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Show November 1 02.qxd 12/7/2021 3:17 PM Page 12 THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 12 Volume VII Issue II November 1, 2002 If elected, what would be your top priority? What are your qualifications for this elected position? Are there any changes in policy or procedure that you would make in this elected office? If so, what are they? What ideas do you have for streamlining expenditures in the office’s budget? WEBER COUNTY CLERK/AUDITOR (4 year terms) Linda G. Lunceford Republican 5956 S. 2050 W. Roy, UT 84067 (801) 773-5593 lluncefo@co.weber.ut.us Incumbent Clerk/Auditor Teresa “Yogi” Yorgason Democrat 2734 S. 4150 W. Ogden, UT 84401 (801) 731-5910 motherteresa@att.net Office Manager Continue the standard of excellence in financial management and election administration that has distinguished our office and county on the state and national levels, and resulted in substantial savings to taxpayers. Immediate priority is implementation of the new government accounting standards (GASB34) related to preparation of our annual audit. Eight productive years as Clerk/Auditor supplemented by 20+ years of prior professional experience, including many years as a CPA firm administrator. WSU education, national certification in management and election administration, and a solid work ethic. Most of our office procedures reflect state and federal statutory requirements. I will continue work with legislators to expand the opportunity for more taxpayers to receive property tax relief and to improve citizen awareness of these programs. I will also lobby for change to costly mandates related to election administration. The Clerk/Auditor is mandated to mail certain notices to property owners and registered voters. We are coordinating these mailings to save administrative costs. Coordinating purchases with other departments will also reduce expenses. We will continue zero-growth budget management in addition to returning unspent money to the general fund. Initially, my top priorities as Clerk/Auditor would be to regain the public's confidence and integrity in the office, restore customer service procedures, and rebuild professional employer-employee relations. Excellent customer service given by valued employees would certainly portray a positive public perception. Set some goals to achieve. My professional experience has been office oriented for over 25 years. My interest, desire and willingness to serve the public, is an opportunity that I would like to have. I offer a choice for voters to elect someone who is friendly, trusted, open-minded and willing to provide excellent service. Customer service policies and procedures in the office need to be refined for effectiveness. Provide a positive work environment. Maintain professional employee-employer relations. Provide better communication to the public. Gain input and suggestions. Restore integrity to the office by following rules and regulations. To name a few ideas: 1) Mailing voter registration cards is ineffective and costly (($15,000). The office is available for accessing voter information. 2) Maintain accurate and current voter registration information. 3) Provide a forum for voter, employee and community input would be a valuable resource at little or no expense. WEBER COUNTY TREASURER (4 year terms) Randy K. Bates Democrat 1508 N. 4150 W. Plain City, UT 84404 (801) 731-8267 bates73@msn.com CPA, Chief Financial Officer of Weber Human Services Nila B. Dayton Republican 1543 Rond Circle Ogden, UT 84403 (801) 479-5329 ndayton@co.weber.ut.us Current Weber County Treasurer From 1997 to 2000 the county's Independent Auditor identified a Finding and Material Weakness in Internal Controls concerning property tax apportionment. My priority would be to correct this problem without creating additional positions. I would also work to increase coordination and communication between county departments and elected officials. I have over twelve years of finance, accounting and information technology experience. I've earned MBA and BS degrees. I'm licensed as a Certified Public Accountant and have received designations as Certified Management Accountant and Certified in Financial Management. This office requires a certain level of expertise to perform the essential functions. I would work toward one of three things: One, include a minimum educational or experience component; two, combine the Treasurer with another Elected Office; or three, make the Treasurer an appointed, not elected, position. Prior to 1994, the treasurer function was performed with 3.5 full time equivalents (FTE's). Currently the Treasurer's Office includes 6.71 FTE's. I would eliminate 1.5 FTE's saving approximately $60,000. I would cut the Training and Travel budget by a minimum of $5,000. The County Treasurer is charged to collect, bank, invest and disburse public monies. We are working towards the final implementation of a new computer program that actively improves the collecting and reporting of tax dollars that we may continue to safeguard the citizen's money that is used in government. Weber County Treasurer for the last 8 years. Prior to that I served as Assistant Ogden City Treasurer. I was appointed by Gov. Leavitt to serve a second four year term on the five member Utah Money Management Council who advises the Utah State Treasurer and all public treasurer's about investment policies, rules and credit structure. There is always room for improvment. As one example, when I took office there were two layers of security, today we have seven and I am committed to improve the ability for the general public, taxing entities, and private industry, to access taxing information so everyone concerned can know more about how taxes are collected and spent. This year, the tax notice will cost less than it did in ‘97 even though we are printing 9,000 more notices. We have had the same number of treasurer employees since ‘95 although our work load has increased to 12,300 parcels per employee. We handle more parcels per employee than any county treasurer's office in the state. What would be your education priorities if elected to office? How can your school district address the issue of safety of students and staff? What ideas do you have for addressing the issue of shrinking financial resources and growing student population? When the basic skills test is introduced as a requirement for high school graduation, what type of remediation should be initiated for students who do not pass? How would it be paid for? WEBER COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION PRECINCT 6 Cheryl Ferrin 3361 N. River Drive Eden, UT 84310 (801) 745-0442 cherylferrin@aol.com 30 Years Expereince in Education as Teacher and School Board Member Jana Rae Shaw 651 E. 3525 N. N. Ogden, UT 84414 (801) 782-2838 docshaw@relia.net Former Education; Community Leader Teacher Issues: i.e. master teacher compensation, job sharing, cross training, retirement and benefits. Student Issues: reading, crowded classrooms, graduation readiness, alternative education experiences, life skills, safety to and from school. Better upkeep of facilities. A safety board consisting of many parents and community and business leaders in the areas. Heightened awareness of neighbors, police and health officials. More positions for responsible adults in school, such as hall monitors and nurses to have more eyes and ears at school. It is the responsibility of the legislature to fund public education. Taxes can only go so far. There needs to be alternative sources of revenue especially for children who qualify for free and reduced lunch and fee waivers.School trust lands are a great example of better management. Currently a student can obtain additional assistance through teachers and administration. A free-for-student tutoring system after school needs to be made available. Alternative education activities, if they didn’t get it the first time, repeating the same process often does not do any better. Saturday School which the student pays for. Focusing on children first. Accountability: Fiscally sound budget; assessable line-item accounting, monies to classroom level. Basics: Literacy as corner stone; emphasis on basic core curriculum, competency based programs, technology training, vocational opportunities, life skills reinforcement. In 1998, Weber School District revamped the Safe School Policy, increasing the level of safety awareness. Continued review and updating is essential. considering more resource officers, video cameras, student/staff identification cards, school lock-down mock drills, and addressing rising levels of “bulling” will increase safety. Utah's tax base is unique to National norms, twenty-five percent of those who benefit from tax dollars are not income producers; thus, creating a paradox -we rank 49th in per pupil spending yet, spend approximately 32% of tax dollars on educationranking Utah among the top 3 in the nation in educational spending. Long before the student arrives to their exit tests, there should be competency based testing and programs. Weber District needs to take a proactive approach instead of reactive; furthermore, additional tutoring should take place during a student's educational path, not remedial, after the fact. This information is courtesy of the Voter's Guide to the 2002 Elections from the Weber County League of Women Voters. Visit www.weberleague.org or call President Tari Moore at 782-4990. MASSAGE THERAPY J.C. ELECTRIC INC. Richard Smyka Licensed Massage Therapist 745-0108 Jim Lewis Swedish Deep Tissue Sports Injury Trigger Point Phone 745-2210 P. O. Box 206, Eden, UT 84310 gift certificates available for the holidays Conveniently Located at Harper Rocky Mountain Chiropractic (Next to Valley Market) Call for appointment. Out-call available. Are you concerned about the educati on your children are getti ng, or not getti ng? 30 Years Experience Moral Atmosphere LDS based - scriptures are used in all aspects of teaching. Residential Commercial Purchase Refinance Construction Log & Manufactured Homes Land Lots Credit Problems High Debt Ratio A,B,C & D Credit Low Rates Turn Downs Welcome Jumbo Loans 2nd Mortgage Credit Lines Fast Closing Patriotic - Gain appreciation and respect for America and its founding fathers. No Home Work - students maintain their love for learning and reach their full academic potential. Core classes are 4 hours a day 3 days a week. Electives taught as you need or want. 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