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Show PAGE 30 THE ZEPHYRAPRIL 1991 1 ES feedback Dear Jim: the readers respond Dear Jim: read your Interview with Councllperson Christie Robbins, I thought I had read It It It didnt get any better. I was totally disgusted with both wrong. I of you. Then I thought: maybe It Is more fair than It first appeared. At least you, by printing this, sure let people see what we are In for with this type of representation! She wants to keep Moab FUNKY! Get Serious! I think from actions and voting records she means DEFUNCTI She refers to anyone who Is successful and has managed to make a little money as rich and bloated. She wants to attract "cheap rental trash, and heaven forbid that someone should wear expensive clothes; for It makes her "feel like a peon. She further states It Is awful to have a minute lube go up next to Wandas Dolls. The minute lube will contribute to the tax base! The other contributes nothing. She says she Is out of town a lot but Is here when It Is Important Is that when the vote Is to buy two hot tubs with our tax dollars? This Is one of the very worst decisions In a long time. The only good part of the article was when she said she was not going to run again. Maybe there Is some good out of every bad, as the saying goes! At first when I re-re- I did It exactly, but It dawned on me about two weeks ago that of hadnt received a copy the Zephyr for quite a while. I guess my subscription expired, so here's $12.00 to renew. I did, however, get a copy of the JanuaryFebruary Issue from a friend and read with Interest your editorial comment that youd like to see the county Improve Its percentage of return on property taxes. Park City was having similar problems several years ago, as It was much cheaper for real estate developers to not pay property taxes and suffer the low penalty and Interest rate than It was to go out and borrow money at commercial rates to pay the taxes. As a result, our collection rate In Summit County was somewhere In the high 60 to low 70 range. That meant that the city, the county and the school district all had to cut back services 30 to come Into line with available revenues, or raise taxes which had the effect of making conscientious taxpayers shoulder the burden of the less conscientious ones. We all knew wed eventually get our tax revenue, through foreclosure If by no other means, but the real problem was the fluctuation In the delinquency rate with the rise and fall of the economy. In true conspicuous consumer form, we figured out how to borrow against those unpaid delinquencies. Park City drafted and lobbied through the legislature the Interlocal et seq, Utah Code) which allows the county to Financing Authority Act (Section form an Interlocal authority composed of the county, the city, the school district and any other taxing entitles, and Issue bonds against unpaid delinquent taxes. The Interlocal authority takes an assignment of delinquent taxes from all the taxing entitles and then can bond for up to 90 of the delinquent receivables. The bonds are tax exempt and so the interest rate Is generally less than the penalty which will ultimately be paid by the delinquent taxpayers. Our experience has been that the penalties and Interest ultimately paid by the delinquent taxpayers covered both the Interest on the bond and the costs of Issuance so there was no net loss of revenue to the taxing entitles by using the bonding approach. If your county treasurer Is Interested, he might contact our Finance Director Kent 1, Parker at 1, the County Treasurer Glen Thompson at or our Investment 1. If worse comes to worst, you banker Dave Miner at might ask Willie Flocko to see If he can figure It out I'm looking forward to my next Issue. I dont know how I ad Thanks Jim, Colleen J. Miller, Moab, Utah 11-32- -1, 649-932- 336-445- 438-035- Dear Jim: Just a quick note of appreciation to Jane Jones for her excellent article last month about Channel 1 (commercial TV advertising) in the Moab public schools. Channel 1 TV Is commercials embedded In a Devils Bargain In which the kids must watch four In TV each classroom plus some sets hews the a short company provides program and VCRs, and a satellite dish all free. While weve still only heard one side of the debate (hopefully there will be a school board response In this Issue), I'm confident the ensuing discussion will be of much greater relevance and quality due to the effort Jane has Invested In her research. While reading about the TV advertising Industry several years ago, one common theme kept occurring In reference to the economics of the Industry: what are bought, sold, and paid for are not the various products advertised In the TV commercials, but the minds of the human beings watching the program. The advertiser buys so many minds, for so much time, In a specific population group. The more minds a given TV program can deliver, the more money paid. Dollars per mind minds per dollar. While we have moral qualms about selling a childs body for nude pornography, shouldnt we have similar moral qualms about selling their minds to a businessman for his own selfish and profitable purposes. While this analogy Is currently a gross exaggeration, and while the power of advertising Is still relatively weak, this WILL change. Our children are legally held captives In the classroom. As In the case of sex, what occurs between consenting Individuals Is ethically much different from what occurs If one party has been coerced, has been held captive, or has not consented. If we do allow commercial advertising to be Inflicted on our captive school what we are students, I hope we are aware of the actual transaction we are making selling, how much we are exploiting our children, and what we hope to get In return. We must Insure that the bargain benefits the kids first, with the businessman's profits a remote secondary concern. Best regards, 30-sec- James Carter, City Attorney of Park City Editor: After reading "Public Lands Watchdog (Jan-Fe- b) regarding the hullabaloo over the Kane Creek Ranger Station, I sat down and wrote 3 splffy letters to various officials sharing my concern. Today I received a letter from my local BLM Informing me that the Kane Creek station will be open this season, as usual, with Increased personnel. They Indicated that there was a 'rumor' generated to the contrary. Was this article "checked out before you printed It? I write numerous letters each month on all kinds of Issues (rain forest etc., etc.,) and It Irritates me that I wasted preservation, wolf relntroductlon, my time Is my writing useless letters. (Note: This my first complaint since Vol. 1, Number 1.) P.S. Please print a photo of the editor In his new lycra tights. ex-husb- Kate Editors Note: Its shoulder. Jack Campbell, Moab, Utah X WANT f Pizza hut: -T- 265 so. main 259-634- E. A CLAy NI6Hr oN IWg Town X Go To i 5 OO Juenger, Salt Lake City, Utah Sincerely, VMM W. It Is conscientious people like Ms. Juenger who keep the Re: the lycra tlghts....ln your dreams, Kathleen. BLM looking over |