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Show F.D GRRf-T- T 31 "i .'I Volume Eighty-on- 'if f' S STRTF. 1 v ! Eureka, I'tah SKiJS e ! March 2S, 1 NumUr id s. - Conflict of interest raised by commission Two members of the Juab County problems. example, has told Commissioner Fowkes should quit. Commission are trying to resolve an State agencies are giving the Brough it will accept Fowkes work Commissioner Garrett has aksed d as to if he complies with a list of Lt. Gov. Val Oveson to coordinate apparent conflict of interest by the commissioners the other commissioner. the legality of Fowkes work, guidelines issued by them, including work between the state agencies to The conflict? Whether it is legal Commissioner Garrett says. One his resignation from the Board of get a final answer. for County Commission Chairman agency says Fowkes work would be The reappraisal was scheduled to Equalization. The State Auditor's Tom Fowkes to finish tax reap- all right and another says it office, however, says county em- 'be finished by April 1, but that appraisal work he started last year wouldnt. ployees should not be drawing wages pears to be impossible at present, when he was the county assessor. The State Tax Commission, for for two county jobs, and says the commissioners said. There are questions as to whether Fowkes can draw two paychecks from the county, one as a comUtah Foundation run-aroun- James McNulty Scholar named at Tintic High Once again it is Sterling Scholar time at Tintic High School. This year, James McNulty did an outstanding job representing Tintic in the category of Business Education. at The interviews were held Centerfield on Monday, March 25. Sterling Scholar Awards Night will be Wednesday, April 3, at South Sevier High School in Monroe. Other schools Tintic competes with include: Richfield, Manti, North Sanpete, Gunnison, Juab, Wasatch Academy, Grantsville, Wayne and North Sevier. Donations still coming in for band uniforms missioner and another as an employee of the assessors office; and whether Fowkes can set property tax bills as an employee of the assessors office, and then as a commissioner and a member of the County Board of Equalization, make abatements on property tax bills. Fowkes was elected to the county commission in November, and at that time asked the former commission what he should do about the reappraisal. The commission told him to continue with the work, thinking that it would be finished We couldnt see very soon. in the middle of the horses changing said Commissioner R. stream, Roscoe Garrett concerning the matter. Fowkes gave up his job as county assessor when he was sworn in as a commissioner in January. He has continued to work in the assessors office, however, first to train the appointed assessor, Lynn L. Wright, and then to finish the reappraisal work he had started. He continued the work because he is the only certified appraiser in the office. To hire another certified appraiser would be costly, the commissioners say, and such a person would have to continue the work using the same methods Fowkes had used if the appraisals ' were to be consistent. He quit his work at the office Feb. 22 when questions were asked about the possible conflict of interest. Fowkes fate as a county employee is in the hands of the other two county commissioners: Garrett and Richard M. Brough, who are trying to get answers to the Juab fax spending fold for 1 985 Utahs 29 counties will spend damage, tax and revenue changes, the 29 counties. According to the Founation study, nearly $300 million from their and other unforeseen spending general fund budgets during the 1985 calendar year. This was reported by Utah Foundation, the private tax research organization, and is based on a Foundation compilation and analysis of budgets approved by the counties and submitted to the State Auditors office. Budgeted general expenditures in Juab County, for 1985 totaled $3,563,570, or $589 per capita. Among the major budgeted items are $679,439 for general government, $248,601 for law enforcement, $20,348 for fire protection, $149,145 for correction, $1,149,880 for protective inspection and services, $1,107,647 for public improvements, $9,350 for needs. In addition, the Foundation analysis is limited to general fund expenditures and revenues and excluded special revenue and items, such as capital projects, debt service, etc. County operating budget totals varied from a high of $147 million in Salt Lake County to a low of less than $575 thousand in Piute County. Salt Lake County, the largest county in the state, accounts for nearly 50 percent of the total money budgeted by all 29 counties. Approximately 42 percent of Utahs total population reside in Salt Lake County. Per capita budgeted expenditures range from a high of $918 in Daggett spending parks, recreation, and public County to a low of $69 in Davis property, and $68,145 for con- County. Foundation analysts explain servation and economic development. The Foundation report shows that projected revenue to finance these expenditures in Juab County this year will come mainly from the the local sales property licenses and permits state $9,500 federal 7, tax-$30,00- 0, funds-$377,10- 4, funds-$569,50- 0, service charges-$141,60- 0, fines and forfeitures-$1,274,90- 0 contributions and and other revenue-$128,50Last year, the property tax levy for county purposes in Juab County was 16.70 mills ($16.70 per $1,000 assessed valuation). The reports notes that county budget totals may change during the year as budgets are reopened to deal with special problems, such as flood 0. that this wide variation in per capita costs is accounted for by the fact that certain basic county services must be provided in all counties regardless of size. Per capita costs for such services, will tend to be significantly higher in those counties with small populations that they are in the larger counties where the expense may be spread over a larger number of people. The 1985 budget totals indicate that the largest expenditures categories for county governments in Utah are (1) general government, and public im(2) streets (3) public health and provements, law enforcement. and (4) welfare, four These spending categories of all account for three-fourtgeneral expenditures budgeted by hs the four largest revenue sources for counties in Utah are ( 1 ) the property tax, (2) federal aid, (3) state aid, and (4) contributions and transfers from other funds and agencies. These four categories furnish more of the general fund than revenue for counties. The property tax continues as the number one revenue source for county government operations in Utah. It accounts for 34.6 percent of all county general revenue. Federal and state aid, however, are also important sources of county funding, accounting for 24.3 percent of the 1985 county general revenue. Property tax levies in Utah for county purposes ranged from a high of 21.80 mills ($21.80 per $1,000 assessed valuation) in Morgan County to a low of 5.78 mills in Sevier County. In many counties, the property tax becomes the balancing item in the budget to match available revenue against projected expenditures. two-thir- ds This year Salt Lake County attempted to impose a utility franchise tax to finance municipal-typ- e services in the unincorporated areas of the county. On February 15, 1985, the Third District Court ruled that this tax was invalid. Salt Lake County has appealed the decision. If the appeal is unsuccessful, the County may levy an added property tax in the unincorporated areas of the county to replace the lost revenue. 77 Tintic High Schools Band and Director Ron Griggs, as well as the Band Boosters Committee, extend thanks this week to yet another contributor to the Band Uniform Fund. Appreciation is expressed to Marion Ostler of Corte Modera, California. Her name will be added to the list on the large board displayed at First Security Bank. .4$ $ 4' - . - W p 'Swinging High' starts Thursday The musical, "Swinging High, will be presented this Thursday and Friday evenings March 28 and 29, at the Tintic High School auditorium. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. both evenings and admission is $2.00 for adults and $1.00 for students. The production is being presented by the Tintic Community-SchoPlayers. Directors are Ron Griggs and Mabel Butler. Proceeds will be donated to the THS Band. ol s' s shots, and nuisance of others pets Joe offered many suggestions to these girls in caring for their pets, Besides learning a lot the girls had fun sitting on Joes lap and playing with Winkler (Mrs. Larsons dog). Local girl scouts get a visit from city marshall Joe Bernini who discussed pets, licenses, shots and pet . nuisances and the problems that develop because of them. The girls are working on their pet care badge. |