OCR Text |
Show - A Centerville Mayor responds to Marilj n Sanders Contributing Writer CENTERVILLE A grassroots organization calling themselves the Centerville Cits Course Correction Group has recently made claims that the Centerville City Administration has eliminated the citizen input sessions before the city council, refused to solicit resident's views on important issues and made it costly and difficult to get information. "It you can t stand before the council in open session, and you can't get your issue on the agenda, what is a citizen supposed to do? asked resident Nancy Smith. Despite these allegations. Mayor Priscilla Todd said the group's claims are untrue and she stands by the decisions and policies of her administration and the city council. A few weeks ago the group sent out over 5,000 copies of "A Contrasting Point of View, a rebuttal to Todd's February "State of the City," column in the city newsletter. Course Correction Rick Spokesman Bangerter said that since the publication of the rebuttal, ov er 2(X) citizens hav e come forw ard and asked to have their names added to the ranks of the Centerville City Course Correction Group. Since then the group has met in a public meeting to show documentation of their claims, including letters from the city denying citizens' requests to speak to the city council. Bangerter said one of the issues at the heart of the group's concerns w as the fact that the city council had eliminated the citizen input session" at the beginning of each city council meeting. According to the rebuttal, this "makes it nearly impossible to offer suggestions, let alone express opposing opinions. erned citizens claims "Not so, said Todd who told the Clipper the reason the city had discontinued the "citizen input session" was to make the city council meetings more fair to everyone. Todd said that a few citizens would come to every city council determine if the issue warranted further study or a place on the city council agenda. Todd said citizen input is still welcomed by both city officials and the city council and that many questions and issues can be dealt w uh by city staff without takmeeting u i,h "The newsletter is not a public forum them ing before the lengthy it snot a newspaper. city council. The Mayor Priscilla Todd and was group w ould also upset by take up lime allotted for actual agenda items. the fact that the city had denied them the Bangerter said he agrees time should be opportunity to mail theii rebuttal as part ol the limited lor citizen input, "but administrators city newsletter. should be able to do that. The purpose of the city newsletter is to The mayor said the purpose of the input get out information to every citizen and to get sessions was to allow individuals a few minthem involved in the city. We have used the utes to addiess the city council with relevant newsletter to inform the community about issues. The council and city staff could then moratoriums, public hearings and rezoning -- issues as well as upcoming events and community volunteer pioects." the mayor explained Todd said that in addition to the new swot thy events in the newsletter, a business in Centers ille is selected each month to be "spotlighted" in the newsletter Todd feels this is a way for city officials to show pnde in the area businesses and to encouiage s its iesidents to shop in the city Todd said that while citizens have a right to their opinions regarding city government, the city newsletter is not the place tin this type of rebuttal. She added that she doesn't know of any city that allows lehuttals or citizen responses to issues in the city newsletter. "We try to keep people informed and let them know what's happening in their city. The newsletter is not a public forum it's not a newspaper," said Todd. see CENTERVILLE pg. A2 Blaze destroys kitchen at Carmacks Ice Cream BOUNTIFUL A longtime Bountiful institution. Carmack's Ice Cream. 431 S. Main will be closed for some time after an early morning fire Wednesday left the kitchen area in ruins. The Bountiful City Fire Department received the call at 1:13 a.m.. accoiding to Assistant Fire Chief Mike Barfuss. The fire began as the night cook was prepanng the day s food. Grease on the grill apparently ignited. The fire burned up the vent, into a drop ceiling and on into the roof. The cook tried unsuccessfully to fight the fire and was driven out of the kitchen. A police officer who arrived on the scene also emptied a fire extinguisher into the blaze to no avail. Firefighters arrived on the scene at 1:15. It took five minutes to knock down the fire and another 20 to ensute it was out, Barfuss said. Problems arose as the fire spread between the roof and drop ceiling, as the ceiling began to fall on firefighters. Once firefighters got on top of the roof, they were able to better fight the blaze. A total of 37 firefighters were on the scene from both Bountiful City fire stations. Batfuss gave a low estimate of $20,000 damage on the structure. He said that did not include the loss of equipment, supplies or food, nor the time lost while repairs are made. No firefighters were injured and the fire was contained to Carmack's. Davis teachers, district agree on 3.3 percent raise FARMINGTON The Davis School District Board of Education and Davis Education Association have reached a tentative settlement for teachers. The school year adjustment for the 1997-9- 8 will be 3.3 percent plus increments and lanes for teachers who qualify. Proposed changes in salary levels, insurance benefits, district programs and contract language will be presented to DEA school representatives and members on May 20. DEA members will vote on the final package the follow ing week and members of the Davis Board of Education will approve the settlement on June 3. District Superintendent Darrel K. White said, "We're very pleased to have reached a timely settlement. We realize that teachers and our other employees are the greatest resource we have for providing an outstanding educational program for students." Assistant Superintendent Lynn Trenheth, who led the district negotiating team said she especially appreciated the professional conduct of both negotiating teams. "Members of both teams were committed to focus on the central mission of Dav is schools learning in the classroom." And Vik Arnold, the DEA Uniserv director and DEA team spokesman said, "We're pleased to have reached an agreement before the close of the traditional school and for the third consecutive time. year All negotiators made efficient use of time and financial resources. Given the legislafeel extremely tive funding we received. pleased with the agreement." Members of the teams were: Trenheth, Bruce Williams, Mel Miles, Craig Poll and Paul Waite for the district; and Arnold, John Costley, Ellen Kaylyn Denny. Thompson and Susan Traeden for the DEA. 1 a COME BACK SOON: An early morning fire Wednesday left the kitchen area of Carmack's Ice Cream shop in ruins The Bountiful Main Street legend, where hundreds of doughnuts were sold and eaten each day by faithful customers, will remain closed until own ers can get the damage repaired. Clipper photo Cathy Linford School board debates increasing fees for science, music students Melinda Williams Stuff Writer Driven by increased FARMINGTON curriculum demands and not enough equipment, two Millcreek Junior High teachers made a plea to the Dav is School Board to raise the science lab fee for 7th and 8th graders beginning next year. Duane Gadd and Doug Wood told board members Tuesday that under the new curriculum required by the state, 7th and 8th graders must have lime in the lab as the 9th as much hands-o- n the $3 charged is not enough to graders, yet even keep the school in consumable supplies d and doesnt begin to pay for the equipment. The board is considering rev isions to its much-neede- fees policy, which will include hikes in a number of areas. But most of the discussion centered around the lab fee, since the science teachers were present. Wood told the board We are greatly affected by the new state science curriculum. "Eighty percent Doug Wood, Science Sweet Talker Faye Byington of West Bountiful uses the right soil, plenty of sunshine, and "gentle" encouragement to help her garden grow. Clipper photo Cathy Linford hands-o- n teacher curriculum, Eighty percent is now hands-o- n where in the past is was about 20 percent. Were grossly underfunded." He figured the science lab was being funded at about 14 of one cent per student per day. Gadd told the board he had spent SI .000 of his own money Seventy four percent of voters OK bonds A canFARMINGTON vass of the May 6 bond and voted leeway election held by the Davis School District shows 10.130 voters cast ballots in the election, in which 74 percent of those voting approved the $74 million bond and 69 percent approved the voted leeway. The 10.000 voters are only 10 percent of those registered in the county, but Dav is Board of President Barbara Education Smith said she was told to expect only 4 to 5 percent, so she said she felt pretty good about 10 percent. All 52 precincts passed both the bond and leeway. Business District Administrator Bruce Williams told board members that the first series of bonds for about $40 million will be issued in August of September. now curriculum...We're grossly underfunded." I. H is The bond, will fund the construction of seven elementary schools, additions to eight other schools and renovations to several others throughout the district. About $1 million will be earmarked for computers. The $75 million will raise taxes by about $39 yearly on a $100,000 home. The voted leeway will provide funding for school operation. The increase will be used for class size reduction, operating costs for new classrooms and schools, textbooks and teaching supplies and classroom computers. County residents will feel the first impact of the leeway in 1999, when they will see an additional $1 in taxes. The leeway will be implemented in increments of .0002 in 1999, 2000, and 2001. 1 last year providing specimens. He said at another district junior high. S6.000 was spent on specimens alone. The two are requesting the lab tee be raised to S 0 for 7th and 8th graders, hi mging their fee in line with that of 9th graders. If the S10 is approved, it would be the maximum a umoi high would be able to chaige. Each school could set its own fee up to the S10. The two told the boaid at Millcreek, the entne student- body has only 13 microscopes for 840 students. In addition to needing mine equipment, keeping the microscopes they have in good repair is an expensive proposition. By requesting funding additional microscopes. we're not being extravagant." see "FEE pg. A2 Police search for third armed robber suspect LAYTON Police are still looking for the third suspect in an armed robbery which occurred Tuesday at Applebees Restaurant here. Two of the three suspects were picked up by Kaysville Police within hours of the robbery. old Arrested were Karften O. Spencer, 8, and a juvenile, both of Salt Lake City. Still being sought is old Jason Miranda Jacques. 23, of Sandy. The three are accused of robbing the Applcbee's Restaurant, 1622 N. 1000 West, at 12:25 a.m. Tuesday morning of an undisclosed amount of cash which was later recovered, according to Sgt. Dale May of the Layton Police. Two handguns were used in the robbery, but no one was iniured. May said. the three fled by vehicle to Kaysville. where they were chased by a Kaysville City police officer into an area subdiv There, they ditched the car and tried to hide in backyards as police chased them. Two were apprehended about 1:30 a.m. in the subdivision. Kaysville Police Chief Dave Helquist said the city shops were broken into later that night and he believes the third suspect may have been the culprit Police and members of the Davis Sheriff's Department Crime Lab were on the scene Tuesday gathering ev idence. 1 1 23-ye- |