Show I ' Sunday July 21 2002 A3 Local state v f and regional news c Cache school board passes tax increase By Arrin Brunson ' staff writer NORTH LOGAN — Members of die Cache County School District Board of Education unanimously approved a property tax increase Thursday night Td balance the 2002-0- 3 school budget officials authorized a property tax rate increase of0006626 to $13001133 generate Board members approved a tentative budget in June txit modified this budget Thursday based on new information about property values provided by the Cache County Tu : Assessor Dale Hansen business adminis-tratfor the Cache County School District estimated that die taxable value of a$l 50000 residential property is $82500 which will generate a tax assessment of $54665 in 2002-0- 3 This sum Is an increase of $1436 over the 2001-0- 2 fiscal year For a business property valued at $150000 die tax assessment comes to $99390 in 2002-0- 3 for or an inaeaseof $2610 Many factors have influenced the district school budget Hansen said New growth in Cache County Increased by 341 percent in 2002 fcwn from 528 percent in 2001 he kaid A slump Utah’s economy as created a statewide budget cri-- p power plant looks at one of the three new natural gas turbine generators during the grand opening of the facility Saturday part of the upgrade at Logan's power plant Above: A group touring Logan’s Bottom right New landscaping that required legislators to cut ’ $171inillijonm governmentpro-fenuns! Inlfpw m die financial Woes Hansensaid the district fared 1 well That last of budget go-arou-nd - cuts the cuts that were made in the restricted areas So it didn’t affect - any discretionary funding we had" Hansen said Cache CountSchool jpoanL'i Pre&defit Durian Grange publicly thanked legislators for their support of public education commending than for their efforts at recent special sessions to balance the state’s budget Beforcthe property tax interest rate goes into effect the public is invited to a truth in taxation hearing where individuals will have an opportunity to ask questions or make suggestions to the'schdoT ' p "J J a- New faci ity generates both cheers and jeers I lj - By Jeremiah Stettier staff writer ' generator built in 1948 with pistons against Logan City to stop the power plant from being remodeled' neariy four feet tall But Saturday's celebration was to He and others argued that the city was abandoning its commitment to mark die Two mensauntered of die — side the the refurbished the of face of east the Loganrs neighborhood and manipulating plant along n its laws to push the project side marked by white floors plant one in a blue baseball cap the other in a through bay doors and gas generators But the project went forward : controlled by electronic keypad western shirt with in stood lot crowd the The A white and parking Logan Municipal Council snaps pockets the sun rising slowly with the whir agreed to a law change that would rolled-up cuffs Each had silvered of hair and loafers generators rumbling in make power plants a permitted use on public land then rezoned the the the said an "Quite background improvement" one "Anyone who looks at this objec- -' diesel plant property to public kind "It Sure is" responded the other: Despite the outrage that sur-tively would say that this has been an improvement to the communB was 9 am on a Saturday The founded the plant's upgrade last ity" said Logan Mayor Doug year many residents in the immemorning sun had crept over the It is cleaner quieter ? diate neighborhood described the house tops and was reflecting off Thompson and more beautiful We have fill-the histone mange brickofthe changes as positive "The mayor did a good job" said communithe our filled to Shaddiesel old promise power plant city's resident Russell Ray ows of newly planted trees and neighborhood ty" ' "I wish it wasn't there But now passenby were cast against the east ' But dte plant's opening comer ' one yearidter litigation andaccysa- - that it is I think we can live with it-waIL': g tions of governmental it" Inside relicsoftheold plant He remarked that die generators were raised against the upgrade were left standing ' v have considerably reduced noise : of die diesel plant Housed within and pollution as the city had Councilman Steve Thompson a diesel genbrick was a decades-d- d vocal opponent of the project erator pulled from a World Warn promised Not onfy are the generators much submarine Beside it was another signed his name to a lawsuit board' The meeting is scheduled at 6:30 pjn Aug IS at the Cache County School Board District office 2063 N 1200 East North Logan MOti dd ’ side-by-si- de : grand-openi- quieter than their diesel counter-- ' parts but Ray said he doesn't see foe black smoke or smell the diesel fuels that once pervaded the ng neigh-borhoo-d Darrell Norman' a four-yeapartmrat resident along 40Q ar forest-gree- long-slee- ve double-breast- South shared his sentiments "With the old turbines you could see the black smoke going up in the air" he said "But that doesn't happen anymore The pollution has cut way down" ' The hum of the generators was evident from his apartment on 400 South but Norman said it is virtu-- 1 ally unnoticeable That is not to say that some residents are not displeased with the project Sylvia Wightman a longstanding opponent of the plant wrote in a letter to the editor this week that the three generators resemble the "dull roar of a jet H " She described die noise pollution as unhealthy to the neighborhood ed -- gas-fir- The Frankllri County Cbmmlealon-sr- s wM meet at 9 am Monday at the courthouse 39 W Onekta Agenda include: : ''l':':-1- ' v jtema ' ' Discussing the landflH closure plan Discussing ihe bidding permit i Discussing the Buibank - Discussing the station: : J vari- - subdM-lio- n ' transfer : v-- : -- Discussing the airport runway Dfegusslng rodeo arena schedui-- v' smoke-stain- : Stake Discussing the Oneida ' ' : Academy i Discussing US Forest Service ’ ' ' Himtar By-Jof- M s ' r s - ' 'V ' fiffo grades has about 50Htle-Istprofknentinmathandreading v schools tile Idaho while Rfeston Junior High has 'dente 88 listed Among v a ' aa u- staff writer wiiuT f!u flL nrjj it suiocnu uuu havenot made adequate progressin taidentachievementover a two-yeperiod As part of President Buidi’sv-'- “ ochiM left behind” education il of the listin' reform to try and certain that by 2007 f 90 percent of die children in Title I v education programs are ' ' - ' - low-inco- i ar r r low-inco- - c ai s (have been set However it should be noted that wed to be underachieving district zero wnuc uuuuiiua uau schools the District of Columbia1 liAedonly ad6zen' “it’s hard to compare one school ' wife mother when each has different j r r JSpSntehdentWaddoups 1 ' Oakwood Elementary which serves diildren in thirtC fourth and VV - ' wb toa iu biuugiu uiw he struggling reach grade level’’ ' AtWest Side School District spperintendent Melvin Beutler said “ft’s good to see where we are but Vou have to look St the We only have eight TitkS ton dents at the middle Bcnool he noted “Sq if we have a student move ' - - J ' in or one go backwards it can really askew the percentage: It’s not likea or biggerschool where it takes students to change Beutler said becaQse ofthe imall number of students at the middle! school the teachers are well aware i - s r aaiwther sdiool : ‘ there we no other options those two districts' “itm : Another goal of the list is to pro- " s ( f successes if you want to look at US ' that way “And while we bnly have eight ITtle--I students at the middle school while there are 20-2- 5 in the elemen-tary school and about the same at foc hih school’’ ’ Currently the law only allows for iw wnuu y - vide parents with leverage should feel the school their Child tis rthey attending is not providing them with an adequate education and they higher- - iaiia j j ' serving See PLANT on A6 - - ' ''V 'J ed -- ' ' : strong-armin- extension:''' hg v - : s soM-wast- e ed w within' tv that rhtiunfs - 'i:' would be allowed to transfer to a in another district but foose guidelines haven t been established ' yet” Waddoups said v rv i 1 s yr-- ' ' r :r i v |