Show ¥ 0' wj Counties seek financial relief from Legislature By Cindy Yurth staff writer enuc and Taxation Interim Committee Wednesday two lawmakers whose dis- SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s 29 counties are feeling the pinch With more federal- - and some possible solutions to tnc county state-mandat- ed functions and a fixed income of property tax dollars (thanks to crunch Reporting on recent meetings of the County Funding Task Force Rep and Sen Stephen Bodily John Holmgren River City said the Legislature could help counties get a handle on their financial woes by setting up “risk pools” and a statewide county sales tax After meeting with the Utah Association of Counties the task force is convinced the counties aren’t just whining Bodily told the committee “They have a lot of responsibilities” he said “Aging mental R-B- recent tax limitation laws) county officials have been hounding the state for Legislature tricts include Cache County offered relief Next year they just might get some At a meeting of the Legislature’s Rev- - health substance abuse — these are all state programs that arc handled through the counties” In addition he said writing a decent county budget is next to impossible unless you have a psychic on the staff Counties must deal with fire control Search and Rescue and legal counsel for indigent defendants — budget line items that could cost $1000 one year and a million the next “These areas can be devastating for some counties” especially the large rural ones with a small scattered population Bodily said “The bottom line is we’ve kind of tied the hands of the counties as far as a revenue source” Holmgren added “Basically they have one: property tax How do they accommodate expanding needs with a lid on their revenue?” The task force had a few ideas By working together Bodily said counties could form a “risk pool” — sort of a plan a county could draw from in case of an unexpected financial crisis like a murder trial with three indigent defendants or a had fire season Since chances are not all the counties would be in trouble at once they could pool their resources and take turns drawing from them based on need he explained To free them from utter dependence on the leveled-of- f property tax the task force is recommending adding a percent sales tax Holmgren added This revenue would cither be distributed to self-insuran-ce one-ha- lf Fiasco gives Waldholtz publicity politicians usually can do without Training center moves to new quarters By Phil Jensen staff writer A center that trains the mentally disabled made it official Wednesday when it invited the public to tour the new building near downtown WASHINGTON (AP) — Congresswoman Enid Waldholtz has been a standout in the House since she and 72 other newcomers pushed Republicans into the majority But it’s the disappear- Logan Cache Employment and Training Center moved to the site from the Bridgcrland Applied Technology Center last summer but waited until g and Wednesday for a open house The new quarters arc at 27S W 400 South It is about the same size as the space it used at BATC but is more tailored to training mentally disabled clients said Mel Foster center director The center — formerly Cache Industries — is a private that has been in Erofit corporation for 27 years Foster said the center gets funding from four basic sources: Vocational rehabilitation and the state Div&ion of Services to People with Disabilities local public schools ' that refer students and private donations Typically the center has between 0 clients who arc there to learn work and social skills Foster said the average age is in the upper 30s The center also accepts mentally disabled students referred by Cache Logan and Box Elder school districts as well as by school districts in southeastern Idaho Foster said the center employs 20 e e and 15 people though not all arc directly involved in training The center was forced to vacate facilities at BATC to make room for the technology center’s planned expansion Although the new building is about the same size Foster said the center is buying the property and will have 45 acres of land ance of her husband that has given her fame The kind politicians can do without An FBI arrest warrant issued Wednesday for Joe Waldholtz 32 who has been missing since Saturday accuses him of con- ribbon-cuttin- ducting a giant check-kitin- g scheme between a congressional credit union and a Salt Lake Cily bank and seeks him as a material witness in a grand jury investiga- not-fo- r- tion Federal investigators also want to know the source of $18 million in campaign jnoncy that paid for the advertising blitz that propelled his wife Into list-minu- te office questions have arisen as to exactly how much she knew about the financial dealings during their two years of Inevitably 65-8- full-tim- the counties based on point of origin or pooled and divvied up by population need or some other criteria The proposals got good marks from some committee members “They can tap into a source that has some growth potential” approved Sen Leonard Blackham But Bodily and Holmgren cautioned that the plan is by no means final and will need a lot of work before it will make gxxi draft legislation Holmgren asked the committee to consider authorizing the task force which was created in 1994 for one more year to work out all the bugs The committee agreed to consider the extension when the task force comes up for its sunset review marriage Mrs Waldholtz 37 looked tired hut was in Congress on Wednesday a day after she filed for divorce from her husband of two years She was not openly discussing personal matters “I have a job” she said confessing her problems made it difficult But she said she had to keep up with her bill that would part-tim- husband: “At the time of his disappearance he was aware that his finances and those of his wife were under investigation" The congresswoman told authorities her husband may have had access to about $2 million when he disappeared “Rep Waldholtz now claims to have no idea where the funds are located” the affidavit said Waldholtz is suspected of taking more than SMNMHK) from the estate of his mentally incapacitated grandmother He is under a court order obtained by his father and a cousin to return the money because he has resisted providing an account of where the money is “1 used to say to Joe 'I have no records no way of knowing anything If the airplane goes down I have no way of know ing where anything is"’ I)r Harvey Waldholtz said in Wednesday's Pittsburgh Joe Waldholtz also was entrusted with money from his mother and stepmother and more than I million from the three women was unaccounted for the Pittsburgh reported In a statement Wednesday Mis Waldholtz also accused her husband of using the credit card n a staff member for S45(NNi in personal expenses The staff member has since been reimbursed Post-Gazet- Post-Gazet- In change rules on gifts House members can accept “My hill is up this week My main concern is that this bill pass It’s a commitment I made in my campaign and I feel a responsibility’’ The FBI affidavit says of her R Hart EvanaAterald Journal Scott signals the word 'red to aide Kathryn Blickenstaff at the Cache Employment and Training Center during its open house Wednesday Merritt left te addition the congress-woman’- s parents Forrest and Gcrda Greene reportedly gave the couple $4 million with the understanding that they would get the money hack from their who said he had a trust fund worth more than that son-in-la- Transportation department studies rebuilding briefs Recount: Hyrum race even tighter A vote recount Wednes- day in Hyrum proved the race between incumbent Karen Petersen and candidate J Dennis Lcishman to be an even tighter squeaker than last week's election night results indicated The recount showed Lcishman edged out Petersen by one vote to win one of three seats on the city's council Lcishman garnered 517 to Petersen’s 516 Election night results had Lcishman the winner by two votes (with 518 in his favor) and Petersen asked for a recount Votes cast for all six candidates were recounted in about five hours and except for candidate Tom LaBau whose tally stayed at 389 different all the results Hyrum council candidates on election nights e ithan I S Gordon Olson total was 693 com-- i 69 on election to pared and winner incum night bent Bruce James had 565 recounted and 564 election night Candidate Steve Earl had 3SS recounted and 389 on election right i v SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Transportation director Tom Wamc says the best way to address the Salt Lake Valley’s overburdened freeway system is to completely rebuild Interstate 15 “That would seem to be the logical way to go” Warnc says although his department has formally refused to choose one of four proposed improvement options However the agency first must complete two daylong hearings Thursday and Fri- day One proposal costing $302 million is a plan that would replace all major bridges and resurface existing six lanes A second choice at $329 million would limit work to “transportation management" systems among them metering ramp widening and improve “no-buil- d” ramp-traff- ic and ments to the interchange in South Salt Iakc The third “full build" proposal would widen to 10 lanes along more than 100 blocks from south Salt Iikc County to north Sail take City One lane would be designated for traffic and sis major interchanges would be rebuilt A fourth $900 million “partial-build- " 80 cy te 1-- 15 scheme would include almost every fea” ture of the plan but would limit the freeway expansion to eight lanes from Ninth South to Should extensive rebuilding be authorized transportation officials want to begin construction by the spring of iwx In the interim crews would do cvlensive work relocating frontage roads and preparing alternate routes for traffic “full-build- Town struggles with reasons for woman’s murder RIGBY Idaho (AF) — A sign on the outskirts of Rigby boasts of one of its most famous former residents In the think TV lot to do with it early 1920s young Philo Farnsworth was working in a field when he came up with the idea for television They're either killing somebody or But in the town where television was bom residents arc in with somebody " they’re whether with available violence wondering the click of a remote contributed to last Friday's murder — Rigby resident Mark Caudill of Fidcla Tomchak at her rural convenience store Rigby High School sophomores Christopher Thomas Shanahan 15: Benjamin “BJ” Jenkins 15: and Thomas programs send the wrong messages to youths at an age Paul Lundquist 16 are charged with first degree murder when they arc especially receptive contributing to viofor the slaying Shanahan allegedly shot Tomchak in the lence and teen-ag- e pregnancy he said back of the head while she w as stocking shelves like what happened would have ever entered “Nothing The Idaho Falls woman w as remembered Tuesday durour head” Bowen said ing a funeral service at Holy Rosary Church in Idaho Falls But recently Rigby a rural community of 268 has and later at a candlelight vigil outside the Grant Mere seen more than it's share of tragedies about six miles west of Rigby Last December Mary Katherine Myers killed her two “We celebrate the life the love she brought to us” the sons and her son’s friend who had come over to deliver a Rev Nondicr Zulctta said at Tomchak ’s funeral Christmas present then turned the gun on herself Jefferson County Sheriff Blair Olsen said the teens While the slay ings shocked the community people said accused of killing her had been to the store before and they ultimately were a family matter But Fidcla Tomchak had denied them cigarettes and beer But offimurder was different cials reman unsure about the motive town where most residents bclorg Rigby is a close-kni- t “I think TV has a lot to do with it” Rigby resident to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y Saints Most Mark CaudH said “They're either killing somebody or locals know the boys accused of killing Tomchak or at least their parents or grandparents they're in bed with somebody” TV “When it’s local kids and you know the families you Longtime resident Grant Bowen acrccd Too na 7 make-belie- has a bed ve -- 1 Tom-chak- 's POOR COPY hurt for every body” said one woman who refused In be identified “The thing that has surprised us in a small religious town you have a policeman on staff at the junior high and the high school To me that's unreal ” Having policemen in the schools is not as surprising as what has happened at the Rigby Junior High School in recent years In February 19S9 a hoy pulled a revolver and threatened his teacher and two students before grabbing a girl and taking her across the street to a Mormon Church stake center Police later snuck in and wrestled the hoy to the ground About four years later a hoy briefly held a loaded pistol to the temple of a classmate and ordered everyone out of the classroom Principal Kay Wmdfield later coaxed it from his hands “It’s so sad lo think three boys could do something like that" said another woman who would not give her name “It just makes you want to cry" While some say TV may have contributed to what happened Bowen is quick to point out that programming — not television itself — is the problem rb-lFarnsworth would bave agreed Chris Farnsworth a grandnephew who lives in Boise said the inventor thought most television programming was a wo-- of time and be snipped watching it ld o c i |