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Show SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH State Atty. Gen. Sees Special Prosecutor As Coverup Finance Commission Says Private Agencies Must Account, Monies Salt Lake Citys Finance Commissioner Jennings Phillips, Jr. this week said that the practice of allocating public funds to private agencies indiscriminately and without a full accounting will stop immediately. Mr. Phillips said that it was brought to his attention that many private agencies have been getting public funds from several sources without accounting lor how the money was spent. The charge was brought to light during the weekly meeting of the commissioners when commissioners were told ef the status cf a continuing statewide program involving personnel public employment with federal funds. The commissioners then direcJennings Phillips, Jr. ted the City Personnel Director Commissioner coma to Marsh prepare Lynn The auditor crerred that alplete leport of the expenditures of those funds by private agen- though the city is not liable for the expenditure of those non-cit- y cies. for City Auditor Lawrence A. funds once agencies qualifydesirbe would it Comallocation, Jones said he agreed with missioner Phillips. He also in- able to know where the money dicated that tighter control of went. Jones cited as an example thal non-cit- y funds is needed. Mr. Jones said that he has recom- there is no place where a person can find out how all the public-monemended that city hire a full-tim- e was spent by private accountant whose sole purpose agencies except by asking those would be custodian of non-cit- y The expenditures, agencies. funds. on somewhere. be record should For many years the commisTax money Phillips said sioners have handled state and and be should a judiciously spent federal funds through variety in trouble had of programs including Model frugaly. Weve on Cities, Redevelopment Agencies the past getting audit trail non-cit- y expenditures. and many others. y Action During Last Week of State Senate Sees Constitution Change constitutional proposed amendment for Utahns to con- sider in a possible special election this November for new legislative sessions and pay provisions were approved by the Utah State Senate this week. The proposal would provide for the legislature to meet 60 days every year in a general session instead of the present odd y session and even year y session for budget. A second measure would provide for bipartisan commission to be established by later law to set the salaries and expense for the state lawmakers. A third proposed amendment ulso passed by the senate would call for resubmitting to voters a measure they rejected last fall for a revised Executive Article including the provision for a lieutenant governor. Sen. Karl Snow of Provo, floor manager of the proposed amendments said the submission to voters is proposed with passage of a bill to designate Nov. A 60-da- 30-da- i j 4 when municipal elections are held as a special statewide elecfor the amendments. tion Amendments are normally voted upon in even year general elections. The state legislators are net restricted by the state constitution to pay of $25 a day while in session and for interim committee meeting plus $15 in expenses while it is in session. The measure to have commission set the pay would remove the constitutional restriction on salaries. The y annual session feature was approved after turning away from options offered by Snow to provide a fiveday December session for organization Drior to starting off the years general session and to allow bill not acted on in one session to be carried over to another session The reasoning behind the resubmitting the Executive Article is that if action isnt taken this year it would be for more years before it could be made effective due to the timing of election of state exccutivt officers. 60-da- FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 1975 Moss Defines High Court Ruling On Great Salt Lake Case To say that I am surprised at the outburst of Utah Attorney Vernon Rcmr.cy State Attorney General The Utah State Attorney General Vernon Romney said this week that the 'notion of a social prosecutor began as an end run by some people who vevc running scared to eliminate the possibility of a grand jury. The attorneys statement was made regarding the passage of a bill in the recent legislature which appropriates some $69,-00- 0 for a special prosecutor to continue an investigation of the Utah Liquor Control Commission. Mr. Romney said the best way to handle the matter is to appoint a grand jury. Third District Court Judge? currently are considering calling a grand jury to investigate alleged violations and improprieties at the commission. Sen. A. Dean Jeff of Provo introduced a new bill which now provides basic elements of fair nlay that were not in the original bill. Mr. Romney says he read the bill c.s calling for a grand jury by providing that the special prosecutor aid the grand jury in case one is called. Unvcrsity Council to Accept Student Representative An ever General Romney concerning my report on the Great Salt Lake case as handed down by the Supreme Court is an understatement, Senator Frank E. (Ted) Moss commented. On Feb. 19th, the high court gave the State of Utah, right, title and interest to certain lands surrounding the Great Salt Lake which were under water on Jan. 4, 1896. The case has been in iiligation for nearly 10 years. Senator Moss introduced bills in 1262 and in 1964. The latter cne became Public Law in June 19C6. It authorizes completion cf the old meander line boundary and allowed the Stale of Utah to sue in the controversy or t ' receive the land by quitclaim deed by paying fair market value lo the Federal government. , Since that date, the case of the State of Utah versus the United States on the Great Salt Lake has gone through court proceedings to settle the question of navigability of the Lake and now confirmed State ownership of the lands up to the boundary of the Lake in 1896. However, the Supreme Court decision left to be decided the ownership and value of lands above the 1896 water level and below the old meander line of the Lake. This is the matter yet to be resolved. No one is more pleased than I that the high court has ruled in our favor on the second major item of the Utah case, Senator I find it inconMoss stated. ceivable that Mr. Romney would take issue with my comments Senator Frank E. Moss and charge me with making this matter a political issue, he re1 am most anxious to marked. secure Utahs rights to the lake all the and its ancient lake-be- d to tlie meander line. That way is what my bill was designed to do. In nearly 10 years, attorneys general for the State cf Utah have litigated a law suit which has been twice to the U. S. Supreme Court to establish (1) that Ihc lake is navigable and therefore has belonged to Utah since statehood and (2) that the doctrine of accretion and reliction (that concept that determines the fluctuating property ownership with the rise and decline of waters for property bordering waterways) does not apply in this icase. TODAYS EDITORIAL Y High Urban Ozone Not Caused By Auto Exhaust High ozone levels in urban air, usually blamed on increasing raopjrt auto exhaust, are largely the result of ozone-enriche- d air wilh student leaders and the in from surrounding rural areas, according to a University of Utah Inrtitutiona1 blowing Council was evident this week report in Environmental Science k Technology, a publiwhen the council agreed to ac- cation of the American Chemical Society. cept a student to its membership. conclusion This bv E. Peter Coffey and William E. Governor Calvin L. Rampton already has signed House Bill 62 Stasiuk of the Division of Air Resources, New York which will make the student State Department of Environmental Conservation in body president the 10th member of each state college or uni- Albany, represents a new view of ozoe pollution. The findings suggest to the authors that controlling versity Institutional CnurU. The law becomes effective May 13th. Continued on page 4) |