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Show Leaders concerned about initiatives By KALYN SECRETAN "What's Going to Happen if the Tax Initiatives Pass in Pleasant Grove and Lindon?" The consequences conse-quences were discussed at the Pleasant Grove PTA sponsored meeting held at the High School, Oct. 18. Kathy Harrison, PGHS PTA President, welcomed a small group of parents andstated shehopesher new little granddaughter will have the same opportunities for education educa-tion as her own children. Mark Bezzant served as the meeting moderator and introduced the panel members. A video was shown listing the effects to the State of Utah and the loss of revenue. reve-nue. Dr. Douglas Warner expressed Higher Education concerns; Malcolm Mal-colm Beck, County concerns; Kenneth Ken-neth D. McMillan, Lindon City concerns; K.A. Driggs, Pleasant Grove concerns; and Dr. Steven C. Baugh, Alpine District concerns. Dr. Baugh, Superintendent of Alpine School District, stated that what will happen in our area is not an easy question to answer when we consider the load Utah carries to educate young people. "We have more school-age children chil-dren and less wage earners than any state in the union," he said. With the fourth largest district in Utah, Alpine has 38,000 children. chil-dren. They spend less per child than any district except one, he noted. The district is committed to provide the finest education they can for the fewer dollars, he added. For A.S.D., the total budget is $73 million. An estimated $10.4 million cut in itemized potential cuts include kindergarten. They could cut only $1.3 million by cutting cut-ting out kindergarten. Funds in transportation could be cut, he noted. In the secondary schools they would have to stop paying for extracurricular activities. activi-ties. The list goes on and on, he said. They are trying to protect the core basic program. Tax initiative is not a means to the end. There are other ways, he stated. Commissioner Beck reported Utah County would lose $4.2 million. mil-lion. That figures 24 percent of the total budget. Reductions would have to take place in the road department, de-partment, parks would have to close, reductions made in attorneys' attor-neys' offices, sheriffs' offices, Patrol Pa-trol Department, the jail, Health Department and the Bookmobile would have to be eliminated. K.A. Driggs, representing Pleasant Grove, stated he shivers and shakes when he hears of the tax initiatives. Frugality has always been the rule in Pleasant Grove. Everything is done to save money. The council has not pinpointed where the tax cuts will come but know it would be extremely difficult diffi-cult if initiatives pass, he noted. They have a great concern for industrial in-dustrial growth and development in an effort to gain tax revenue, he said. |