Show enaiici mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm—m—mmm A3 and regional neWS Local State Fund could help preserve farm land Redistricting leaves many without polls By Joe Rowley staff writer The LeRay McAllister Fund was created by the ' state legislature in 1998 to match other money sources to help landowners obtain conservation easements on their property The fund was named after former Utah County Senator LeRay McAllister who spent much of his career looking for ways to presave agricultural land Bedel said “We look at this as a bun-- : die of sticks that represent various rights (that accompany) land” Gndy Hall Eco Cache Valley landowners have left a pool of state money more than $2 million deep that could be used to preserve agricultural and other “sensitive" land nearly untouched Though money woes led the Legislature to drastically cut the LeRay McAllister ' Fund this year Deputy State SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Nearly 3000 Salt Lake County residents are bang told theycan’t cast a vote ‘ at their neighborhood polling place on Election Day because they have fallen through the cracks between political boundaries If they want to exercise their democratic franchise they must use a mail-i- n ballot postmarked no later than Nov 4 The election is Nov S County election officials sent letters last week informing voters living in the place zones The Salt Lake Tribune repotted Sunday in a copyright story “The precinct in which you reside has been designated as a ’By-Ma- il Precinct’ and therefore will not have 4 polling place assigned’’ said the letter “Instead of you voting’ at a polling location you will be mailed a ballot when you sign and return this form” One other option not mentioned in the letter is to go in person to the cast a balCounty Clerk’s Office and ' lot before Election Day ’ ' County officials blame the Repub- Legislature and gerrymandering during the process of redis- dieting But GOP lawmakers insist they knew nothing of the potential voting obstacles and suggest any fault lies with Democratic County Clerk Sherrie Swensen Complicated voting boundaries have created tiny election precincts with as few as three voters or as many as 212 Salt Lake County officials say it is impractical and too costly to set up polling places for precincts with fewer than 300 voters The average precinct has 700 : Vera Mason doesn’t care about all the details and caveats She’s mad “This is disgusting” said the 72- " year-old Demop- Sugar House-are- a rat “People have the right to vote and people have the right to go in and punch their little ballot It isn’t ’ - Planning Coordinator Mark Bedel is optimistic about the future of the program nomic Development Director for the Bear River Association of Governments said “Just as you can sever mineral rights (and let someone else mine your land) you can sever development rights” A conservation easement means that the landowner has relinquished the right to develop that piece of land The conservationeasement is recorded in the County Recorder’s Office and follow the land to any new owners which effectively prohibits development indefinitely The State Depart- ment of Agriculture generally holds the forgone development rights Hall said In determining how much development rights are worth an appraiser values the land as agricultural land and then as developable land The difference between-thtwo values is the cost of the conservation easement allowing farmers to realize the total value of their land without selling it to develop ers “What that does is jt makes farmland more affordable to those who want to continue farming it” Hall said “That cash that comes back to them could be used to expand the farming operation pay off debts establish a retirement account buy e equipment” To qualify for agriculture funds one of the things landowners have to do is demonstrate that they will continue to farm the land See FUND on A6 lican-controll- ed de : -- right” Mason blames the Legislature suspecting that it is simply another attempt to marginalize minority Democrats Holladay resident Susan Rather who also has been pushed into one of the mail-i- n ballot precincts has a different view A Republican activist Rather suspects Swensen of targetneighborhood to ing her GOP-heav- y help the Democrat in a fiercely contested state legislative race “It’s obvious to me we won’t get as many voters unless we really work hard” said Rather “I felt kind of like I was bang deprived of my voting rights” Salt like County always has had a few straggling precincts too small to justify the $549 cost of hiring election judges and setting up each polling place But the problem has increased dramatically this election going from four precincts to 35 and affecting 2833 voters up from 140 Swensen lays the Marne squarely at the feet of lawmakers saying they ignored the concerns of county election officials attempting to preserve as many precinct boundaries as possible “When they drew their lines they were looking at Democratic areas versus areas We ' know that” she said Elections Manager Michael Vu said lawmakers disregarded several 1 recommendations for adjusting boundaries to ease the problem Vu said he believes that was intentional ' But two Republican lawmakers ( heavily involved in Salt Lake Coun- -i tyrcdistricting — Sea Mike Wad-- j and Rep Ron doups Bigelow Valley City — say were of die pail-i- n unaware they precinct issue until Friday when contacted by a Tribune reporter Stale Democratic Executive Director Tbdd Taylor said Salt Lake County election issues seemed to be getting short shrift during rcdistrict-in- g and that he mentioned the need for “cleanup” to Waddoups The County Council roproved the mail-i- n ballot precincts Sept 3 While state law allows local election officials flexibility in setting up polling places in precincts with fewer than 300 voters Swensen said such a move “is not feasible” because of the cost and logistics ' Goose at the Willow Park Zoo Sunday afternoon On the November Jones 2 feeds a a 01 percent increase In sales tax to help fund recreation arts parks and the zoo Kenyon Bar-Head- aiirfts CD® By Joe Rowley staff writer Cache County residents will' have to decide in November whether they want to increase their sales tax to fund arts and recre- ation The question on the ballot will ask whether residents support a recreation arts parks and zoo (RAPZ) tax In the form of a 01 percent increase in the county’s 'portion of sales tax That translates to paying an extra 10 cents on every $100 worth of taxable items in Cache County County Council Chairman Larry Anhder said The current sales tax depending on individual city rates ranges from six percent to 625 percent to with 025 percent of that going to the county The increase would mean the county’s take would jump to 035 percent and total rates would range from 61 percent to 635 percent Estimates of how much money that could generate for the county range from $700000 to just more than $1 million a year If passed on the county level the council will decide how to divvy the money up between each municipality and how much would go toward each recreational purpose One proposal though far frojn being set in stone would give 10 percent to the zoo 45 percent to the arts and 45 percent to parks and recreation Anhder said Under that plan for example ballot Cache County voters ©oil ftlto© Willow Park Zoo's $300000 annual budget could get at least a $70000 shot in the arm “That’s what’s unique about the zoo part of it is that Willow Park is one of only two zoos in the state” Russ Akina director of Logan City Parks and Recreation said “So it makes sense that Cache County would be looking at that” The state Legislature has placed some restrictions on the money however While money that goes to the arts such as the Ellen Eccles Theater or the Cache Civic Ballet could be used for day-to-doperations money that goes to parks and recreation can only be used for' capital improvements Akina said In other wads tire money cah be used to build new parks and facili ay EH wiS LucenVHerald JpumaJ decide if they want Mltot ties but can’t be used to pay for their upkeep “The challenge is always once it is in place and it is serving the public is keeping up with it" Akina said Akina is part of a coalition that was formed four years ago with representatives from the American West Heritage Center the Utah Festival Opera Board and cities throughout the county to initiate the RAPZ tax in Cache County The state Legislature opened the door for individual counties to levy zoo arts and parks taxes with its ZAP Tax legislation in 1998 and the RAPZ tax coalition has been working since then to put implement that legislation here ' See TAX on A3 Crowded classrooms are old news in Cache Valley ' R-W- I Editor’s note: Each week The Herald Journal republishes artides that ran In the 100 newspaper 25 50 75 years agq Today’s "Utah Then is from 100 years ag6 SpeKng and grammar appear in the story as it was original fully as many pupils’ fs can be comfortably accommo- " dated It is evident that every ' school with perhaps one exceptiqn has sufficient ' number in attendance whilp at least six seven schools written have from ten to twenty more pupils than can be A SERIOUS SITUATION properly cared fa The crowded condition of When we consider that the the Logan city schools evi- toons woe built to accom- dences the fact that more modate but fifty pupils ' which is surdy enough for school building are badly needed The Woodruff and any one teacher it seems v Benson schools in particular unfortunate that from sixty are foil to overflowing to seventy pupils should be while die ward schools have crowded into one room advantages We believe that that time is past and that the people are able and willing to pro vide suitable accommodations for their children at school We hope that something will be dote immedi-- : a i ‘ a ately In several schools pupils are required to sit upon front seats without desks upon which to write or place books for study This certainly savors of “old times” when people were unable to ' give their children better to relieve the overcrowded rooms and to put our public schools in a way of performing in a satisfactory manna the high duties and responsibilities placed upon them ' The Board of Education has carefully considered the situation and has made every effort to give relief Last jweek a room in the third story of the Woodruff Build- ing was fitted up and an additional school opened but this gave relief oily to the sixth and seventh grades Confronting the fact that no more available rooms could be had the committee on teachers aiul school work reluctantly decided on Saturday last that it would be necessary to hold double sessions of school in certain rooms having a part of the pupils attend in the morning from nine until twelve and a part during the afternoons from one to four 1 |