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Show LIBRARY DAVIS COUNTY PUBLIC Lakeside TUESDAY, August 21, 1990 VOLUME 10, NUMBER 34 COMMUNITY NEWS FOR NORTH DAVIS COUNTY Layton business V i i 1 4 a! summary of the weeks top local news stories from the Standard-Examine- r. A WT f Layton council OKs new sign ordinance k: activity up LAYTON correspondent LAYTON Business activity in Lay-to- n is on the rise, according to reports by the Utah Foundation and the city financial director. Analysts from the foundation, a private tax research organization, said based on a study using sales and use tax receipts. Layton businesses., took in about $299,140,000 last year. That's 12.8 percent higher than sales in 1988. Last year's gross sales were nearly 12 times higher than in 1970. Although spending was up, analysts said the purchasing power of the dollar was down by 4.8 percent last year. With art adjustment for inflation, Layton still realized an 8 percent. sales increase. We certainly have been much better. said Layton Financial Director Steve Ashby. Weve had some new businesses that have come in to help in- i crease (sales). Layton will get about $2.5 million of the total sales figure from 1989, said Ashby. Ashby said the addition of Shopko has helped to bring sales up. They may ihave drawn away from some of the businesses a little, but still overall increased other activities, he said. Gross dollar amounts were also increased by the addition of d restaurants like McDonalds and Hardees last year. Ashby said auto sales were up; and. he said, Layton Hills Mall had a pretty good year. I keep a good watch on how car sales and groceries are going because sales tax is a big part of our revenue. I also watch how the mall is doing because our revenues are affected by it, Ashby fast-foo- said. Last year spending' in Layton was at about $8,160 per capita. The figure is $52 lower than the state average. Ashby said the city of about 43,938 has grown faster than many other parts of Utah. Due to legislation passed in 1983, a portion of sales tax is divided among Utah communities based on popula- tion. Before that time all of the sales tax went back to its community of origin. Gradually the population portion of the ratio is being increased tp help those communities with little or no business activity. Beginning m January, 35 percent of the local sales tax is divided according to population while 65 percent goes back to the community where sales are made. Before this year, the population figures used in the allocation were determined according to the last decennial census. Legislation approved by the 1990 Utah Legislature requires that the population figures usCd in making the distribution be based on the most recent official census or census estimate. Layton and other Utah cities get 6364th of a cent on every dollar spent in their communities, but Ashby said See SALES on page 2 . Stars and Stripes: It was a case of mistaken identity WEST POINT When a member of the Davis County Sheriffs Department recovered a stolen flag from Salt Lake City he was sure he knew who the owners were. But when he tried to return it to West Point City Offices last week he found it wasnt the citys missing flag at all. An flag with embroidered stars was stolen from the flag pole at the city offices just before the Fourth of July. Detective Glenn Parker said he was excited when he discovered the flags whereabouts while working in Salt Lake on a case connected with gang activity. I was doing gang investigative work in Salt Lake City when I stumbled on an officer who had obtained a flag from a Job Corps person who was allegedly holding it for someone who was using his Walkman, said Parker. The flag was being held for evidence so Parker had to return later to Salt Lake to retrieve the flag, he told the city council last week. I was ecstatic when I got the flag. I took the flag directly to the West Point City Offices only to find it wasnt the right flag. It was such a big disappointment. My big goal in life is to try to recover what I can for our citizens, he said. I was really excited because there was a real strong possibility it was their flag. City employees knew the recovered flag wasnt theirs because it was made by a different manufacturer. i' I ' V fflX. Zy, X jrt: - Vtf ,? - "A: ,,., 4F- -: !;'' V ' if-- -- ... 0 "5 S a'. ,X. .;mm L' - v. Picking the dead blooms off live flowers, Jennifer, Herre of Clearfield dead heads the plants at Utah State Universitys Botanical Gardens in. Far- - . , : 4 The Layton City Council passed an amended sign ordinance at its meeting Thursday, excluding items that would have restricted how and where bus bench advertising could be used in the city. Scott Carter, director of community By DONNA BROWN Standard-Examine- mm r vr mington. Herre is a school teacher for most of the year but works at the horticultural research : farm in the summer. development, included a number of clauses in the ordinance that would. have narrowed the definition of bus bench advertising and more severly restricted its use. After lengthy discussion and debate, the council decided to approve the amendment excluding the references to bus bench advertising, and scheduled a public hearing for Sept. 6 to deal with those items. Councilman Jerry Stevenson said he cant see how effective bench advertising can be when the bench is used for its intended purpose. When someone is sitting on it, you cant see the advertising, he said. Id hate to see us develop a community where we dont call signs, signs, we call them benches. Auto burglaries , up in Davis County By JaNAE FRANCIS Standard-Examine- r Up to 4,000 visitors are expected . tour the seven acres of foliage correspondent FARMINGTON Volunteers and to1 located-- next to U.S. 89, listen to gardening lec-- j staff at the Utah Botanical Gardens are tures, sample different varieties of mel- -' busy sprucing up and outlining duties on and try their luck in a drawing. for the research farms biggest event of KALL and KSL radio stations will the year, which is just around the cor--' host live gardening shows from the ner. The 13th Annual Labor Day Open House is set for Saturday, Sept. 1, at the gardens, located at 1817 N. Main, ' Farmington. e to enjoy a atmosphere while from learning gardening experts, said Debbie Amundsen, assistant horticul-turalis- t. fair-lik- , r ; - ; V- i The days lecture series includes a , discussion at 11 a.m. on Solving problems in your yard, given by Dr. Sherman Thompson, state pathology gardens. Knowledgeable gardeners will be on hand to answer questions at this free event. " The open house offers a great way specialist.-- . - v. At 12:30 p.m. a bonzi demonstration will be given by Fred Noyes, master , gardener . Davis COG to study Artist capture flavor of city man wins South Weber contest Layton By DEENA JONES r Standard-Examine- ' ' paramedic program FARMINGTON Davis County Council of Govetpment representatives have established a citizens com- r A mittee 4 f 1 " V-- I Vf 1 S""""' f ' w " v ; m x r Bippes, the city engineer for six "-- 4 fife 3 tT - concern, but said he actually may have an advantage over an outside hire because of his familiarity with ' Clearfield. A August -- w West Point council OKs 4.6 tax increase r MillerStandard-Examine- Artist Jerry Stickney of Layton drew a pen and ink drawing that will be featured, on the cover of a history book on South Weber. . WEST POINT correspondent FRUIT HEIGHTS The city council is working to" keep debate to a minimum at a' town meeting set for Sept. 1 at Burton Elementary School at 7 p.m. The council has called the meeting, to educate the community about its proposal for a new city office, ; .. building. Blaine said the meeting will also Mayor give him opportunity to announce a survey to be tak- cn to residents Sept. 12. A preview of the citys unapproved new master plan could also be ready for display at the meeting. This is not a debate, Nelson said to the council members at their meeting Tuesday. We just want to educate our constituency and get feedback. Nelson told the council he wanted members to appear as a unified body. He said he will carefully arrange the order of their speeches so they wont appear as if they are debating.: Councilman David Garrett, the only council member who plans to speak out against building new city See INPIT on page 2 I ' , The council approved a tax increase public hearing in the packed quarters of the city offices and approved the final fiscal year budget of $521,499. The tax increase is much lower than the formerly proposed increase of 26 percent and increases the total city budget by only 1 percent. City officials decided to trim the budget across the board in order to keep the tax increase below 5 percent. of 4.6 percent after a Proposal for now city offices Options for Fruit Heights : 1 The city could build a new structure" using a $250,000 trust fund which the city has been accumulating for 10 years. Depending on the size of the building, said Mayor Blaine Nelson',, the city could stay within a $250,000 limit if this idea were approved. The council is considering several alternatives for a possible location, the most popular being at Nichols Park. Other alternatives involve purchase of the Rock Loft, 281 S. Mountain Road, where the citys current offices are located. Based on a study done during former mayor Dean Brands' term, it would cost $500,000 to $600,000 to renovate the building that owner Dale Jost is asking $300,000 to $400,000. for. b Other alternatives involve partial remodeling of the current building and continued remodeling as more funds became, d available, complete remodeling with funds from a bond, and complete remodeling with funds from a possible federal qrant. citizen-approve- City residents will be paying more in taxes this year but not as much as previously thought as the city council has decided to trim its budget. , . . Clearfield council tabs Bippes city manager years, said he understands Andersons ' ; countys beginning. Fruit Heights to get input bn Standard-Examine- the The Clearfield CLEARFIELD city council advertised nationwide, but in the end only had to look a couple of departments away to find its new city manager. Out of 98 applicants the council appointed City Engineer Jack Bippes to the position last Tuesday, effective immediately subject to technical negotiations. The motion wasnt unanimous, however. Councilman Ivan Anderson opposed the appointment saying, although he felt Bippes was the best public works director around, he felt Bippes lacked in the requirements the council had set for the position in the ' See ARTIST on page 2 - study cost-effecti- an by JaNAE FRANCIS to paramedic program. Bountiful Mayor Bob Linnell suggested to COG members last Wednesday a committee be organized to determine if the countys paramedic in lieu of the program is fact that the city fire departments in the south end of the county are able to provide the same service. correspondent SOUTH WEBER Jerry Stickney has captured on canvas what he believes is the flavor of South Weber. The Layton artist was chosen the winner in a contest sponsored by South Weber City for entries for cover art for the citys upcoming history book. South Weber resident and historian Lee Bell compiled the book, and a history committee was formed to promote the upcoming book and choose the artwork for the cover. The contest was open to anyone, and the request was to send in a photo or picture that would say This is South Weber. Stickney saw a newspaper story about the contest and decided to enter. He says he has always been interested in history; he currently does artwork for displays at the Layton Heritage Museum. Besides, the contest intrigued him. Stickney began his project by doing some research. Before the contest, I didnt even know South Weber existed, he says. I just thought it was part of Uintah. He says the curator at the Layton Museum, Kent Day, told him about the Morrisite War that took place in the late 1800s in South Weber. The conflict was the first recorded war in the state. The remainder of his information he got out of the book East Of Antelope Island, which was compiled by the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. Through his research he said he found Several Davis County police departments have reported a rash of auto burglaries this summer, and believe the thieves are unorganized groups of teenagers trying to make a quick buck. Last week, Kaysville Police Chief Dave Helquist reported 27 car burglaries and said hes had about 25 more since then. Clinton Police Chief Leroy Webb said hes seen about 100 auto burglaries in the last two months, and police officials in Layton, Sunset, Bountiful, and Centerville also report quite a few this summer, up to a half dozen a day in Layton, said Sgt. Rex Brimhall. two-ho- ur Best quote 'When someone is sitting on it, you can't see the advertising Layton City Councilman Jerry Stevenson, in questioning the effectiveness of bus bench advertising at last Thursday'i council meeting ij |