average, and Mayor Norm Sant MONEY FROM the utility budget w ill be expended to take care of the costs of the installment project, according to the mayor. The cost per meter is mated at $41.85. mdm esti- citys Want Evening Dancing FARMINGTON dont want to dance though the square dancers They in the agreed to allow Mr. Quist to serve as a supervisor. This way, he said, "we could continue to dance in the afternoon. THAT WAS the consensus last week of a handful of elderly square dance enthusiasts from Bountiful's Years Center. evening." BUT COUNCIL Chairman Golden They met with the county commission Tuesday to protest the Council on Agings decision to close off night-tim- e activities at the center due to lack of money and personnel. BUT THE 20 to 30 dancers dont like the idea of having to meet in the afternoon. As one member, Carl Quist said, We're not old, and a lot of us have a lot of things to do in the afternoon. What do they think we are kids?" another spoke up. Mr. Quist added that the time change will break up the close-kngroup. it THE COUNCIL on Aging argues that a paid staff member must be in attendance at all day and night-tim- e activities, even Donna Swenson disagreed. She said the council voted unanimously to allow the but only dancing to continue in the afternoon. She reasoned that when the center is opened up at night, problems inevitably pop up. Councilwoman Lucille Mabie said with the budget as it is if the center is opened up some other programs will have to be dropped to ipake up for it. AND SHE added, the COA program committee has already agreed to drop several programs due to a lack of funding. Com. Harry Gerlach explained to the dancers that the council must set the priorities of the program, and urged the people to understand that the board must use their money as wisely as they can. COM. GERLACH said when keys are loaned out. they are usually copied, causing cases of theft and inconvenience for center workers. And though he didn't accuse any of the dancers with such atrocities. the commissioner suggested the group look into holding their dances in one of the countys libraries. There, he .said, they could meet in the evening and set up their dances weeks ahead of time. THE COUNCIL on Aging members present stood solid on their decision to keep the centers closed at night, noting that several of the locks have had to be changed due to several break-in- s and thefts. Supervised personnel must be in the centers at all times. Mrs. Mabie explained as one of the main reasons the centers must remain inaccessible. TO GET federal funds for elderly programs, she added, "We have to live under the rules." mdm New Outfits For Clearfield Firemen By LAVORA WAYMENT Clearfield citizens may rest at ease. crews are Their now protected with Nomex. CLEARFIELD FOR THOSE who are not up on the latest fire fighting technology, Nomex is a new, highly dependable, fire retardant material used in making firemen's coats, pants and hats. The Clearfield fire department (numbering 21) was recently outfitted with bright yellow gear made ofthis new material. greater potential for a major fire than do surrounding a much towns of comparable size. That fact is largely due to the warehouses at Freeport Center, he added. In a telephone interview. City Manager Gavle Starks said the volunteer fire department should be commended for the many hours theyve put in in training and fire fighting. "They deserve nothing put praise for the high quality work they are doing." he added. The department has three qualified EMTs (emergency medical techicians) and all have anced first aid training. adv- MOST OF the guys in the department are very community minded." added Comer. "They really want to serve the city." Chief Hodson was com- plimented for his dedication by Starks, who said. He served the city for many years before becoming the only fulltime paid employee five years ago." The material is lighter weight as well as more effec- tive at retarding flames, according to fire chief, Elmo Hodson. "It can be very exhausting to a man in a fire, carrying the hose and equipment around, so the better you can get around, the more you can accomplish, the chief ex- plained. renters. THEN HE said it will be the citys responsibility to come up with a plan to catch those who dont pay. In other business, the city council voted unanimously to implement a new sign ordinance for the community. THE ORDINANCE, prepared by City Atty. Steven Bailey at the request of the council, outlines the acceptable dimensions for the signs and the requirements for construction and maintenance. Final approval on any sign may be waivered by the city council if the structure does not meet the ordinance re- quirements. In addition, businesses with signs constructed prior to the ordinance will be governed by the new rules in the event of any change or reconstruction, mdm THE BRIGHT yellow out- fits have reflective stripes making it easier to spot a fireman who may be laying on the floor overcome with smoke or heat. The department is well equipped to handle any size fire, according to Dave Comer, the citys safety training officer. A recent acquisition, a provides the city with the ability to cover any size fire, he said. m 250-gall- mini-pump- WE NEED to have the ability to put out a major fire, and yet most fires, fortunately, are not major. he said. The $32,000 is, according to Roger Bodily, the assistant fire chief, easier to drive and to stop, affords better visibility and is "quicker to get in and operate." CLEARFIELD, he said, has mini-pump- SWOOs NEW OUTFITS The Clearfield fire departments newest fire truck blends right in with brand-nepants and coats proudly displayed by Chief Elmo Hodson. |