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Show Skepticism voiced on plan for Deer Valley improvement district Councilwoman Helen Alvarez said. "The city is not a proponent or an opponent of the district," she said, "but we are required to act on the proposal according to state statute." Alvarez suggested that the proponent, Deer Valley Resort, should get together vith the residents and property owners for the purpose pur-pose of informing them on total valuations and proposed levies. The hearing has been continued, con-tinued, once again, until the next regular meeting of the City Council, Dec. 15 at 5 p.m. r An eleventh-hour attempt to create a special improvement im-provement district within Deer Valley met more opposition op-position at a continuation of the public hearing on the subject at City Council Dec. 1. At the . initial public hearing on Nov. 17, John Miiller, representing the Deer Valley Resort, explained ex-plained that the district would supplement the services ser-vices which are now offered by the city such as snow removal, transportation, landscaping and traffic control. con-trol. Additionally the district would act as a master homeowner's association, he said. The hearing was rescheduled for Dec. 1 when residents,,., and , ..property , owiiejsjsaid they.JiadnJt had enoiiiiimWJonconsider the proposal. At the continued hearing, however, the same complaint was lodged. Dean Corbit, president of the Solamere Homeowners Association said, "I would like to lodge a friendly protest (to the creation of the district)." He argued that he thought things were being rushed a bit by creating the district on such short notice. If the district is not created by the end of December, then it will be two years before property taxes could be levied for the district, according to City Manager Arlene Loble. She agreed, though, that not much notice had been given on the proposal. Dan Meehan, a Solamere property owner, who had earlier voiced concern over proposed increases in property taxes in Deer Valley, asked what steps might need to be taken if the district was formed and residents later felt the need to abolish it. Miiller said the City Coun cil could dissolve the special service district if petitioned to do so. However, he noted the district could not be dissolved while any debts were outstanding. According to City Attorney Tom Clyde, if 50 percent or more of the residents of Deer Valley are opposed to the formation of the district, then legally it cannot be created. He said that there are fewer than 20 full-time residents that are registered voters living in Deer Valley now. Adding to the problems surrounding the creation of the district is a Utah statute requiring the board of directors direc-tors for such a district to be maue up of residents, if the City Council isn't interested . in. acting as . that board, .Loble said. Deer; Valley will , ntryiJ Itxt'J persuader ) the -; legislature to change that law so that non-resident land owners will be able to serve on the board, she said. Jerry Hansen of the Stein Eriksen Lodge owners association said his group would "appreciate some facts" about the district, including the assessed valuation of Deer Valley property. He said he would like to know how much of that total belonged to the Resort. Hansen also said his association would like to see a proposed budget for the district before it could support sup-port the measure to create it. Those figures have not been tabulated, according to Miiller and Loble. Loble said that the information would eventually be determined. However, she said, with this short notice the city is simply sim-ply trying to determine if the district should be formed at all. The city staff shouldn't have to tabulate the data on Deer Valley property values, |