Show Saturday November 15 2003 A3 Local state and regional news Forest Service workers say privatization unfair By Robert Gehrke Associated Press Writer determine if agency functions could be done more efficiently ' f by the private sector ' The Forest Service spent$24 million on outsourcing studies in the past year 93 ' : tors of which showed it ' percent was cheaper for government “I think we can make a ' employees to continue the pretty strong case for keeping us on board but nobody gave v work Fewer than 250 jobs are us an opportunity to do that" being sent to the private going to be put out for bid The decision came despite a cost estimate showing that government employees could do the work for $425000 a ' J year less than private contrac- - : : ' ' Dozeas of Forest Service employees in Utah and Mon- -' ' tana are spending their last ' ' days oh the job after becom- ing some of the first victims ' of the Bush administration's program to cut costs by priva-- " tizing government work v In March the 41 members ' ' of the Content Analysis Team ' ' 7' — which analyzes public ' comments on proposed policy changes for several agencies were told their jobs were ! : ' - i around for that a bit” said D-N- D - ' J ' sec-sa- id tor' Karl Vester whose last Now a skeptical Congress is day on thri job was Friday i “The Forest Service should be "voicing concerns that money is being diverted from on-tashamed for what they’ve done to us” ground programs without conIt was all part of a Bush gressional approval-“W' had to slap them administration initiative to he Forest Service defends the value of the studies and the decision to privatize the CAT team " While the cost estimate said : '’ been doing" government workers are paid After President Bush said he $5 an hour less Mills said would veto an effort to cut off contractors will work fewer all funding for outsourcing hours He said the Forest Ser-- -' Vice will save $6 1 million a studies Congress put strict caps on the privatization effort C year meaning the initiative next year: $5 million for the will pay for itself within four '’! ' Forest Service: $25 million yht for the Interior Department So far the Forest Service -and $500000 at the Energy has decided to privatize the CAT team a computer support ' Department " ' Thomas Mills call center aiid a handful of deputy chief for business operations at the ' maintenance positions - Sen Byron Dorgan "They were out wasting the taxpayer money doing these studies they shouldn’t have ' ' ’ yeare7Vw Valley government ©ft Critics of privatization effort say the way the content team was handled points to serious flaws in the entire ' " - v’' ' process - "Thisisjustaprimeexam- - -- pie of the mismanagement of this whole competitive sourc- -' ing process from the get-go- " said Bill Dougan president of the Forest Service Council the union for the service’semployees ‘‘It's unfortunate the agency didn't know what (hey were doing when they started this whole $t’-tha- ' See FOREST onA6 Walker’s Web site DTDmTDSQ& offers aid SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Gov Olene Walker launched a Web site Friday to help families and individuals in heed of ser-- ' vices such as fotxl clothing health childcare and housing! Through wwwutah- s caresutahgov those seeking :v assistance can ' ' navigate a menu of options to find the resources they need in their area Many times families and individuals in crisis find it diffi- cult to get the help they need In a timely manner” Walker said “Every Utah citizendeserves quality information and access regarding human service needs I am pleased to' announce that with this new Web site assis' tance is a click away” Walkerdemonstratedthe site whch asks usersfp indicate the areas of assistance they : '' “ v t V"- r" 's' - ’''' v-- - - " - Sheriff’s Lt Kim Mitch MascaroHerald Cheshire gives jimEngje of the Department of Corrections a lour of ttw new jail facility on Friday aiRemoon Joumaf : State program cou d mean big b uc ks for Cache 4 sev-- 2 about 9Q percent complete with ' eral years Cheshire on Friday Engle said ' ' “We’re going to have more paying about 20 percent of state prison Iinmates are housed in county jails! Whoever said crime doesn’t pay? customers’’ said Cheshire Who ' He said the state signs five-yeoversees the facility According to Cache County Shercontracts with counties and already ' iff’s Lt: Kim Cheshire the Utah Earlier this week Cache coun ' has one in place with Cache Fund- -' cilmenibcrs cited uncertainty about Department of Corrections wants to ' from new in revenue the state prishouse approximately ing for the contracts of course jail scaling oners at the county’s hew jail after it back proposed salary increases for: depends on the Legislature said he Cheshire in The "It hasn't been a problem getting would state county employees opens January inmates or enough money” understands the inmate the $4232 cpuncilmembera' enough county pay per he said “We anticipate having desire to be conservative when it per day which would amount to inmates up here shortly after they comes to the budget but he believes neWiy$i5 million a year In addition the county has started the jail will go from being a big open"'' Both Engle and Cheshire said the a program in which county inmates loser — in past years the county has who don't work' while in jail can be State is having trouble finding space paid $700000 to house inmates in Box Elder and Weber counties due for all its inmates and county jails charged for their stays And the big- to overcroWding at the current facilr like those in Weber and Box Elder ger facility will allow for additional have filled up fast work release inmates who pay $20 : ity — to pulling its own weight v “I firmly believe well be OKr he a day to the county from their pay- Engle said this is especially a ' : checks problem when it comes to housing AH told it appears the new 360- Jim Engle a supervisor for the women For that reason many of the DOC Inmate Placement Program bed $13 million Cache County Jail fust inmates sent to Cache will like- is in which 200 could toured the North on new Cache jail west Logan ly be female end up paying for itself within - ar ’ ! said' OGDEN fAP)— About 300 students who registered through Weber State University’s “Get Out the Vote" The Logan Landfill will campaign were turned away continue to accept compost from the voting booth Nov 4 aid wood chips without an because the doenmentation appointment Appointments ' for loading compost and wood was turned in late to county officials chips must be scheduled by “It wasn't a lack of comthe bndfill calling munication on our part more of a nriscomniunicatiou” said student Trent Hooper who led die student-r- e gistra- -' (Mibcrinna? tion project ' CalGtyEdriarDmdlEMick ' Students signed up to vole 7&2U1E1L323 during homecoming activiBat stale law ties Oct ll-2- 5 No apfiointment needed to dump : : I rays registrations collected by people other than the actual voter have to be turned in 20 days before the election in this case OcL 15 “You can’t just plunk down a bunch of forms When you do tion drives it’s your respon- sibility to get die forms back on time" said Scott Hogensen Weber County elections administrator Hooper said he indicated to election officials that they would be collecting student voter registrations during Homecoming Week Bet -- “Female space is really a critical ' issue right now" he said Utah’s which said Engle system includes just two prisons arid relies ' heavily on county jails saves ihe state the cost of building prisoris and allows counties to iriake money by hdusirig state prisoners “All over the state it has been an situation" he said “The' ' state saves iriillions and millions a year on this'’ ' Cheshire said the state initially wanted to give Cache County up to 200 inmates “There’s no way I can take 200 ’ inmates” he raid “I’d like to” said he Cheshire plans to start by taking about 24 state inmates and gradually increase the number from there Engle said die Sheriffs Office y ' win-wi- voter-registr- a- t 66 can't just plunk down a bunch “You of forms When you do drives it's your responsibility to get the forms back on voter-registrati- time" on f‘r ' ' before giving them a list pf state ’ local and nonprofit jgroups in 'their area that can help-- : The site Ls also available in ' ' Spanish “1 think it’s goin id be very useful! andils pnvate You don’t have to go out and tell the world 'I need Help "’ said Carol j Sisai spokeswoman for the Utah Department of Human Ser! vices The Web site is a collaboration f between the Utah Departments Heath Human Services arid of ' ' Workforce Services “For a long time people didn't think that people that were in need had access to computers but when wri got 44 piefeent of our enrollment (for the child heath insurance program CHIP) online we realized that wasn't the case" said Jana Ketteringl ' spokeswoman for the Utah ' Department pf Health “And there is still the 211 information line for those with- ' ! out access” Kettering said referring to the free phone service that operates Monday through Fnday from 8:30 am to ! " : : 9 pm' Walker called the Web site's launch the second part of her Walker Work Plan the plan she announced last week as her general blueprint for finishing the remainder of Mike Leavitt’s tarn See INMATES on A6 Ogden students denied votes due to registration mishap cicrifiecMon a ! ' v V I ' :v: yi I By John Wright staff Writer - - election officials didn’t catch the reference to the codec- tion dates he said “We ran it by them a number of times" Hooper said “They didn’t realize home- coming was after the dead- - line" “We feel we made every effort and followed the state's instructions" Hooper said State Voter Outreach Coot- dinator Mica McKinney said state election officials are distressed about the situation but also say it’s not entirely the state office’s fault - “I’m not really sure where themiscommunication took place We repeated the deadlines to them” McKinney said “We feel terrible about the situation" About 350 students who registered during an early October drive were able to vote since the registrations were turned in on time Hooper said the student leaders have learned from the experience and vow next year’s student drive will be free of glitches voter-registrati- ? |