BUDGET - The Salt Lake Tribune

Tensions mount as Salt Lake school board talks tax hike

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:01:22 MDT

Tensions mount as Salt Lake school board talks tax hike

By Ray Parker The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 21, 2013 11:01PM MDT

Budget discussions got so contentious Tuesday night, one Salt Lake City School District board member left the meeting. Tiffany Sandberg asked to be excused after board member Michael Clara continued to ask questions about the budget, yet none of the other members seemed to understand his point. Clara said he wants greater transparency involving district business, especially as he considers a vote on whether to increase taxes. The disagreement during Tuesday’s board meeting was the latest in a ...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Dark clouds hang over air shows after budget cuts

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:52:13 MDT

Dark clouds hang over air shows after budget cuts

By DAVID SHARP The Associated Press

Updated May 17, 2013 08:52PM MDT

Brunswick, Maine • Patty Wagstaff is a Hollywood stunt pilot, three-time U.S. aerobatic champion, inductee to the National Aviation Hall of Fame and favorite on the air show circuit. One of her tricked-out planes is on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. But this weekend, she’s grounded. Federal budget cuts that eliminated military flying acts triggered the cancellation of dozens of air shows, meaning lost income for performers, air show announcers, concessionaires, vendor...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Thousands of Utahns face Defense Department furloughs

Thu, 16 May 2013 22:54:32 MDT

Thousands of Utahns face Defense Department furloughs

STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Updated May 16, 2013 10:54PM MDT

The Pentagon’s plan to impose furloughs in response to federal budget cuts is expected to affect more than 13,000 civilian workers at four Utah military installations. U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced this week that furloughs of 11 days will start July 8 on as many as 680,000 civilian employees nationwide. For the most part, Utah’s military installations have identified the number of civilian employees who will be forced to furlough. But some agencies say it is not yet clear wheth...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Protect yourself: Budget cuts hurting wildfire fighting, fed officials say

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:03:27 MDT

Protect yourself: Budget cuts hurting wildfire fighting, fed officials say

By nate carlisle The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 13, 2013 11:03PM MDT

The wildfire season is off to one of its slowest start in years, but two U.S. Cabinet secretaries on Monday said budget cuts could hamper fire fighting efforts later this summer and make it more difficult to prevent future fires and repair lands. “We are preparing to suppress fires,” said U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, “but we are not able to put the resources into mitigating the damage done by those fires.” Jewell and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack were in Boise, Idaho, on ...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Hunt: Obama’s budget cuts put onus on Ryan

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:36:02 MDT

Hunt: Obama’s budget cuts put onus on Ryan

By Albert R. Hunt Bloomberg View

Updated May 13, 2013 11:36AM MDT

WASHINGTON - When it comes to deficit reduction, President Barack Obama may have correctly taken the measure of Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles and U.S. corporate leaders; that’s a reason why any deficit deal is more remote than ever. Two and a half years ago, when the president refused to embrace the recommendations of his own deficit-reduction panel, he was criticized by the authors, Bowles, a former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, and Simpson, a former Republican senator from Wyomin...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Salt Lake School District: Status quo will take a tax increase

Fri, 10 May 2013 23:02:17 MDT

Salt Lake School District: Status quo will take a tax increase

By ray parker The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 10, 2013 11:02PM MDT

Salt Lake City School District officials are recommending a property tax increase to maintain school programs and provide a cost-of-living increase to employees. Under the proposal, homeowners would pay $12.65 more per $100,000 of home valuation yearly, raising an additional $3.6 million for the 2013-14 school year, said Janet Roberts, district business administrator. The single-family home median price in Salt Lake City ranged from $139,000 in the 84101 ZIP code to $393,000 in 84103 in the fi...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

April surplus of $113B lowers U.S. budget deficit

Fri, 10 May 2013 22:27:09 MDT

April surplus of $113B lowers U.S. budget deficit

The Associated Press

Updated May 10, 2013 10:27PM MDT

A rare surplus of $113 billion in April helped slow the growth of this year’s annual budget deficit and keep it on pace to be the smallest since 2008. The Congressional Budget Office projects the deficit will be $845 billion when the budget year ends on Sept. 30. Here’s a look at the deficits over the previous 12 years, dating to 2001, the last time the United States ran a surplus. The surplus that year was one in a string of four from 1998 to 2001. That was the longest stretch in which the budg...

Health and education

Fri, 10 May 2013 01:01:04 MDT

Health and education

Updated May 10, 2013 01:01AM MDT

According to “How’s your Utah school district’s budget for next year?” (Tribune, May 2), much of the Legislature’s increase in school funding will go toward “covering rising health-insurance and retirement costs.” One could also say that much of our education money goes to pay teachers. Or administrators. Or for books and computers. Or keeping schools heated in winter. What is the point The Trib is trying to make? That decent health care costs money? Is that a surprise? When did health care co...

Granite employees

Fri, 10 May 2013 01:01:05 MDT

Granite employees

Updated May 10, 2013 01:01AM MDT

Re “How’s your Utah school district’s budget for next year?” (Tribune, May 2): Granite School District plans once again to punish its employees. This time, it is going after the hard-working, less-paid, staff, such as teacher’s aides and bus drivers. Here’s the problem: For employees working 30 or more hours a week, the Affordable Care Act will require the district to pay for their health insurance. Therefore, the district plans to have them work 29 hours a week instead. I find this mind-boggl...