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Show DjArf W oAL? FRi-3ACSOClAEECtf EAST 3RD SOUTH S LAKE UT CITT, Through First Half Of Fiscal Year 111 Mow In 'Comfortable' Financial Position between July and September, 1981) came in at the projected level, indicating that the slide was not continuing. In light of the improved sales tax picture ( for the first half of the year, sales tax returns are 2.5 percent below the anticipated level of $1.76 million), Newman said the citys revenue picture is not weak. This, despite the fact that revenue from the utility franchise tax is 15 percent below projections. Newman said he was not that concerned by the shortfall yet and that it may reflect a clerical error in the budget process rather than an actual decline in revenue. the Possibly, we didnt pro-rat- e WEST VALLEY. Three months a revenue shortfall caused after minor concern for city officials here, the economic picture appears to have stabilized, according to City Manager John Newman. I feel increasingly better as time goes on that were in pretty good shape, Newman said. Three months ago I was a little uncomfortable, but not enough to warrant restrictions (on city spending). That uncomfortable feeling was caused primarily by a five percent shortfall in sales tax revenue for the first quarter. But optimism was spurred in City Hall financial circles when the sales tax check for the se- cond quarter (reflecting retail sales Two Sections budget right. I think we didnt give enough emphasis to the winter months, the manager said. If that is the case, returns from the tax should increase by the end of the third quarter (March 31), he acknowledged. The tax on electricity, natural gas and telephone usage accounts for 20 percent of the citys income. Offsetting the shortfall there are surpluses in licenses and permit fees and revenue from fines. Those three areas are balancing out areas where were falling short, Newman said. Together, license and permit fees have generated 123 percent more revenue than anticipated. Business licenses alone are up 40 percent. That pales by comparison to the building permit figure which topped expectations by 338 percent. City officials expected fees from building permits to total about $39,000 for the first six months of the year; they actually amounted to $171,000. The surplus ($122,000) in that single category nearly wiped out the deficit in utility tax revenue ($138,000), the monthly report for December shows. Revenue from fines is up 7.3 percent and nearly offsets an 11.5 percent decline in the amount of income - 24 Pages received from interest on city investments. What makes the financial situation even better, in Newmans eyes, is that every department in city government the voice oe UTAH 656 380 Published weekly at 155 E 4905 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84107 Second class postage paid at Salt Lake City, UT 84119 Subscrip tion rate $12 00 per year POSTMASTER Send address changes to Wes! Valley View, Box 7187, Salt Lake City, UT 84107 28, Number Thursday, Jan. 52 All 13, 1983 departments 262 6682 Funding Bill For Zoo Criticized by the state and Salt Lake County met criticism here Friday. The Salt Lake County Council of Governments voted unanimously to back a statewide funding plan for the zoo, following the introduction of a new bill that was criticized because it would cause double taxation. A plan that was prefiled by Rep. Lake - known Olene Walker, as HB 833 - called for complete zoo takeover by the state. Allan Moll, deputy county attorney, said Friday that HB 115, introduced by Rep. Orval C. Harrison, Lake, would result in double taxation of Salt Lake County residents. He urged COG to push for a complete state takeover of the zoo. Harrisons bill calls for continuance of the present county mill levy to feed zoo animals. The zoo -- lt lt facilities would be owned by the state and operated by the State Division of Facilities Construction and Management instead of under a new zoo division in the Department of Natural Resources, as proposed in HB 833. . Moll said county residents would be required to both partially fund the states share of zoo operation costs and totally fund the countys share. He said that since 55 percent of the zoos visitors come from outside Salt Lake County, the zoo should be funded on a statewide basis. County Commissioner Mike Stewart, COG chairman, noted that the statewide funding bill would be competing against other ancillary budget requests. Lets remind them (the tax legislators) that dollars, if there are those that are offended by the request for state support, Stewart said. Mayor LaRell Muir of Murray this is not new responded to Stewarts comments, saying, It would be new tax dollars for some people. Muir also asked, Is double taxation illegal? Molls response to Muir was brief. It aint fair, he said. In other action, the mayors and commissioners voted to support a bill calling for an increase in sales tax by percent, and a beer and liquor tax increase to provide more revenue for cities. The funds from the beer and liquor tax hike would be used to enforce and deter drunk driving and other alcohol-relateoffenses. South Salt Lake Mayor Jim Davis also reported to COG on a plan by the United States Conference of Mayors to encourage foreign direct investment into American com-- , munities. one-quart- d INVESTMENTS . . . South Salt Lake Mayor Jim Davis explains plan to attract foreign nations to invest in "prime locations" in United States like the Salt Lake area. West Valley Bank Is Robbed, $1,591 Taken VALLEY. A man in his made off with $1,591 in a Friday robbery of Tracy Collins Bank, 3620 So. 2700 West, according to city WEST mid-20- s police. Officer Tracy Crowley said a man handed teller Marie Ann Bryggman a handwritten note ordering her to turn over all her money, which she did. 185 The suspect is described as pounds, with brown hair and very blue eyes. At the time of the robbery, he was wearing a green Army jacket with jeans and boots, Cowley said. 4000 West Project Approval Of Flood Control Work Eyed WEST VALLEY. A contract is expected to be awarded tonight (Thursday) to improve flood control on a stretch of 4000 West. The City Council is expected to award a contract Midvale-base- d for $59,845 to Rolfe Construction, Inc. at its 6 p.m. session. The work will improve what has, at times, been severe flooding problems between 3100 and 3500 South, said City Public Works Director M. Glenn Weaver. Weaver said Rolfes bid was the lowest of 14 received. The engineers estimated cost was $64,000, he added. ZOO BILL . . . County Deputy Attorney Alan Moll opposes compromise legislation on funding for Hogle Zoo. He says it would create double taxation and Salt Lake County would be taxed twice state and county level. heres a point These are less than encouraging economic times and it's probably human nature for people to vent their frustrations. After all, it's a free country and all of us can say exactly what we think. Theres lit- tle encouragement by the media. Like founding members of the crepe sochangers iety, they sist in perpor- traying the dark side of things. Were lambasted with sad tales from abroad where human suffering ranges from starvation to annihilation. Mid East turmoil has Americans worried that it could lead to more - at a The Public Works director told the council at Tuesdays study session that work will involve installation of a storm drain, plus work on a pumping system at 4180 West. The pump had been hooked up to two catch basins that fed water into subdrains, but that system was inefficient, Weaver said. The new system will bypass the subdrains entirely and connect directly to the main storm drain, he said. Several council members also noted that installation of the storm drain will clear up the eyesore of an open ditch running along 4000 West. In a somewhat related SOUTH SALT LAKE. Mayors of cities in Salt Lake County were urged during a meeting here Friday to d use a Emergency Public Works Jobs Program. County Commissioner Mike Stewart suggested the jobs program could be used to finish projects and to provide a minimal income for unemployed persons. He addressed the issue during a meeting of the County Council of Governments. The program, passed in the special session of the State Legislature, requires participants to work 32 hours per week in some type of arranged employment, while spending at least eight hours per week searching for permanent employment. Workers, according to project officer Kirt Smoot of the the Salt Lake County Employment and Training Division, are paid $50 each per week or - if part of the same family - $50 for two, $90 for three and $100 for four or more. Any type of public service jobs -from school districts to Salt Lake County Public Works - are eligible for the monies, Smoot said. The program is scheduled to continue through June 30 or when the $750,000 provided by the legislature is spent. Smoot said the program is primarily geared toward individuals newly-approve- By Unanimous COG Vote SOUTH SALT LAKE. A bill proposing shared funding for Hogle Zoo doing Mayors Are Urged To Use Jobs Plan WEST VALLEY CITY Volume are a fantastic job watching expenditures, he said. That puts the revenue picture into better perspective. Savings ranged from 1.2 percent in the City Attorneys office to 27 percent in Community Development, according to the monthly report. Police spending was 4.4 percent below budget; the Fire Department came in 10.4 percent below budget, the court 11.7. Public Works spending was 20 8 percent below budget, but the fig At COG Meeting WeatUaHtey USPS held expenditures below budgeted amounts. The department heads ures for that department, like those under the supervision of the city manager and the director of finance, are disproportionately low because of spending which has been postponed until the second half of the year. Public Works, for example, spent only 61.2 percent of its half-yea- r allotment for work on streets and highways. Debt payments for City Hall, the 6400 West fire station and the dog pound have not been made yet and pull the city managers overall figure to just 20 3 percent. Those payments will be made in the second half of the year, Newman said. More spending also can be anticipated in the Police Department, which will be receiving several new automobiles and several additional officers, he added. matter, the council is considering passage of an ordinance which will allow city residents to purchase national flood insurance. Weaver said that when flooding hit the area in September, many residents found they could not obtain flood insurance. Passage of the ordinance (and an accompanying resolution) will permit residents to buy the insurance at a subsidized -- Two Zoning Hearings Set Tonight By City WEST VALLEY. Two rezoning applications will be considered here tonight (Thursday) by the City Council. At its 6 p.m. session, the council will conduct hearings on requests by: - Jeanne King for manufacturing (M-l- ) zoning on 1.2 acres at 2850 So. Redwood Road. Current zoning is R-The change is being sought to pave the way for establishment of a packaging operation there; - Contour Corporation for comh mercial (C-l- ) zoning on acre at 3350 W. 3500 South. The zone change would complete the terms of a land trade which would allow Contour to provide a second access to a planned unit development to be built north of 3500 South. Current zoning is one-fift- R-- rate. The insurance allows coverage up to $35,000 for the structure and $10,000 for contents, Weaver said. At tonights session, the council also will approve a resolution honor- ing Rep. Reed Palmer for his service to the area during two terms in the State Legislature. The council also is expected to approve a contract revising the citys agreement with ASSIST, a private organization which provides money for emergency home repairs. Much of that money comes from Community Development block grants. The contract change authorizes ASSIST to make loans for home repairs. Until now, the agreement called strictly for grants which recipients were not required to repay, said CD director Brent Birtcher. Homes Found Oh, Im real pleased - we found 10 a home for 10 puppies in the two weeks the ad ran. Mrs. John F. Caldwell, 4256 Merril Cir., relating the result of her Green Sheet classified ad. The West Valley FREE German Shepherd puppies, two months old. non-prof- it st City lady found, as most classified users do, that the little ads deliver big results. Your classified ad in the Green Sheet would reach over 56,000 midvalley homes and be seen by 212,000 readers. To place your ad, dial 262-668- Youll get results! have exhausted all other resources. Adults, he said, must not be eligible for any type of public assistance that exceeds the amount they would receive as a salary from the works project. Further information may be ob2 tained by contacting Smoot at or one of the following district assistance offices: 2835 So. Mam, 0 or 4115 W. 5295 South, who 535-543- 969-720- Police Change Times For Certain Services WEST VALLEY. The City Police Department is changing the hours in which several services will be provided. Starting Monday, the department will fingerprint people, issue work cards, display recovered bicycles and release evidence to the public p.m. on Mondays and only from Thursdays. These services will not be provided during any other times due to the work load of the evidence technicians, said Chief David Campbell. 3-- 7 Block Grant Hearing Set For Tonight In Redwood REDWOOD. The f i rst in a series of meetings on the city's use of Community Development block grant funds will be held at 6 o'clock tonight (Thursday) at Redwood Multipurpose Center, 3060 Lester St The sessions are designed to inform city residents of the type of projects which qualify for Community Development funding and the means of applying for the money, said city spokesman Tab Uno. He is helping Brent Birtcher coordinate the selection process. City officials were informed last week that West Valievs allocation for 1983-8- 4 will be $768,000. an 11.8 percent increase from the current . year. Earlier, Birtcher had predicted conservatively that the city would receive far less than the actual total. Tonights meeting is sponsored by the Redwood Community Council. Attending the session will be members of the citizen steering committee which reviews grant applications and makes recommendations to the City Council on how the money should be spent. Tim Dugdale is chairman of the group. A second meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Jan. 20 at Kennedy junior high, 4495 So. 4800 West. That meeting is sponsored by the Hunter Community Council. The deadline for submitting project proposals is Feb. 4. Application forms are available at the City Community Development Department, 2470 So. Redwood Road; Redwood Multipurpose Center; Whittier elementary, 5975 W. 3500 South;' Granger Library, 2880 W. 3650 South. by Jim Cornwell widespread shooting. Our ongoing cold war with the Soviet Union has frightening overtones of nuclear conflict. Castros linkup with Moscow has Rusmade Cuba a heavily-arme- d sian stronghold thats apparently only awaiting a reason to pull thousands of triggers. Here at home, the highest unemployment rate since the grim 1930s is evidence that all's not well. However, the thing about unemployment figures that most people ignore is a matter of simple mathematics. If 10 percent are unemployed, then 90 percent is a are working. And respectable average anywhere but in national economics. Nevertheless, complaining about our lot in life is almost a national pastime and its unfortunate the complainers dont pause now and then to consider the basics. And to compare being an American with being a citizen of some other nation. Any nation. For openers, public or private criticism of government is simply not tolerated in most countries. There are only a couple dozen, in fact, where democratic principles prevail - where people have the right to vote and to choose their own way of life. In the face of continuing en- croachment by totalitarian philosophy, that list is dwindling. But in the United States, we enjoy an almost endless list of freedoms. Foremost are press, assembly and speech. And the past two or three decades have demonstrated that equal rights is not just a phrase. No beat on storm troopers doors of American homes in the dead of night and spirit people away to a fate thats never known to those left behind. high-soundi- While many Americans de- - plore the money our nation spends on defense, it is a form of insurance against aggression. And there are aggressors. No matter how we clamor about that spending, the fact remains that 70 percent of our national budget goes to programs. Some 36 million Americans receive Social Security benefits. And 95 million subsidized meals are served every day to people low on the economic scale. We annually allocate billions to provide health care services for 47 million elderly and poor of our country. Some argue that these are not virtues, but are symptoms of the disease which is causing our economic ills. Be that fact or fancy, this nation has not abandoned its commitment to the individual - and only a comparative handful of countries can make that boast. Whats equally noteworthy is the fact weve poured other bil non-defen- lions into assistance for less fortunate people in other countries. Again, some contend thats not praiseworthy but is instead just a failed investment in attempting to buy friends. It's true we havent been very successful with that approach. Should it become necessary to call upon those lands for military, financial or even moral assistance, thered be some anxious moments while these beneficiaries of our largesse decided whether to help or passively watch. Still, no matter how badly some critics paint America, those boatloads of refugees are coming from other shores toward ours. Theres no mass exodus from their homeland by USA citizens. If you want to put it on a purely mercenary basis, we dont do too badly either. Count bathtubs, automobiles, air sets, privately-owne- d TV craft, refrigerators, dishwashers, recreational vehicles or any other symbol of material wealth and Americans are second to none in the world. Whats also significant, the word of rich endowments that are ours has traversed the rest of the globe, with the result that some other lands have been able to confer a degree of wealth upon their people by substantially raising their national economy. In most cases that, too, has been accomplished with the help of American know-hoand financing. And were still way ahead of whatever land is second. So its OK to gripe about our country and our leaders. Its the American way. Say whatever you like so long as its somewhat objective. Eut when you finish, remember to add that final philosophical comment - its a far better place to live than any other spot on this old globe and its great to be an American! J |