OCR Text |
Show City, County Officials Discuss Mutual Needs TROPIC Garfield County Comissioners met with local elected municipal officials Monday evening at Bryce Valley High school. Commissioner George Middleton explained to the more than 20 elected officials mostly mayors and council members how the small towns and cities had fared better than the county under the state's new 50-50 system of allocating B and C road funds. The county, he said, would come up about $47,000 short of last year's funds under the new program which bases allocation 50 percent on road mileage and 50 percent on population. Middleton also explained the allocation of Housing and Urban Development Community Block Grant Funds under the Five County Association of Governments which has jurisdiction over funds available to the counties of Garfield, Kane, Washington, Iron and Beaver. He urged communities with needs meeting the priorities set by the state to ( quickly work up their applications and apply foi- funds. Noting that it has always been the custom of the county to provide the county crews and equipment to assist the communities in their spring cleanup, Middleton asked each town to send in their requests as soon as possible so that dates can be coordinated. County Treasurer Merle Stowell explained legislative changes which will require cities and towns to prepare their budgets and set their mill levies by June 15 this year, m Jch earlier than in years past. She said that it will be necessary for everyone to cooperate and work quickly in order to permit meeting the new deadlines set by the legislaure. . Middleton said that he had recently received some comments form Gar field County residents on the manner in which road funds were being spent. He explained to the gathered officials the various restriction which federal and state laws place upon such expenditures. Pigeonholing of monies requires that certain available funds may only be spent in certain specific ways and on specified roads. The Panguitch Lake road, for example, recently received a new allocation of funds which can only be used on that road alone since it is the only road which qualifies under the federal regions, he said. (Continued on Page 2) Com m issioners (Continued from Page 1) But availability of new funds for the Panguitch Lake Road frees up other funds for use on other collector roads in the county, he said. The system is quite complicated he said, and often frustrating since commissioners are not free to do just what they would always like to do with road funds because of regulations governing use of funds. He said he has set a high priority on areas in Boulder and Escalante and in the Antimony area. Commissioner Guy Thompson complimented comissioners Middleton and Dell LeFevre, whom, he said, had worked long and hard to successfully obtain the funds for the Panguitch Lake Road which the county had not anticipated having this year. Commissioner Thompson discussed setting up a zoning commission so that the county could be ready with a plan which it could implement quickly in the event a sudden influx of people appeared likely. Commissioner Middleton pointed out the unusual position of Garfield County compared with other counties in the state. He said that Salt Lake County at a recent meeting had expressed concern over its growth of 92,000 people as reflected in the 1980 census. He said that people could hardly believe that Garfield County had grown by only 10 people in the same census. Middleton said that he had tried to get official census figures corrected without success, since the offcial count actually shorted Garfield County by some 300 people. Officials, he said, were reluctant to make changes and had difficulty realizing that 300 people could make any significant difference when they were used to dealing with thousands and hundreds of thousands. Commissioner LeFevre noted that in planning Ticaboo, zoning was an in tegral part of the community. He said it appears to be working well. Commissioner Middleton said that he is "not against zoning if it is fair and equitable." He explained the present limited zoning in the county which is confined to large areas and quite non-restrictive. The concept of perimeters buffer zones around existing communities which would allow for development compatible with community zoning appeared to be a good idea. Commissioner Thompson explained the changes made under apportionment for election of school board members. He noted that under the changes, the Bryce Valley-Brycc Canyon district was the largest in population but that there appeared to be little opposition to the plan which permits most people to vote for a school board member from their own area associated with their area school. The communities of Hatch, Antimony, Ticaboo and Boulder will elect a board member who may not be directly associated with a school In their area. Thompson said that it Is virtually impossible to ,work out a system that is toally equitable and that he felt that those who had worked on the reapportioning had tried to do .their best. There was considerable discussion on the potential opening of coal mines in the area with no specific answers forthcoming. The purchase of the Twitchell Mine by Utah Power and Light was looked upon as encouraging. Mohr Chrlstensen, Escalante mayor, said that with UP&L's ownership of a block in the Intermountain Power Project potential existed for freeing up as much as 25 percent of Kaiparowits coal. Commissioner LeFevre urged county residents to contact commissioners personally with any problems they have and feel free to discuss concerns with any one of the three. |