Logan School District wants bond to ease class overcrowding

Logan High School is seeing class sizes at levels it hasn’t seen in the past, with some classes having 50, even 60 students.

The problem: not enough teachers.

The Logan School Board is looking to put a bond and a levy on the ballot, but that money, if approved, wouldn’t be available until 2015.

Bill Emmett teaches Advanced Placement English at Logan High. He has more than 200 students and his largest classes seat more than 50 students.

"(The) problem becomes, of course, the more students you have in terms of total load, the more papers you have to correct, the more time you need to devote to the grading of papers,” Emmett said.
Having so many students in class means teachers may not have the time to give individual attention to every student.

Administrators say the problem started when the economy made a downturn a few years ago. “We did a reduction in staff two years ago when we were at the height of the financial crisis," Logan School District Superintendent Marshal Garrett said. But the school population didn’t change much, so each teacher has 180 students enrolled in their classes.

The Logan School District is hoping to fix overcrowding by asking taxpayers for $900,000 in a levy vote this November. Even then, however, the money wouldn't become available until the 2015 school year. It also plans to add a $40 million to $55 million bond to the November ballot, with about $35 million going toward updating Logan High School classrooms. Deseret News

Expanding USU Supported by Board

Expanding the campus of Utah State University in Brigham City will be of great benefit, not only to students who attend, but to the city as well. Ron Frandsen, District business administrator, explained to the school board members the expectation of continuing the Interlocal Cooperative agreement with the Redevelopment Agency of Brigham City.

Five local entities are involved in the agreement, including the school district, Brigham City, Box Elder County, Mosquito Abatement and the Water Conservancy District. They provide financial support for development of the Old Indian School property for USU expansion through continuation of the tax increment program.

Also included in the agreement is the proposal to use the majority of taxes paid by any future development on the property to help provide matching funds to construct the building. Hopefully funds will be available through future legislature allotment.

Despite a district-wide policy stating otherwise, the Box Elder High School wrestling team will be taking a trip to Reno, Nevada, for a tournament there.

Policy 5323 concerning out-of-state travel limits high schools to two trips per year. Box Elder high principal Darrel Eddington has awarded those trips to the Drama Club and to the orchestra.

Coach Mike Ripplinger called this team the best he has ever had and this trip would bring an opportunity for them to wrestle in front of coaches from colleges and a possibility for wrestling scholarships. The Leader

Logan residents shocked at high utility bills

Dry, hot weather conditions combined with a $7 base increase per month has many Logan residents balking at their most recent utility bills.

Starting in July, fees in three categories went up to account for base increases in water, sewer and stormwater rates, but city officials are saying that high electric and water usage has translated into steeper monthly bills than otherwise expected.

Base rates in three areas within Logan utility bills were increased a total of $7 for residents this summer. The increases, which are paying for various capital projects throughout the city but chiefly along 1000 West, were approved by councilmembers in June.

Logan is putting $14 million toward the 1000 West project. Although the Utah Department of Transportation is paying for the road surface, Anderson said the city is responsible for funding infrastructure updates below the ground.

Actual consumption rates — the area in which most residents are seeing the biggest jumps on their bills — were not altered.

Utility bills in Logan include base rates for a handful of services — from 911 operations to garbage collection — and a variable charge for electricity and water usage, both of which are measured monthly. HJNews

$800k tax increase approved for Box Elder District

The board's regular meeting on Wednesday, July 11, Box Elder School District Business Administrator Ron Frandsen made a case to the board why the increase to the State of Utah's certified tax rate, which would increase the district's current tax rate by .000283, from 008442 to .008725 percent, was necessary.

What's ultimately to blame for the necessity of the increase is a stagnant economy and depressed property values that have led to decreased tax revenues from across the state, according to district Superintendent Ronald Wolff. The Utah State Tax Commission increased the basic school levy to compensate for the reduction in revenue and districts must abide by the increase if they want to participate in the state's equalization program, which reallocates money from more wealthy districts to needier ones.

It was also explained the district is dealing with a new property tax financing structure. This year, in an effort to simplify school district budgets, the State Legislature reduced the number of line items districts could specifically levy taxes for. As a result, some property tax revenue is accounted for in different funds than in the past. Box Elder News Journal

Cache County sales tax revenue up in 2011

Cache County's sales tax collection continues to show signs of improvement. For the first three quarters of this year - the most current data available as the fourth quarter is ongoing - monthly figures have outperformed 2010 levels in eight out of the nine months.For the month of September, for example, the 2011 sales tax figure came in at $359,014, compared to $314,696 in 2010. The first nine months of this year totaled $2,849,089, up 4.5 percent from last year. Herald Journal

Cache County sales tax collection flattens

While Cache County’s sales tax collection showed strong signs of growth at the beginning of the year, the past few months haven’t been as solid. Still, the county has seen increases in each month from January through May — the most current available — over the 2010 figures. For instance, in March, the county collected $339,531 — up from $330,463 in 2010, but down considerably from $391,651 in 2007 and $392,715 in 2008. Herald Journal

Hotel tax revenue in Cache increased 15 percent in 2010

Revenue from a hotel tax that helps fund the Cache Valley Visitors Bureau was up significantly last year. Dollars from the transient room tax - which is 3 percent on top of the room rate - increased by 15 percent over 2009, with a final 2010 distribution of $347,696. Herald Journal

Cache County sales tax revenue on upward trend

Cache County's monthly sales tax figures are showing an increasing trend. For the last five months of 2010 data available, the county option sales tax - one-quarter of a percent on sales in the entire county - shows revenues up over their corresponding 2009 levels, with September's total being the only exception. For the 2010 figures from January through October - the most current available - just three months were down from 2009 in terms of the county option sales tax.

In contrast, in 2009, 11 months of the year showed decreases compared to 2008 levels. Despite the positive trend in recent months, County Executive Lynn Lemon said it will take time for sales tax figures to rise to those seen in 2007 and 2008. The county is not raising property taxes for 2011. Lemon added that given the current increasing trend in sales taxes, the county should be able to maintain services without reducing its workforce.

He believes the county is well-positioned financially entering the new year, estimating the amount in the county's reserve fund at $5.1 million at the end of 2010. "We've been really careful in the past," Lemon said. "We've got a decent reserve fund, and right now it looks like our revenues are coming in to meet our expenses. So I think we're in decent shape."

The Herald Journal