Hide Article Text (OCR)
Stut avrfii juiumg inein uy uctODer I.o.iwno asked Gromyko what about} was told that would be too late.* j TEMPERS FLARE■n i8,i::e3,}£Bannock Counfy School By Utilities fa Cut BackEfforts of tax adjusters for the Union Pacific railroad and Utah Power and Light company to con-j vince the Bannock county schoolj board that school district voters! | could legally approve only nine j extra mills rather than 12 mills have been sharply rebuffed.County Supt. H. L. Fawson said Fred Clark, representing Union Pacific, and William Beatty, representing Utah Power, told him that only nine extra mills could be levied by the districts despite a recent reversed” opinion by Attorney General Robert Smylic that the intent of the legislature ‘was to set 25H mills plus repayment of bond issues.Board Hits at Move 12-Mill LevyFRANKLIN COUNTY,” Fawson quoted them as saying, is considering cutting districts back to nine mills and having the county school board levy a full five mills.”Under a recently enacted law, county school boards can levy five mills as an emergency measure to help school districts obtain sufficient revenue to operate.Any voter with one dollar’s worth of property can bring a court action to determine the legality of the 12-mill maximum,” Fawson said he was told.Angry board members retorted that if a court test wins, a special session of the legislature would be called so quickly that nothing would be accomplished by Union Pacific or Utah Power.It would cost these two largest taxpayers more in the long run if a special session had to be called,” Board Chairman Edwin DeKay said.BOARD MEMBERS said tactics now being used by UP and UpL \vere obvious.”They will go fo other counties and say, 'Franklin and Bannock counties are considering restricting district levies to nine mills, but will levy the countywide five mills to legally help these districts.” , ..Agreement was unanimous .to turn down the suggestions ofClark and Beatty as an insidious” move to undermine the financial structure of the districts.They pointed out that many Southeastern Idaho county school boards already have levied ail or part of the legal five mills to aid school districts. Bannock county board has obtained consent of county* commissioners to levy 3?4 mills; Bingham county, fi\re mills; Power county, two mills; and Franklin county, five mills.CARIBOU COUNTY is perhaps the only one not resorting to this measure to help school districts.County board members pointed out that Marsh Valley and Pocatello school districts are levying the maximum allowed by the attorney general’s opinion, as are many other districts throughout Southeastern Idaho.If Pocatello and Marsh Valley lose six mills, and we could levy only another 1Y* mills to help them, they would be forced to operate on reduced revenues,” the chairman said.AH board members agreed to be placed on record as opposing the latest move to have their taxes reduced.”Fawson said UP and Utah Power are confident that any court would rule that district voters can approve only nine mills, and that to remain within the law, the county boards should levy the full five mills to replace a portion of the districts’ financial loss.SMYLIE RULED upon his return from Washington recently that 12 mills was the legal maximum, although earlier an assistant attorney general had given an informal” opinion to Union Pacific that 9 mills was the most that district voters could approve.Gov. Len Jordan entered the controversy and threw himself behind the 12-mill interpretation, warning that it was the clear intent of the legislature to allow districts this maximum. He indicated that, if nothing else turned up, he would call a special session at a great cost to the taxpayer”siira]fcth:
Newspaper Details
Idaho Journal
Pocatello, Idaho, US
Sun, Sep 09, 1951
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Idaho S.
ID, USA 04 Jun 2025
Other Publications Near Pocatello, Idaho
The Semi Weekly Pocatello Tribune
The Weekly Pocatello Tribune
The Pocatello Post
The Pocatello Tribune
Idaho Journal
