Rose Park News

AGENDA - May 2, 2007, Day Riverside Library
Conducting:Pearl Nelson Conducting (596-3566)

Welcome
Pledge Of Allegiance
 1.City Council Issues: Canton Christensen 10 mm
 2.Crime Report - Mike Hatch io mm
 3.NHS - Daniel Pacheco (film) 20 mm
 4.Mayoral Candidates - Nancy Saxton 10 mm
                  Dave Buhi 10 mm
 5.Community Garden Report - Scott Steenblik 5 mm
 6.City Issues - Barry Esham 5 mm
 7.Information and Elections - Kenneth Neal 5 mm
NEXT MEETING: WEDNESDAY, June 6, 2007 at 6:30 p.m.
Val Ringwood will be conducting (359-1645)
Call him if you have items or concerns for the agenda.

We ask you to invite a neighbor to our meetings. This is everyone’s community and we are always in need of suggestions, ideas for improvements, and constructive advice as well as your personal support. Please do not forget that we do not hold any council meetings in July and August

INFORMATION ITEMS 

Item I
The annual city neighborhood cleanup program is in full swing. They will cover the area from 1-15 to 1200 West beginning July 9 and from 1200 West to Redwood Road beginning July 2. As in the past, please keep your green material separated from the rest of the items. Do not place anything on the curb earlier than 10 days prior to these dates. Report all illegal dumping to 313-6641 or 535-6999. Please give license plate num­ber, color and make of vehicle, if possible, Hazardous waste should be taken to Jordan Park on the fourth Thursday, April-September 7:00 a.m. -10:00 a.m. This includes old paint cans, aerosols, garden sprays, etc.

Item 2
With Spring here, we remind you again to keep your doors locked, even if you are working in your yard. Keep a spare key in your pocket and make sure that your garage is locked at all times. There are some brazen thieves around, even riding bicycles, who will come into your home if your door is unlocked and even if you are in the area. Also, do not leave your garbage or recycling bins on the street after the pickup. It is a sure sign that no one may be home. Have a neighbor take them in for you if you are not expecting to be home soon or are away on a trip.
Item 3
Community Council elections are scheduled for this meeting. If you are interested in serving as a vice chair, please let us know ASAP.
Item 4
The City has established a community council web site. You can access it by going to www.slcgov.com. On the far right of your screen you will see “get involved”, then click on “Community Councils”. Michael Bennett keeps our web site updated for us.
Item 5
The police report showed that in March there were 3 assaults, 6 burglaries, 4 car prowls, 2 car strips, 14 car thefts, 2 gang-related crimes, 1 sexual assault, 1 robbery, and 3 weapons drive-by shootings.
Item 6
Please do all that you can to buy local first rather than go elsewhere. If we do not patronize our local stores and restaurants, we will lose them.
Item 7
The city’s reading program will focus on John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. There will be numerous events sponsored by the Library. You can log on to www.slcpl.org for continuing activities through May 21.

The Legislature passed, and the governor signed, H.B. 148, Education Vouchers, which
creates a program to award scholarships to students to attend a private school. The bill:
- specifies criteria for qualifying for a scholarship;
- specifies criteria for private schools to enroll scholarship students;
- specifies the amount, timing, and form of scholarship payments;
- requires the State Board of Education to make rules;
- gives the State Board of Education enforcement authority;
- requires the Legislature to annually appropriate money from the General Fund for scholarship payments;
- allows a school district to continue to receive a portion of state funding for a student who transfers to a private school for a five-year period; and
- appropriates $100,000 from the General Fund for fiscal year 2006-07 to the State Board of Education.

The Legislature passed, and the governor signed, H.B. 174, Education Voucher Amendments, which modifies a program to award scholarships to students to attend a private school. The bill includes many of the same provisions as H.B. 148 and includes the following modifications:
- parents of scholarship students shall acknowledge they are responsible for transportation costs;
- private schools accepting scholarship students shall employ teachers who have complete criminal background checks;
- the State Board of Education shall made rules providing for the verification of parental income of scholarship students; and
- the legislative auditor general shall conduct a review of the scholarship program after the 2011-12 school year.

The Legislature passed, and the governor signed, S.B. 3, Appropriations Adjustments, which makes various appropriations for the operation of state government, including the following:
“Item 135 To State Board of Education - Parent Choice in Education Act From General Fund 9,300,000
From General Fund, One-time 3,000,000 Schedule of Programs:
Administration 100,000 Scholarships 12,200,000
To implement the provisions of Education Vouchers (House Bill 148, 2007 General Session).”

• A referendum to place H.B. 148, Education Vouchers, to a vote of the people is currently in process. If a sufficient number of registered voters sign the petition, H.B. 148 will not go into effect until voters approve the bill at a special election (called by the governor) or at the next general election (November, 2008).

• The referendum does not affect the sections enacted in H.B. 174, but the funding for the voucher program is tied to H.B. 148 and may not be transferred to a program established in accordance with the sections enacted in H.B. 174 without further legislative action.