2008 County Budget Tops $60 Million by Doug Radunich STAFF WRITER
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FRONT PAGE A1 www.tooeletranscript.com TUESDAY Purple dominates at weekend invitational See A10 TOOELETRANSCRIPT BULLETIN December 18, 2007 SERVING TOOELE COUNTY SINCE 1894 VOL. 114 NO. 61 50¢ 2008 county budget tops $60 million by Doug Radunich STAFF WRITER Tooele County Commissioners last week approved a 2008 balanced budget of $60.4 million, a 6.8 percent increase from the previous year. County Auditor Mike Jensen said the total budget increase is primarily attributable to rising personnel costs.“This year’s budget of more than $60 million included three enterprise funds, which are for landfills, the Deseret Peak Complex and the Tooele County Airport,” said Jensen. “The main reason for the overall budget increase was per- sonnel costs for salaries, wages and new employees. We had an additional seven new employment spots granted for 2008. There will be five new employees, or full-time equivalents, for the general fund, and two new ones for the municipal services fund, which carries services such as the engineering department, sheriff’s department and animal control. We try to keep new hires to a minimum because they are a big part of the budget, but as the county grows, the personnel will have to grow as well.” County Commissioner Colleen Johnson said a cost-of- living increase for employees was the primary cause of the photography / Troy Boman total budget increase, and that there were no funds with drastic decreases for 2008. Workers inspect the steeple after replacing shingles on the roof of the Tooele North Stake Center Monday. The LDS population has increased slightly in Tooele County “I don’t think any department took a big hit in terms of relative to the county’s population as a whole. a funding decrease, and some stayed basically the same,” she said. Johnson said she was satisfied overall with how the LDS Church membership holding steady budget turned out. “I’d say we did pretty good with the budget, and we had all sat down together and discussed what we needed to do Tooele County bucking statewide trend of declining percentage of Mormons first and which things were the most important,” she said. by Sarah Miley from the LDS Church and the Utah over the past 10 years. “I believe a lot of Salt Lake County “We can always use more money, but you have to do with STAFF WRITER Population Estimates Committee. While officials with the church people are moving to Tooele County, what you have. It’s always difficult to create the budget In the second quarter of 2007, declined to comment on mem- and a lot of people moving are LDS,” because you have a lot of different requests from all the While the percentage of Latter-day there were 33,422 Mormons in Tooele bership trends in Tooele County, Orgill said, adding while the growth in departments, and you have to prioritize and whittle down Saints in Utah has reached an his- County — making up 59.1 percent of Grantsville West Stake President Glen his stake hasn’t been as pronounced to what’s the most important.” toric low, the percentage of Mormons the county’s population. That number Orgill said he suspects the main rea- as others in the valley, it is still grow- Johnson said an insurance rate increase of approxi- in Tooele County has stayed fairly is up 4 percent from the second quar- son for the declining percentage in ing. mately 16 percent for county employees also drove up steady over the past decade, and has ter of 2006, when there were 32,132 church membership in Utah, and Pam Perlich is a senior research personnel costs. even increased slightly each of the members reported in Tooele County. the increasing percentage in Tooele past four years, according to statistics There have been similar increases County, is people relocating. SEE CHURCH ON A5 ➤ SEE BUDGET ON A4 �➤ Police end armed standoff peacefully reported hearing the shots. Center arrived and SWAT troops sur- by Suzanne Ashe “When the officers approached, they rounded the house. STAFF WRITER saw a man coming out of the house. He Police questioned three men who had went back in the house and we started all in been the house and confirmed that Tooele City Police and Tooele County setting up a perimeter,” said Tooele City a shot had been fired. Sheriff’s Deputies ended a 90-minute Police Chief Ron Kirby. Tooele City Police Captain Steve armed standoff at a downtown residence Officers closed the road to traffic and Newkirk said there may be felony pos- peacefully this morning. attempted to communicate with the man session of firearms charges filed. As of A 911 call reporting “shots fired” came inside the house. There was no telephone press time, the men had been detained, into Tooele County dispatch at 8:07 a.m. landline active at the house. The situation but not arrested. Police did not release Police officers responded to 53 S. First was resolved at about 9:30 a.m. after the their names. St. shortly after a resident next door had Sheriff Department’s Mobile Command [email protected] Two days left to help family facing tragedy by Sarah Miley are busy doing last-minute shop- The Paynes were selected as this photography / Maegan Burr STAFF WRITER ping, the Payne family of Tooele year’s Tooele Transcript-Bulletin Choir teacher Erik Mourtgos buys a drink in one of the vending machines at Grantsville High are preparing to spend what may Benefit Fund family. The father School. The Tooele County School District passed a regulation on how much unhealthy food Christmas is only one week be their last Christmas with their of the family, Wes, was diagnosed can be in school vending machines last year, but schools have yet to implement the rule. away, and while many families father and husband. with cancer eight years ago and has been battling the disease ever since. Junk food still common in schools Wanda, the mother of the fam- ily, said Wes has anywhere from Many vending machines peddle snacks con- just a few hours to a few weeks left. sidered unhealthy under state guidelines “When the bowel shuts down, it’ll be hours,” said Wanda. “He’s by Tim Gillie District Superintendent Mike Johnsen. trying to get all the last-minute STAFF WRITER However, the Transcript-Bulletin things put together.” recently found the contents of snack During the eight years Wes has The Tooele County School District is and beverage vending machines at both been sick, the family lost their doing a poor job of adhering to its own Tooele and Grantsville High Schools indi- home and possessions and lived policy of reducing junk food in school cate that the district policy is not work- in a motor home because of over- vending machines, according to a recent ing. Machines at both schools remain whelming medical bills. Wanda, review of the machines by the Transcript- full of nutrient-poor foods that are high her son Derek — a senior at Tooele Bulletin. in sugar, fat, and calories at a time when High School — and daughter The district has a policy on vending Tooele County leads all health districts Audrey, who has a 4-year-old son, machines that was adopted by the school throughout the state in obesity with a now all live in an Oquirrh Avenue board in February 2005. 25.8 percent obesity rate, according to the home with Wes, who is on hospice “The policy doesn’t eliminate all junk Utah Department of Health. photography / Troy Boman home care. food but requires healthier alternatives to The Tooele County School District Even in dire times, Wes Payne, who has suffered from cancer for eight years, is be present for students so they can make able to smile. SEE FAMILY ON A5 �➤ the choice,” said Tooele County School SEE JUNK ON A4 �➤ WEATHER OPEN FORUM A6 HOMETOWN B1 INSIDE Snowy conditions will OBITUARIES A7 BULLETIN BOARD B2 Hypnotherapist helps those prevail through Thursday TV LISTINGS A8 CLASSIFIEDS B5 battling addictions with highs in the upper 30s. See B1 Complete Forecast: A2 SPORTS A10 A2 A2 TOOELE TRANSCRIPT-BULLETIN TUESDAY December 18, 2007 Utah & The West Valley Weather Forecast Energy companies drilling more in one location Local Weather by John Porretto Tue 34/30 ASSOCIATED PRESS 12/18 Cloudy with periods of snow during GREATER NATURAL BUTTES, Utah (AP) the afternoon. High 34F. — Technological advances and Americans’ hearty appetite for natural gas have given Anadarko Petroleum Corp. the opportunity to break new ground — literally and figura- Wed 34/31 tively — in this remote, rugged region of the 12/19 Rocky Mountains. A few snow showers. Highs in the On a cliff several hundred feet above mid 30s and lows in the low 30s. the White River, Texas-based Anadarko is drilling 17 wells from a single location — a dozen more than it’s drilled from a single Thu site in the past. 35/22 Rather than spread the wells across the 12/20 landscape, they’ll be concentrated in a rela- Light snow at times. Highs in the tively small area. The ultimate goal is to mid 30s and lows in the low 20s. snake the drill bit thousands of feet into the ©2005 American Profile Hometown Content earth, tapping natural-gas supplies beneath Service the river. “The driving factor is being able to get under the river,” said Jordan Hixson, who Temps / Precipitation supervises Anadarko’s production opera- tions in northeastern Utah. “We can’t get to Date High Low (prec./in.) it drilling conventional, vertical wells.” By using increasingly sophisticated — Dec.