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Show 4. Championship Basin teams softball, baseball, & soccer Altamont and Mytori celebrate the holiday -- See page 9 & -- 16 Battle lines drawn on CUP 10 Seepage and Basin needs -- See page & 11 1 Nielson and Owens gather support for CUP bills What looks to be a potential floor battle between Congressmen Howard Nielson and D. Wayne Owens is now underway, on the CUP issues that will not only the future of the CUP, but the economic and agricultural fixture of the Basin for decades to come. The Utah Congressional ' Delegation last years sponsored a bill to flind the completion of the CUP, (of which, the Upalco and Uintah units were a integral part, originally), which didnt make it Now, this year, in order to decrease the cost of the CUP and get a bill through the congress to raise the ceiling" on the CUP so the Bonneville Unit can be completed, the Basin and other areas of the state that were originally part of the CUP, are having to be af-fe- cut out of the original CUP program. One of the problems associated with the cuts was that the Upalco was determined to be not cost effective on the costdxenefit ratio by the Bureau of Beclama- tion, even though it was needed. Other problems associated with the project included not being able to get cooperation firom the Ute Tribe, or even a common consensus at the time on the water needs or what should have been done. . Also added to the overall problems was the fact that the project was years behind schedule and inflation had taken its toll on costs for the projects. Most legislators agreed that If the project had been built when and where it was suppoeed to have et , 75th Year No. 30 diverted in amounts to the Wasatch ever-increasi- Front.-Congressm- an Owensrecently started work on a bill that virtually killed" the Upalco unit and water development in the Baain, in the interests of saving the Bonneville portion of the CUP. His reasoning has been that the whole" project would never make it through congress as it is, due to the tight" federal budget and the questionable cost effectiveness of the Basin projects. Owens also said that the Basin's needs should be addressed separately in their own bill, because of the complex issues involving water rights, that were in-- volved. Congressman Howard Nielson however, disagreed with the priorities that Owens had set. For one thing, most of the issues that Owens was dealing with were in Nielsons District, not Owens and if the funds were that tight, why was Upalco taken out and what Nielson calls ...whistles and bells... put in? Owens bill calls for a permanent commission to deal with wildlife and mitigation for fisheries and other projects that Nielson Wednesday, July 27, 1988 Battle lines set on tax initiatives and Norman Bangerter both support the groups efforts. Independent candidate far Governor Merrill Cook supports the tax initiativea however and the Utah Taxpayers Association re--' cently blasted the State Tax Commission for deliberately attempting to sabotage the Property Tax and Spending Limitation tiative by the results of the measure, causing unwarranted panic". The UTA also wasnt happy with those opponents of the initiatives, who were reportedly planning to spend half a million dollars to sway public opinion against the initiatives. Ths Utah Foundation estimated that $346 million would end up being trimmed from state and local governments because of the cuts til at would be necessitated by the initiatives, if the Peoples Tax Reduction Act and Peoples Tax and Spending Limitations are passed in November. Those opposed to the initiatives, backed by projections from Proponents and opponents are firmingup their positions on the tax initiatives that will be on the voters ballots in the elections to be held this fall, with telling blows being struck by both sides. According to Taxpayers for Utah", which is reportedly believed to be the most broad-base- d coalition ever to become involved in a ballot issue, (according to its press release), the fight is being taken to the public at large with a public and media bliti". The group is led by two former Utah governors, Scott M. Mathe-so- n and Calvin ii Rampton as well as two farmer senators, Wallace F. Bennett and Warren E. Pugh and the goal of the group is to get the initiatives defeated in the November vote. Former governor Matheson, who is acting as spokesperson for the organization pointed out that support for the defeat ofthe initiatives cuts across party lines since the groups leaders are Republicans and Democrats and even the current candidates, Ted Wilson - . . . been, it would have been completed on time and on budget Since the original Water Deferral Agreement was signed with the Ute Tribe over two decades ago, not much has been done to fulfill the governments end of the bargain, though residents in the Basin have been paying CUP dues and water from the Basin has been over-estimati- ng tax-cutti- ng the Utah Sate Tax Commission, (which is currently revising its figures upward to reflect inflation and natural growth) fear that instead of cutting fist from the budget, that essential services may suffer due to the depth of the cute. Supporters of the initiativea insist that the only way to offset the loss ofrevenue from the initiatives would be by eliminating fat andcitethe$3.5millionmisappro- ilth Center and ths $110 million extra tax revenue generated by last year's changes in the tax laws. The legislature voted to return $80 million of the personal " income tax surplus to the taxpay- era directly, as well as sane across the board tax cuts of 5 and restoring part of the federal deduction taken away the previous year, but supporters of the initiative state that it isnt enough. Spokesman for the UTA, Jack A. Olson, made some strong statements against the State Tax Commission and the Taxpayers for Utah organization. Olson was critical of the group, stating that if they had half a million to throw around trying to defeat the initiatives, they should have given it to the schools Continu8donpage8 raise power rates for the inde- felt were the states responsibility and nice to have but not bare necessities. Owens has made statements to the fact that Nielson is the only member of the Utah Delegation that is opposing his bill, but according to Nielson and several other delegation members, that just isnt so. . While Gam, Hatch, Hansen and Nielson may accept the idea that the CUP ceiling extension wont make it through with the Basin projects, they dont accept the Owens bill exactly as it is either. Gam in particular has recently begun to come out strongly opposed to certain portions of the bill which would create a permanent commission and which would pendent power companies. Although Nielson has attempted to work with Owens, he finally despaired of getting Owens to make the changes he felt he could support and put forth his own CUP ceiling extension bill. His bill quickly garnered the support of the American Public Power Association, Duchesne Water Users, the governor, the Bureau of Reclamation and many other groups. Committee chairman Mo" Udall ofArizona agrees with Nielson that the Owens bill, as it was written would not make it past committee, unless changes are made and the delegation was in agreement ConflnuedonpaoeS 16 Pages Roosevelt, Utah 50 Cents Basin wage and fringe benefit survey is out The Uintah Basin Wage and Fringe Benefit Survey for 1988 was recently released for Daggett, Duchesne and Uintah Counties providing information to employers, businesses and employees, present and prospective on the wages and jobs in the Basin. The cooperative project of the Utah Department of Employment Security, the- - DucheeneCounty Economic Development Board, Grow Uintah-Uinta- h Couhty Development Board and the Uintah Basin Association of Governments, is a summary of ths results of a wage survey of employers in the three counties. The survey was conducted in March, April and May ofthis year underthe guidance of Project Director John T. Mathews, Labor Market information Services with Carolyn W. Winterton and Michael J. Hanley of the Roosevelt Job Service and Jo Jo Gale of the Vernal Job Service as principle investigators. The report is 93 pages long, though it was condensed and of summarized and is chock-fii- ll graphs and tables on professions and wages, among other data in the Basin, as well as definitions. According to John Mathews, project director, there are some interesting trends and statistics however. For example, the highest paid occupation, such as attorneys or doctors) in the Basin is that of which can make up to $15.47 an e hour. The least-paiposition is that of waitresswaiter, which makes $2.48 hour, less tool-pushe- r, full-tim- d, tips.- - The most numerous occupational jobs in the tri county area and secretarial are lowest paid the while positions, least benefit positions are generally unskilled labor jobs. The top six occupations by number of persons employed in them are: 1) Sales Clerk; 2) Manager; 3) Secretary; 4) Cashier; 5) Office Clerk; 6) Transportation. The average monthly wage for 1987 was $1474 for the area and $1500 for the state, while the average yearly wage for the Basin was $9411 base salary, with $11,246 for the state average. According to Mathews this figure is probably low, due to the fact that it also counts part-tim-e jobs and that the averages are probably somewhat higher in actuality. He also said that probably 80 of the economic growth in the state would be along the Wasatch -- clerk-typi- st tri-coun- ty front According to the information they compared the Basin figures against, the biggest growth poten tial in the Basin between 1988-199- 3 d will be the industries and trades. and mining should also show some growth, but many other areas will remain relatively unchanged. Statistics also show that the of the labor force is still continuing with 13,000 more people left the state thsvame in. Rural areas such asthe Baain are for the most part, sluggish in growth, with the exception of Washington county and half of all growth in the state was is Salt Lake and Tooele counties. Mathews said then must be a lapull to have a bor pool from which prospective employers and industries could draw and national trends show a resurgence in movement towards the south and west For example, southern California and the Silicon Valley are still showing lota of growth. "Some of the critical factors employers, industry and businesses look at, he explained, are the costs of labor, defining wage levels and identifying areas with higher levels of earning. - The survey is a tool to be used by current and prospective employers and industries, according to Mathews as well as those who are checking out the job market to get an idea of which areas use the most employees, the wages and other benefits that are offered. The booklet is available to anyone who requests it at the local Job Service offices, with priority being given to those employers who participated in the survey. service-relate- Self-employ- ed on well-balanc- Basin Celebrates with Pioneer gusto kV4 fee- - , While Salt Lake City celebrated Pioneer Day, July 24 on July 25, the Basin got a head start and threw in some of its own celebrating in Altamont and Myton, July 16 through the 23, with parades, fireworks, contests, rodeos, lots of food and other activities. Altamont started out the festivities on July 16 with their queen pageant, when Amber Burton was named Miss Altamont. On Thursday, July 21, a talent show was held at the high school and on Friday, July 22, They held a pet show, fun and games for kids, had concessions booths and even a rodeo later that evening. Saturday, July 22, there was a Chuck wagon breakfast from 0 g a.m. preceded by a ceremony. A marathon followed at 7 a.m. At 9:30 the bike races started, with races for kids from age participating in several heats. The parade followed at 10:30 a.m. with several colorful floats, the Union High Band, the ALLSTARS, local royalty" such as Miss Altamont and Miss Duchesne County, the Freedom 6-1- flag-raisin- 4--12 t Y t Scouts and Eagle OLD GLORY, PAST AND PRESENT-Loc- al the parade that for the led way Scouts from the Altamont area 23. on There was a July moved down main street in Altamont marching band, local "royalty", floats, wagons and horses. Candy was tossed out to local spectators, young and old, as the parade made two trips through town. Bomber, horses, wagons, fire engines, ambulances and lota of people throwing candy, candy, candy. ..(a real favorite part for many of the younger folks attending the parade). After passing through the town twice, the parade ended and many folks headed for the rodeo grounds to get a good seat for the rodeo which started at noon. The Bazaar set up about 5 p.m., followed by a barbecue at 6 and program at 6:30 p.m., followed by fireworks at dark. In Myton, it was deemed too dry to risk fireworks as planned, but they held their parade came off in style after the annual dust-dev- il passed through town, moments before the parade. After the parade, a lively water-figbroke out between volunteer just before the opening of the Myton Memories Museum. The grand opening of the museum was followed by aPioneer Chuck wagon dinner and program, where Little Miss Myton and Indian Princess were to be named. ht fire-fighte- |