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Show Wbt jlalt fake Sribune IISSIDE: Layton Cit y Mull inji Burn-PlaPosition Davis Cournty Edition Salt Lake City, Utah Vol. 232, No. 115 Wednesday Morning nt Bountiful Sets Goals For Upcoming Year January 22, 1986 Balancing Budget Is No Simple Feat Federal Funding; Cuts Leae Gaping Moles in Heenue By Keri Schreiner Whether in a Tribune Staff Writer checkbook, on a tightrope or stumble to the coffee pot in the no Mmp.e achieving buhince feat. Just ask a city official With February rolling around and the fiscal 1987 hudgi looming on the horizon, cities are feeling the heat of rcent federal funding cuts that will leave a gaping hole m local i revenues. "My strategy as city man, ?r is to count on nobody, said Draper city manager 'Cities have Iwn Andy Hatton-Ward- , required for years and years to balance their budget and the federal government never has. consequently we re feeing the crunch now." In the past, balancing city budgets has been helped h large federal allocations. But the battle against the federal deficit has left those transfers among its victims Funding for community development block grants v be ing reduced and general revenue sharing eliminated as a bill pa-sresult of the by Congress m August of last year. Block grants are given to local governments for specific projects Under the revenue sharing program. the federal government regular Iv supported the bud gets of cities. What the cuts mean to Utah cities is a loss of money funds that must be generated from other sources to continue providing the services made possible by federal monies In most cases, the effect is proportional to the sie of the city, with some governments having as little as 20 of their budgets affected and others, such as South Jordan hoing a third of their total income "We have to develop some form of revenue that v. il ht Ip offset those dollars that we re losing now." said South JorIt's rough for a small dan Councilman Robert Mascaro city like ours with virtually no commercial tax bast- Hi really have to see about getting some other busine-- s people into our city." South Jordan received $50,966 in revenue sharing for 1985. Anticipating the possible cuts, the city council budgeted for $12,742 in sharing for 1986. though they have received more than expected Having been forewarned of the pending cutbacks, the itv enacted a franchise tax last year that will help bridge the gap in revenue next year. The tax will also go toward paying for needed road repairs in the city. Like South Jordan. Draper City also imposed a franchise tax in July of last year, in part anticipating the funding cuts Mr. Hatton-Warsaid that there is also a possibility that taxes will have to be increased to cover the $45,OoO they will no longer get from revenue sharing A tax increase "definitely is a possibility." he said "It s a little bit premature to say we're going to raise the mill levy at this point, but it definitely is one of the options we re faced with." However, most cities contacted by The Tribune reported that the revenue loss would be bandied without increasing taxes. Many cities will take the edge off the impact by providing less in the area of public serv ice. Road repairs, equipment purchases and curb and gutter improvements that were planned will be shelved for the present in some cities. In others, the revenue loss will be absorbed through hiring freezes and usual increases m sales tax income as local business grows "We'll either cut back in other areas or raise additional See DA-7- . Column 1 deficit-reductio- n ed 1 - With parents who generally allow them to come and go as they please, street kids can j ' escape the attention of schools and police, One counselor estimates 1,000 wander Utah. Days Pass Slowly for Utahs Street Kids Editor's note: They meander around Salt Lake and Davis counties witti nothing to do but live from day to day, bored, sometimes committing minor crimes. Occasionally returning home or with apathetic parents not pursuing them, Utahs street kids" are not technically runaways. But they ore equally vulnerable to the dangerous elements of society. In the first of two articles. Tribune Staff Writer Jomie Tabish who examines the problem through two local teen-oger- s spend most of their time on the street. By Jamie Tabish Tribune Staff Writer She had left home repeatedly since she was six. but at the age of 12, "Tammy" decided the street was more attractive than life with either her mother or father, and she left for good. At night during the first six weeks, she slept in an old garage with the homeowner's German shepherd. I get along really well with animals." she said. "The dog would keep me warm at night." Because she feared the owners would discover her trespass, she was careful to enter the garage around midnight and leave as soon as it became light. knew where No one her parents, the police, her school she was, which was how she preferred it. Since leaving home, shes lived in two foster homes and a few friends houses, and shes been through several adolescent psychiatric programs. But she remains basically a transient individual, who spends most of her time out of doors. The girl, who spoke on the condition her real name not be used, is one of an estimated 1.000 children who spend a major- See DA-2- , Column 4 d |
