Show Serving Utah’s Great Pahvant Valley £qjy and Brush Wellman reach settlement EPA The US Environmental Protection Agency and Brush Wellman Inc near Delta Utah have reached a settlement arising out of alleged violations of the Emergency Planning and Community Act (EPCRA) for failure to notify authorities after a chemical release According to the terms of the agreement Brush Wellman Inc's (BW) mill operation will pay a penalty of $44500 In addition BW will pay $10000 to the Millard County Local Emergency Response Committee for the purchase of and response planning emergency equipment An earlier complaint alleged that in March 1990 BW released 700 to 5000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia gas EPA alleged that BW failed to immediately notify the required emergency response authorities during the accidental release Under EPCRA BW should have notified the National Response Center State of Utah Emergency Response Commission and Local Emergency for Millard Committee Response Notification County immediately should have taken place after at least 00 pounds of ammonia were released into the atmosphere The complaint further alleged that B W failed to submit a written follow-unotice as soon as practit ab'e The notice provides updated spill information and describes response actions taken and health risks associated with the releases “Equipment purchased will directly improve all responses to hazardous material incidents in the surrounding area" said EPA Emergency Response IruTstignto- - S 'ot' whifmore Anhydrous ammonia is a highly toxic gas that irritates the eyes and respiratory tract Democratic Caucuses The Democratic Party Caucuses will be held Monday April 27 1992 All caucuses will be at 8:00 pm except in Fillmore where they will be at 700 pm 18 l£fS 50c Delta (south of Main) Marge Riding residence 144 South 400 West Republican Caucus In addition to the Republican Party Caucuses listed in last weeks edition to be held Monday April 27 1992 at 7:00 p m 17 Delta will be held at the Della North Elementary School VqI 81 No 41 April 23 1992 Delta Treasurer Bender Resigns Kate llellenbrand On April 16th Doyle Bender signed as Delta City Treasurer ending a two month conflict that found Mayor Don Dafoe city councilmembcrs and other city officials calling closed meetings on a weekly basis The dr am a beg an several months ago when a chance internal audit of the city disclosed surpluses in bank balances discrepancies in billings and bottom lines that didn’t add up At that time Mayor Dafoe suspended Bender for over a week while CPA Dick Turner looked through the accounts with a comb As no criminal activity had taken place Mayor Dafoe and most specifically councilman Gayle Bunker argued that Bender should be given an opportunity to redeem himself and Bender was reinstated in the Treasurer position "under strong guidelines" said Mayor Dafoe Ultimately however the Mayor and that the “coCouncil determined mingled money" puzzle ard requirements of the job were more than Bender could handle and he was asked to resign "We just told him we didn’t feel he was performing his job the way we expected it to be done For the best of all parties we asked him to resign There wasn’t any dishonesty involved just more a matter of not being able to perform the work we expected from him" says Mayor Dafoe "It’s always been my feeling that everyone’s entitled to one mistake" continues Dafoe "and we've been able tocorrcct some deficiencies that needed to be corrected" A portion of tire confusion surrounding Bender’s dismissal was the Mayor’s willingness to share some of the blame He and councilmem-beRex Hams have stated that they could have kept better tabs on the counts It was these feelings that possibly kept Bender working at his job w hile resolutions were sought Money continues to appear in accounts without much rhyme or reason and no paper trail ex Lsts for thousands of dollars Bender by all accounts can be accused of paying bills without collecting the funds to pay them When the funds did come in he evidently deposited the monies in accounts that had little or no direct bearing on the actual funds "There is money sitting in accounts and we don’t know where it should go” said Dorothy Jeffery City Recorder at a recent City Council meeting (Jeffery had been commandeered by the Mayor to assist Bender in backtracking through the accounts looking for answers to die many questions that continued to arise) Dafoe recognizes that the earlier method of the city’s accounting may have been partially at fault “Because of the interest involved and the easy way we can transfer money into city accounts we deposited all of our revenues with the Stale Treasurer" says Dafoe "Most cities invest their money with the from StatcTreasurcr"Thetroublccame the mass groupings of money in large accounts: general fund capital imthan Other provement water sewer these vague headings the money was not broken down into more precise accounts Dafoe says that problem has now been resolved "We have separate accounts set up now for specific accounts Now we know how much money we have in each account" says Dafoe Two areas were affected by the “comingled money" Both areas were the only accounts handled entirely by Bender Health care insurance for the Delta volunteer fire department and the District (SID) Special Improvement established in 1985 for installation of water and sewer for the Delta Estates subdivision located on the northeast edge of town Volunteers in the Delta Fire Department are offered individual health care coverage as a benefit Those who wish family coverage may purchase it by paying the balance in the premiums Bender was paying the premiums but not billing the firemen Six firemen were initially involved and a precise total of the monies still fluctuates (The figure has vacillated around $13500) Dafoe says that the parties were in no danger of having their insurance cancelled even though the people weren’t paying their bills “There are only three people involved right now” says Dafoe “The others have paid Now we send out a monthly statement" Dafoe admits that some of the individuals had to "dig deep" in order to pay the city for the funds expended on their in one instance $1800 behalf The Special Improvement District for Delta Estates is another matter 33 Estabwere involved homeowners lished for payment of water and sewer systems in 1985 property owners were to pay an average of $333 a year back to the city as bond holder If homeowners did not pay their notice within 30 days the city had the option to declare them delinquent and foreclose on their properties Dafoe says “We don't know how many years some of these people didn’t pay because of the poor records” He adds that "some of the people we thought were delinquent weren’t and some people we can’t even find We will foreclose on their property because they’ve become delinquent on their taxes as well" Dafoe continues: “To those that were delinquent we’ve sent certified letters Some payments were as high as $3500" "Right now we’re still looking at a to $4000 deficiency of probably $5000 We know now who owes it to us we’re just trying to find the people volved” Dafoe again sees that the city could have been responsible for part of the confusion “The billings were sent out on water and sewer billing forms maybe people didn’t notice that it was a SID payment I can understand how that could be confusing but Doyle should have stayed on top of it" “We've had to find whohas paid and who hasn’t We' ve had to go through all the receipts and in some cases they're aren’t complete receipts" adds Dafoe Dafoe says that Bender also “has gone a couple of years of borrowing from the General Fund but hasn’t followed the procedures in the ordinances of going before the Council to get permission before doing so" Dafoe wonders why so many people did not volunteer that they had not been billed “People don’t usually pay unless they get a bill” says Dafoe “They just let it ride But it's going to hit sometime or another My opinion is that we can’t penalize these people even if they are in arrears if they didn't receive notifica- Sheriff Ed Phillips stands surrounded by stacks of surplus food Sheriff’s Department Saves Big with Surplus Food Kate llellenbrand Jail food is not known to be very good In rural areas the food is probably better than that in urban jails but there aren't many facilities that feature gourmet meals The fare is usually basic stuff like meat loaf macaroni and cheese and oatmeal Millard County Jail may soon be getting rave reviews for its cuisine courtesy of Sheriff Ed Phillips and his sharp business sense Prisioners will be dining on such exotic fare as shrimp and sukiyaki and more well known chow ‘like chili and lasagna Phillips was cently contacted by the Federal Surplus Agency in Salt Lake offered pallets of food for prices "These were things put together for Desert Storm and they are now being offered to schools jails prisons and soup kitchens” said Phillips Phillips has been buying pallets at $50 each and figures that they are worth five to six times that much on the w market (0 Members of the Rotary Club of Delta and the Delta City Youth Council get down to business at the Autovon building south of Delta coloring 90 dozen eggs for the Delta Easter Egg hunt protcby Pat Truimo Delta City Councilman Gayle Bunker is confused why auditors did not see “That’s what I the discrepancies thought auditors did" said Bunker Continued on Page 3 tr' just "play and have a good time" On March 2 st the eight members of Fiddlers the Utah County appeared with local musicians at the Rebekah Hall during the Classy Chassis drive The Car Club’s membership handful of people present had a great time swaying and singing songs that dipped back in lime to early pioneer days Dancing the Virginia Reel clapping and stomping were on the agenda too Mincer says the same group will be appearing at the May 2nd event and hopes that more people w ill be encouraged to join in the fun on a monthly basis to help the businesses The Sheriff department also receives some assistance from the L'SDA though Phillips says "it has gotten leaner and h ancr over the years" The surplus shipments have included trays salt and pepjxr knives forks and items the Sheriff's department spoons cannot use Phillips is offering these items to non profit organizations like the Rotary Club the Lions or church groups “We'd be happy to let them have the sc commxbties for ihi etx) of the " say s puboc PlumpHolding up a bulk can of dehydrated shrimp the Sheriff seems sold "It's unhcheveahlc" he says "They taste fresh cvcryNxiy loves them " NLllar i C ounty Jail is already a fine it may sixm facility gain a reputation as a fine dining experience Especially if you like vukiyaki Easter weekend was celebrated throughout the County with Easter Fgg Hunts Church Services and family dinners After the unseasonably arm spring the temperatures turned chilly in time for the Saturday morning Easter Egg Hunts In IVlta sunshine didn’t warm air temperatures but the line of kids who gathered to snatch up over colored and specially marked eggs didn't seem to notice a bit Fiddlers Cornin’ Round Again Kate llellenbrand On May 2nd the Utah chapter of Fiddlers will be pickin’ and grinnin’ their way back through Delta performing at the Chamber of Commerce Spring Trade Fair at noon then moving to the Rebekah Hall at 200 pm for another afternoon of musical fun Musician Norm Mincer proponent of forming a local chapter of the Fiddlers group says that Delta has not been sanctioned yet but he has contacted the President of the organization in Provo and hopes that a local group can soon be formed In the meantime local musicians have been getting together on a weekly basis at his home to “A lot of agencies haven't been taking advantage of tins offer so we have been picking up their allotments" ad nuts Phillips disclosing that he has saved his fox) budget nearly 00(¥) by making three trips to the Surplus Agency in Salt Lake "This fixxl has a substantial and we are really pleased Wc were one of the first to sign up and we don't know how long it will be available so we're getting all wecan”sas Phillips Phillips has been taking photographs Her “iiipiessive" snipnicms they arrive because he wants dix to show the County Commissioners when they wonder why his fixxl budget has dropped so drastically "I don’t want any misperception about the positive impact on our budget this year" says Phillips adding that this windfall may not ever happen again The Sheriff’s department shops locally for fresh produce and dairy pnxl ucts switching from market to market Kids Scramble for Easter Eggs tion" Picking and Grinning e Heiionbrand Pho:o Sponsored by the Delta Rotary Club and the Della Youth City Council prizes and money gift certificates candy were also given away as well as the brightly colored eggs produced by the two groups the night before at the Autovon building in South Tract In Fillmore snow rain sleet and hail stopped long enough for children in age groups to dive into specially corded off areas for candy and plastic eggs filled with coins The Fillmore event was organized by the Lion’s Club Children of the Hem family from Fillmore get into the spirit of the Easter Egg Hunt celebrating the joy of the holiday |