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Show r V REVIEW, January 20, IV66 Utah Law Offers Alternatives A Good Interlocal t (Continued from page atum. What A Uernative is 1) the purpose of Interlocal Co- operation? - It is the purpose of U.C.A. this act to permit LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS TO MAKE THE MOST EFFEC-2. TIVE USE OF THEIR POWERS by enabl- ing them to cooperara Wth other On past, occasions the Review has editorially endorsed localities cm a basis of mutual advantage, metropolitan government because it seemed to us the only and thereby to PROViDE SERVICES AND now existing FACILITIES in a mannner and pursuant way to avoid the vast confusion and duplication to forms of governmental organization between the multitude of county governments and taxing units. that wiU accord best with geographic, Yet we recognize the inherent drawbadcs. The valuable economic, population and other factors THE NEEDS AND DEand historical independence of communities within the County INFLUENCING OF LOCAL COMMUNVELOPMENT would be lost under a total metropolitan system. The other ITIES. The act involves provisions for the drawback is that if government is irresponsible, its irpublic agency." U.C.A. 1 responsible all over. (1) - Public agency" es shall mean any political subdivision We were frankly not aware at that juncture of thpossi-bilitithis state including but not limited offered by the InterlocalCooperation Act as defined toof cities, towns, counties, school disin two front page stories this week. tricts, and special districts of various contract with kinds; any agency of the state governBy this system local governments could ment or of the United States; and any each other for specific services. The prime advantage of political subdivision of another state. then, may a city or metropolitan government, economy, could be obtained without a Totownwhator extent, a district involve special' endless The possibilities are the inherent drawbacks. its power, its constitutional or statutory and the Review will explore many of these possibilities in authority in interlocal cooperation" - - future issues. Many politicians will shudder it the idea. While they are guaranteed of keeping office for as long as the electorate wants them, their empires will dwindle, theyll have less opportunity to build up political strength, i But we have a feeling the people will like the possiwho wouldnt like it? bilities. It means reduced taxes . We dont pretend to state that interlocal cooperation is but then we doubt that there is a the perfect answer contract But services under this system perfect answer. offer flexibility and economy. One thing is sure.... interlocal cooperation wont work without good, government.... but then no system agreements? May Excercise Powers -- ANY POWER OR U.C.A.. POWERS, PRIVILEGES OR AUTHORITY EXERCISED OR CAPABLE OF EXERCISE BY A PUBLIC AGENCY of this state having the powe? or powers, priv11-1- ileges or authority, and jointly with any public agency of any other state or of the United States permit such joint exercise or enjoyment. Any agency of the state government, when acting jointly with any public agency, may exercise and enjoy ALL OF THE POWERS, PRIVILEGES AND AUTHORITY CONFERRED BY THIS ACT UPON A PUBLIC AGENCY. The people of Sandy, the statute provides, need not vote themselves into oblivion on the rim of a metropolis to well-manag- ed will. Interlocal cooperation can be an immediate reality.... good government must be an immediate conpem. obtain maximum governmental services at minimal cost. The people of Murray need not abolish the history of individuality to achieve, at sharply reduced cost, the use of Salt Lake County Roads and Bridges or Salt Lake City Streets Department equipment - equipment which, presently, may sit idle when not in use by the agency of ownership. The people of South Salt Lake need not invest in capital equipment, then maintain that equipment with costly manpower; but they may contract service from an adjoining city oy from the county in which they exist as an entity. To what extent may public agencies engage in contracts with one another for the performance of governmental services, qtivities or undertakings? Almost unlimited mi3-f- f - ANY. ONE OR U.C.A. Will This Be Filed? welfare fund government so vital to some members of the Salt Lake City Commission that they will continue, year after year, through study after study, to adopt only those proposals which add to the welfare fund potential? For how much longer will members of the Salt Lake City Commission continue; to ignore those study proposals which would add to economy and efficiency in local govern Is tnt? flr:i:4 Jfund . j t n. in SaluLa'kd government county so to critical political futures that Salt Lake County commissioners will continue, year after year, to refuse to have professional studies made? Refuse to heed the results of studies elsewhere, which point to administrative decay in Salt Lake County government? Are our governing bodies prepared for the time when the people of Salt Lake Valley 4nay, hopefully, realize that they have wasteful, inefficient, ineffective government administration that reflects the abilities of those who 1 m . t MORE PUBLIC AGENCIES MAY CONTRACT WITH ANY ONE OR MORE OTHER PUBLIC AGENCIES TO PERFORM AN If GOVERNMENT SERVICE, ACTIVITY, OR UNDERTAKING WHICH EACH PUBLIC AGENCY ENTERING INTO THE CONTRACT IS AUTHORIZED BY LAW to perform, provided that such contract shall be authorized by the governing body of each party to the contract. Such contract shall set forth fully the purposes, powers, rights, objectives and responsibilities of the contracting par- ties. govern? E. R. Cox and Associates have assured Salt Lake City that adoption of professional administration in local government can save $500,000 per year, beginning with the current Contract service of one unit of government by another is not a new concept. It is not less tried than metropolitanism. It is growing in use and in favor. Those The savings can be effected, Mr. Cox told the Review, without depletion of services and without lay-o- ff of personnel. The savings can be achieved by attrition through an annual benefiting from contracted services are as enthusiastic as those providing the contract service. Several areas in the midwest and eastern states point to success of contract resignation rate for non -- civil service personnel.. attrition plus the courage to adopt economical, efficient techniques for utilization of personnel andiaeilities. It is more a criticism of Salt Lake City government than a compliment to Mr. Cox that he viewed so clearly service. Los Angeles City, from year to year, with Los Angeles County to have the county provide an ever widening variety of government service (apart from police service) ....... saving one-ha- lf oh m?ny services? California's Alameda County has widespread and enthusiastic use of the contract government service. Apart from Why contract service? economy, are there any advantages over metropolitanism? .First: contract service is temporary; contracts are subject to renewal or abandonment without complicated legislative, electoral or constitutional procedures. Contract service is in the tradition of free enterprise." Units having services to hire may be competitive for the right to represent another unit of government. A unit in Salt Lake County may shop for contract service from agencies within the county, or from adjoining counties. Most significant factor in defense of contract government service and retaining the political identity is the ZONING contracts the inefficiencies of government while conducting a wage study. Waste sticks out like a battalion of sore thumbs. On April 29, 1964, Fred M. Oliver, representing Haskin and Sells, certified public, accountants, in search then for . money for wage increases, delivered to the city a proposal which conveys much the same message delivered by Mr. Cox: if you want it! Economy is there On August 27, 1965, Public Administration Service, Chicago; submitted a detailed report on public safety techniques which could lead to efficiency and economy. How many more studies will there be before our governing bodies city and county get' the idea that theyre not doing the job theyre paid to do? just If the savings potential so close to the surface is $500000 in Salt Lake City, it is much closer to a million in Salt Lake County At least one and a quarter million dollars in waste per year in Salt Lake Valley. The PAS report, Mayor Lee told us at the time, didnt tell us anything we dont already know. If we already know Mayor Lee, and Mr. Jenson and colleagues onythe two com missions.... if we already know from Mr. Oliver's report what Mr. Cox has told us.... please, tell us, when are you going to put that knowledge into action? . When Mr. Cox submitted his half-milli- on savings suggestion, it was promptly kicked oyer to the corner. Until Mr. Barker interceded, Mr. Cox was about to be slutted off with the casual observation that Fred Oliver gave us that old stuff in 64; lets file it in the same drawer! Twice before, in less than two years, the city has failed to act on professional1 advice that we have paid for.... largely because we have no one able to implement the advice. How long must we wait? Until we get metropolitan government in five orsevenyears, or never? Metropolitan government will not, in itself, provide good government. Types of government, are no more than the framework in which administration functions. POWER. , Jhe money's there ircw.dhis being wasted politically ' noy. Now is the time to kick politics in Hie teeth and make ws? for sound .municipal adminfstralibnT- - - - i System Use Growing year. 100-pers- on - ' : California authorities report the biggest success of contract government lies in the issue of property zoning. Metropolitan government, they note, eliminates local control over: local zoning. There are California communities which have contracted for all their government service, except the zoning authority. Local control over zoning protects your home. It protects your business investment from indiscriminate power from the group uptown." For what reasons would special interests desire metropolitan government for Salt Lake Valley? Why emphasize a form of- government that will take years to achieve while tax dollars waste away by the millions? Why, until now, have Salt Lakers not Wen reminded about the potential economy in the Interlocal Cooperation' Act? Students of city growth observe that population growth, in Salt Lake Valley, as elsewhere, is moving to Suburbia, population outside Salt Lake City is, more than in the some city. Voting strength is moving south and that strength is growing rapidly. Values ar3 -- moving into Suburbia. Metropolitan government is the last chance for retention of old city" cco- -' trol. Act Sherriff Services What can we do with contract government service under Interlocal Cooperation? James N. Kimball, county purchasing, told the Review that he will appraise the potential in his department. Even prior to appraisal, however, Mr. Kimball observed that his department is smaUer than the Salt Lake City purchasing department. His department, he feels, could do purchasing for both city and county with less than A double hi? present administrative structure (about the same as the present , city structure). , Apart from the more than substantial initial administrative savings, contract service could encompass the city and county and the lesser incorporated areas of the county. It would immediately effect diminished space needs, elimination of capital equipment duplication, and would provide for an expansion of uni- form purchasing at greater bulk rate savings. Some County Roads and Bridges equipment, idle more than it is in use, could move from city to town in Salt Lake City and County and make maximum use of Roads and Bridges men and equipment while eliminating duplication in the smaller public agencies. Why two auditing departments and staffs and equipment? Why two of anything when the performance of one parallels the work of the other? There, is health department duplication; police department duplications, fire department administration duplication. Duplication in any number of services in Salt Lake County can.be eliminated and the savings passed on to the taxpayer. Tax Reduction Source Here is a source of actual tax reduction. Here is a source of more effective, more efficient utilization of men, space, facilities and capital equipment. Here is a major source of additional funds totj provide additional services never before available to local people and to local businesses. There's a choice for those who may be sentimental about retaining the identities of our towns.. .,:of South Salt Lake, Midvale, Murray, Sandy, West and South Jordan, Jtiverton. Such potential might' even encourage other areas. ...Kearns and Granger, for example, to seek incorporated status. We can afford to be sentimental; we can afford to be stuffy about local zoning controls ... if we will afford the economic relief offered by the Utah Interlocal Cooperation Act. Will Lucas What is all the stink about our compassionate County Commissioner, Marv Jensen getting a new Olds to conduct .his duties in the effective execution of tlie multiplicity of duties? The trunk capacity of a new BuicR Is over thirty cubic feet and when you consider that Marv is planning on utilizing the trunk on a dual capacity function (he plans to carry 25 cubic feet of hot asphalt, three gallons of paint, shovel, hammer, nails andspaint brush in the trunk). So that when he travels around the county trouble' spots he can stop off at chuck-hol(signs that need painting, that need filling and bridges that need repairing) he can just open up the large capacity trunk on his large capacity Buick and do the job on the spot. Would that all our county commissioners had the same humble foresight to see the dual utilitarian purpose to 'course humble transportation they could use bicycles pulling large red wagons for the same purpose ! ! ! Lots of citizens are still talking about the case of the missing magazine" in Salt Lake. A national magazine called Offbeat" was seal on a few magazine racks in Salt Lake last week. The center The Girls of fold story was titled Salt Lake City". It's an article of the peep-shotabloid, expose variety. The lead sentence is a real grabber. . . Utah is a state of churches, where the residents invoke the almighty but forget to ask him to clean up the low vice which is set and dirty street-lev- el up for visiting farmers, hillbillies, strangers and the natives themselves." It goes on to describe how Salt Lake females are a commodity easy to buy or get for nothing. The parsimonious pap continues with names and addresses of known prostifound to be false) tutes (checked out and adds that a number of pretty coeds at the University of Utah pay their way through school by' playing at prostitution. The mcgazine is on the type that makes excellent wrapping for refuse and garbage. My point is not thaf the article is fictitious and that I should become an irate citizen of Salt Lake and put a hex' on the infantile authors of the but I should like magazine to point out the magazine to the creative fertile minds of the Utah Tourist and in hopes they Publicity Department could use a bit of reverse psychology and use the story to stimulate tourism. (Are you reading, Manny???) Remember the gonstitumalous gas created by bird lovers when the city sanitation department started feeding our feathered friends liquored up corn??? Well, just listen to this: in Milwaukee, they are feeding inebriating grain to seagulls ! ! ! ! But a silver lining developed in that black cloud . . . tjie drunken gulls sent out distress signals to the other gulls and they all stayed away. . Seagulls are smarter than people es w" ... ... ... ... (Continued from page 1) procedure, at least 4 12 men are required to keep one patrol vehicle effectively in service 24 -- hours par day, seven days per week. No matter how ambitious the men and their command may be. South Salt Lake can be assured of no more than two vehicles patrolling the city each shift. By attempting impressive though titles may sound.... to extend such a meager staff beyond basic patrol to include such specialization as traffic. patrol and detective service is to make total nnhrpRPrvirpnrnnnrtiftnatplvTnArP skimpy and ineffective. What would contract police service mean, then, for South Salt Lake,- - Mur- -ray, Midvale and Sandy? contract service costs are Police based strictly on a unit in the field. All other available services of the contracting agency are viewed as servicing the patrol unit. If South Salt Lake and other locally policed cities contract for sheriffs sereach would receive more than vice, their present patrol coverage. The patrol units would be served, in turn, as part of the contract cost, by motorized equipment, specialized youth crime and delinquency control and investigation; specialized vice and felony control and investigation. theft and recovery unit, evidence control and processing unit, mobile and statjbnary crime laboratory facilities. 'Officers contracted to serve the com- munities would receive advanced and uniform and introductory and training of the sheriffs department. Reserve officers of deputy sheriff caliber or better would be mini hr able to. the contracting communities as to the unincorporated areas of the ice county. , Angies rate-per-pat- rol raain-tainan- Benefits Extensive Small cities immediately would receive full advantage of centralized records. Murray no longer would need to pay approximately $120 per month for crime teletype service already being paid for by the major contracting agency. Small cities would benefit from specialized services of a check detail, auto theft investigative unit, 'bicycle THE MORNING . sub-stati- AFTER own from the Cox study gave linit? The contracting agency, police author -- . ities explain, must maintain for Speed Traps Evil ed Car (Continued from page Al) county has ordered the accessories: following Olds with the tilt steering power trunk latch, power antenna, white side wall tires, tinted glass and windshield, year round air conditioning, 6 way power seat, power windows and power door lock. Mr. Jenson originally had a Chrysler Imperial, which the County purchased for $5430.30 and traded in on equipment for the roads and- - bridges department for an apparent tidy profit, The $5550, Ford Galaxy had been purchased for former commission chairman C W Rrartv wheel, -- for $3824.00, less jr., oa a 1961 from Buick, 1965. , No $1100 traoe in Petty Motor )n record of competiFebruary tive bidding exists in the purchasing or clerks department on this Ford. To insure that the present commission chairman doesnt suffer at the wheel the county has ordered the 01 (immobile with the following accessories: Tilt steering wheel, power trunk latch, power antenna, white sidewall tires, tinted glass and windshiled, jeartPimd air conditioning, six way power seat, power windows and power door lock. - v . them- selves die extensive service facilities. Some facilities are not used to maximum capacity and. the contract burden is not felt, other services, already taxed, can be Increased only slightly to provide a large expansion of service at low cost. The expanded use of the service facilities diminishes the proportionate cost per unit in the field. South Salt Lake authorities, meanhave been heard to complain rf decreases of as much as $20,000 per year in traffic fines as a source of operating income. Initially, utilization of traffic laws as a source of community income is becoming recognized as a deficit concept of economy. Speed traps affect tourism negatively. Law enforcement excellence is negated by such programs. Motorists residing in the vicinity begun to detour around the speed-tra- p community and businesses suffer. The money isnt there anymore for South Salt Lake, because the traffic isn't there anymore. Murray people have been heard to voice expectation that their new chief of police can produce $40,000 per year in traffic citation income. This income for Mnfay will diminish and business will suffer when traffic detours around Murray. South Salt Lake, in addition to detouring traffic, has lost her speed-tra- p, income to high speed traffic cm Interstate Extension of 15 through Highway or past Murray will make it inevitable that the police department there must fail income expectations. The only immediate alternate to lost traffic fine incomes, police authorities across the country are coming to agree, is contract police service with resultant grossly diminished costs of government. Nor need communities lose the benefits of traffic and misdemeanor court assessments.. Contracts may specify emphasis on specialized enforcement services. Contracts may provide that all citations issued within the community must be referred to the courts of that communwhile, ity. Jenson9s e Meanwhile, Salt Lake County communities face an economic burden for which they hive not provided in their budgets -burdens attributable to exclusive, local police service. Commissioner John P estan Creer, the county attorney's office and the county sheriffs, department presently are studying a program for feeding, clothing and otherwise caring for prisoners in the new county jail. Those incorporatedfareas having their own police departments, Chie(, Deputy Nielsen told The Review, 'Wlfbe assesthe bf hundreds ofprisohers sed, forildi they arrest annually, more' than" $3 per day per prisoner held in custody. This will mean sharply increased public safety budgets for the four locally -- policed departments - unless the communities are under police' contract to the county. Under the contract program, incarceration, too, is included in the patrol unit charges. Why? How can the larger unit provide more and cheaper service to the smaller city attor- s part-tim- r $2.50 to $17.50 assistant of,one New Costs Ahead per month to bring their salaries up to the $350 per month range. Mr. Barker, beginning only his second week as a city commissioner, suggested that iiomatter what their age, education or command of the language, even white wings" need to eat, and that costs money. Mr. Barker was a little annoyed that neys, who have college degrees plus law degrees, less pay than assistant engineers, who have no degrees. Mr. Catmull observed that city attorneys have side incomes to supplement their lower salaries, whereas assistant engineers, presumably, do not. Mr. Catmull volunteered the information that he, too, has a side income - one that is considerably higher than his city commission income. In fact, Mr. Catmull observed, he made $1,200 'Monday alone on a sharp jump in the value of some stock he owns. He second-guesshis fellow commissioners and made it plain that he didn't intend to give up the commission job to some poor guy, because some poor guy wouldn't get it, anyway. Rather, he said, the job would be given to some . other rich Mayor Lee, somehow, conveyed the message that there is wage increase money in the present budgets. Commissioner Catmull argued that point, noting that the budgets of each of not cushioned the commissionerS-siso much for wage increases as for purchase of heavy equipment when needed. The truth of this analysis, Mayor Lee confirmed, is discovered at the end of the fiscal year when heads of departments (the Mayor explained it this way) bepn scurrying around, buying heavy equipment while the budget and the money is available. . Still a newcomer to city commission budgeting and purchasing techniques, Mr. Barker protested this procedure. Hesaid he thinks that budgets should be tight." They should have money for what is listed and nothing more. To be sure that the existing cushions are pared off and made available for stuffing the vacuum created by the city commissions commitment to grant wage increases effective January 1, 1966, Mr. Barker urged the commissioners to reopen the "v budget. Mr. Barker expressed disfavor at the thought of squeezing each departmental budget until each department head came up with some figure in round numbers. Instead, Mr. Barker favored the surgical approach of opening and operating. Jim Baldwin one-thi- rd police patrol unit. One man servesone shift, less days off, less vacations and holidays and sick leave, and is hired in executive status. He uses a costly vehicle operated with costly equipment and radio service. Proportionate cost to Sandy is exhorbltant because it is part-tim- e, therefore inherently inadequate. Mr. CatmullsaidheknewthatMr.Bar-ke- r told some Streets Department employes that there was money in the budgets for $100 increases for policemen and $50 for other employes. Apart from citing the qualifications of a liar, Mr. Barker pointed out that he obtained statistics and information from Mayor Lee, then campaigned cm $50 per. month for police and $25 per month for others. Mayor Lee, he said, gave him the statistics and told him that the money was available in current departmental budgets. Mr. Catmull introduced a new job classification not mentioned in the Cox report when he gave the white wings" title to those of his employes who are not young, not healthy, not educated, and not particularly intelligent. The white wings," as Mr. Catmull called them, dont earn what they are being paid; theyre old .men; some of them are cm pensions and social security; some of them cknt even speak English. For those reasons, as given by Mr.' Catmull, they don't deserve wage ranging oa substation. Sandy pays (Continued from page 1) increases cJuiS chS$Xy cS&acted . police service provides a unit cost of providing law enforcement service. The cosalso includes cost of all administrative, and supervisory personnel; investigative and crime prevention services; communications, motor vehicles, supplies and equipment, services to the full capacity of the sheriffs department. By contracting for such police services, Mr. Roos observed, the city government is relieved of the many management responsibilities which are incidental to the operation of the law enforcement agency. These responsibilities (unavailable or inadequately available to some Salt Lake include communities) recruitment, training; providing effective communications facilities; procurement and ce of motor vehicles, armament, police equipment and supplies; costs of constructing and maintaining expen- -' s:.ve police buildings; and, not reflected at all in police budgets, unemployment compensation, insurance, and retirement programs. Murray presently is talking of housing its police department in city hall facilities while Salt Lake County is talking of establishing a sheriffs in the middle of Murray. Under contract, in effect, Murray would have its The concept of contract police service, Mr. Roos and Chief Deputy Nielsen agreed, is to provide municipalities with a complete law enforcement program, keyed to the NEEDS AND THEPOLICIES of the communities served.Chief Deputy Nielsen told The Review that he would be willing to discuss contract police service for any of the com munities in Salt Late County, which now are burdened by expanding budgets for departments destined to provide dimish-in- g police protection and service. Provisions of the Utah Interlocal Cooperation Act make possible, even, a contractual arrangement for the county sheriff to provide police service to Salt Lake City, using Sait Lake City facilities late cost reduction. ' |