This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I wrote Monday about the concerns of residents in Sugar House and the Highland High area who have seen an increase in the number of vagrants since police have cracked down on the homeless problem downtown.
They say the get-tough efforts in the Rio Grande district have pushed the problem into their neighborhoods.
The residents say they now are getting not only more crime, but it also has become more dangerous for their kids to go to school.
At the corner of 2100 East and 2100 South, one of the city's busiest rush-hour intersections, the number of crossing guards to help students get safely to Dilworth Elementary north of that thoroughfare has been reduced.
It adds insult to injury in the minds of some parents living south of 2100 South, seeing their kids cross that busy street every morning and afternoon. Fourteen years ago, when the Salt Lake City School Board was voting on which schools to close, it went against the recommendations of its own closure committee and picked Roslyn Heights, south of 2100 South, to shutter instead of Dilworth.
Board members said it was because of Roslyn Heights' low enrollment, but it still forced hundreds of grade-schoolers to pass through the 2100 South gantlet every day.
When school started this year, parents were further agitated to see only one crossing guard at the 2100 South and 2100 East intersection instead of the two stationed there in the past.
There also used to be a crossing guard at noon to accompany the half-day kindergartners across the street. Now there is none.
City Council member Lisa Ramsey Adams, who represents that area, is concerned with the reduction in crossing guards, especially since studies have shown 30,000 cars a day pass through that intersection.
She said the budget for crossing guards has not been reduced. The crossing-guard program is administered by the city's Public Services Department.
Adams said she is working to restore the number of crossing guards.
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Revenue sharing? • If you drive or park in Salt Lake City with an expired license plate, don't be surprised to see a city enforcement officer and a Utah Highway Patrol trooper arm wrestling for the privilege to write the ticket.
Not renewing your license plate on time violates state law — akin to tax evasion for not paying what is owed.
Years ago, city officials got wise and passed city ordinances identical to the state law on license expirations.
So, because an expired license violates the city ordinance, a city enforcer can write a ticket, and the city gets all the fine money.
If a state officer writes the ticket, it falls under the Utah statute and the state gets the money.
Either way, you're out the cash. It just depends on whether that money is used for more bike lanes or for legislators' health insurance.
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Speed-trap city • Speaking of competition between governments, the tiny town of Mantua in Box Elder County is unavoidable for motorists traveling from Brigham City to Logan in Sardine Canyon.
With a population of 676, it doesn't have much income.
The speed trap seems to lurk all the time, with motorists seeing the squad car as late as 10:30 p.m on a Sunday or as early as 6 a.m. on a Saturday.
State Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, was troubled a few years ago by the way that little hamlet funds itself — on the backs of students traveling to Utah State University in Logan, or families on their way to Bear Lake for a weekend.
He sponsored a bill that would have sent fines from speeding tickets to state coffers instead of the city if the violation occurred on a state road. Mantua officials, as well as those from other cities, balked, because, let's face it, speed traps are less about keeping motorists safe and more about generating revenue.
Hillyard dropped his legislation, but the point was made.