The Missoulian from Missoula, Montana • 5

Jti Missoulian, Saturday, June 16, 1979 5 UF'V ft It, i I 5 miSSion City government requests budget 1 'ft ft By GORDON DILLOW Staff writer Supervisors of Missoula city government department have requested budgets totaling about $8.5 million for the 1979-80 fiscal year, an increase of about $1.5 million over last year. The bigger budgets include requests for 10 more firefighters, five more police officers and possible pay raises for most of the city's elected officials, including Mayor Bill Cregg, the 12 Missoula City Council members and Municipal Court Judge Wallace Clark. However, Mayor Cregg plans to trim about $1 million from those $8.5 million worth of requests in order to keep the city budget from growing more than 7 percent this year. If he succeeds, and assuming that a city mill is worth the same as it was last year, a 7 percent increase in the city budget for next year would translate into roughly a 7 percent increase in the city taxes Missoula residents will have to pay-Last year Cregg succeeded in a similar effort to trim the preliminary city budget by $1 million in order to stay within a 7 percent increase over the pre vious year's budget. But when the dust had cleared, and the City Council had completed its budget deliberations, the city budget was 10 percent over that of the previous year.

The $8.5 million requests by department supervisors do not include funding requests from various social agencies. Those include a $10,500 request from the Community Coordinated Child Care day-care organization, a $14,100 request from the Senior Citizens Center, a request from the Retired Senior Volunteer Program and a $40,000 request from the Regional Chemical Dependen cy Program. Others include a $6,000 request from the Regional Specialized Transportation system, which plans to set up a bus system for handicapped people; a $15,000 request from Women's Place for a domestic violence and sexual-assault prevention program; a $5,000 request from the YWCA for the Battered Women's Shelter; and a $9,500 request from the Indian Alcohol Services. In the preliminary budget, Fire Chief Jack Reed has requested 10 additional firefighters, at a cost of about $137,000. The fire department now has The City Council Finance Committee then will review the executive budget, make whatever changes it thinks necessary and submit the budget to the entire City Council for final approval.

That process probably will take until at least mid-August. It's difficult to say at this point what impact the city budget will have on a city resident's taxes. Conceivably, the city budget could increase by $1 million or even more and not affect anyone's tax bill, if there were a corresponding increase in the value of a city mill. During the 1978-79 fiscal year, for every mill the city levied it received about $45,000. If the value of a mill increases this year, the city could levy the same number of mills and still bring in more tax money, without increasing city taxes.

Howcvcr.iif the value of a city mill remains about the same, the city will have to levy more mills in order to increase the money it gets from taxes. And the more mills that are levied on property, the more taxes are owed. During this fiscal year, which ends June 30, the city levied 77 mills. For each mill levied, a taxpayer with a home paid $4.25. The city won't know how many mills it will have to levy until the county assessor's office determines the taxable valuation of all property within the city, a determination that still is several months away.

29 firefighters. Police Chief Sabe Pfau has asked for five additional patrolmen, at a cost of about $76,000. The police department now has 45 police lieutenants, sergeants and patrolmen. Mayor Cregg has requested a pay raise from $19,000 to $22,900, while Judge Clark has asked for a increase, from $15,000 to $20,000. No elected city officials were given pay raises last year because the city found that state law prohibited an elected official from receiving a pay raise during his term of office.

The city of Missoula lobbied for repeal of that law in the 1979 Legislature, and the Legislature made the change. City Attorney Jim Nugent, an appointed official, also has requested a raise, from $17,000 to $22,000. Also included in the preliminary budget is a possible salary increase for City Council members. Council members now receive $225 a month, plus health insurance benefits. The proposed change would increase that to $300 a month.

The increase was requested by Cregg, not by the City Council. City Finance Officer Larry Heggen stressed that the $8.5 million preliminary budget figure is just that, preliminary. The figure represents what the city department supervisors have said they will need for the coming year. Cregg and Heggen will review each department's request, then come up with an "executive budget." Williams not yet decided on bill he'll introduce about Rattlesnake i 1 i Tree re I on Sixth treet 4 I vv UUUE I IKK Tues to start day 1 7- 1 7rfi By JONATHAN KRIM Staff writer Rep. Pat Williams, said in Washington, D.C., this week that plans drawn up by a Missoula conservation group to preserve portions of the Rattlesnake area are not necessarily the same proposals that he will introduce in Congress.

Williams, who has scheduled a public hearing on the issue for June 30 in Missoula, told the Missoulian that he agrees that sections of the Rattlesnake should be preserved for wilderness and special wildlife and recreation areas. But the Western District congressman is concerned that a wilderness proposal drawn up by the Friends of the Rattlesnake is being interpreted as legislation that he has agreed to sponsor. Williams is concerned because the proposal is in the form of a House bill with his name listed as the chief sponsor. The proposal is written on official, legislative stationery. Cass Chinske, executive director of Friends of the Rattlesnake, said the insertion of Williams' name on the proposal was an unfortunate error.

Chinske told the Missoulian that the draft legislation was written by Bill Cunningham of the Montana Wilderness Association, who inadvertently put Williams' name at the top of the bill. Chinske said such proposals frequently are put in the form of legislation, with the sponsor's name to be filled in later. He said that, as soon as he realized the mistake, he contacted everyone who had been given the proposal to explain that it was not a Williams bill. The proposed bill was not circulated to the general public, Chinske said, but it was mailed to some of the landowners in the area proposed for wilderness designation, such as the Montana Power Co. and the Burlington Northern.

Since that time, a revised version of the proposal has been written that does not have Williams' name on it. Williams said he is not angry about the mistake, but he simply wants people to know that he will not make a decision on legislation until after hearing public testimony from all interested parties June 30. Williams is interested in a "model" wilderness area that will feature recreation and educational benefits. He would like to see, for example, certain areas set aside where elderly persons and I .11. V.

I WXA Jf LZk i f' J0F sir AM to break the tie in favor of widening the street and cutting the trees. Kryszak said that, if the 25 trees are cut down, it would be the largest tree-cutting operation the parks department has handled in years. Kryszak seemed unhappy about the prospect of cutting the trees. "I don't consider it the park department's business to be cutting down trees that are alive," Kryszak said. "On the other hand, I believe in the system." Since the council has ordered that the trees be cut, Kryszak said, his department will do it, but he wants a representative of the city engineering department on hand at the tree-cutting operation to share the responsibility.

Kryszak said he has to hire two additional laborers to help with the tree-cutting operation. Ward 1 Alderman Cass Chinske will try to have the tree-cutting reconsidered at the City Council meeting Monday night. If the council doesn't reconsider, the tree-cutting will start at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning. Voting in favor of widening the street and cutting the trees at last Monday's council meeting were Cregg, Ward 6's Ken Lousen (in whose ward the trees are located), Ward 3's Ernest Millhouse, Ward 2's Yvonne Ransavage, Ward 4's John Toole and Ward 5's Leon Stalcup.

Opposing the tree-cutting were Chinske, Ward 3's Bill Boggs, Ward I Richard Giuliani. Ward 2's Stan Healy and Ward 5's Tom Connolly. Ward 6's Bill Potts and Ward 4's Richard Smith were absent. By GORDON DILLOW Staff writer Unless the Missoula City Council changes its mind Monday night, Tuesday morning the Missoula parks department will begin cutting down the 25 trees along four blocks of South Sixth Street West. The trees will be removed so that the street can be widened to carry more traffic.

The Missoulian incorrectly reported Friday that construction on the street would begin next spring. Parks Superintendent Garry Kryszak told the Missoulian Friday that he has received a "work order" from the city engineer's office asking him to start cutting the trees Tuesday. Ed Bukosky of the engineer's office said Friday that the contractor on the project is scheduled to start widening the street during the first half of July. So the trees, mostly mature maples and elms, will have to be removed quickly. The Missoula City Council voted Monday night to widen Sixth Street between Ivy and Hickory streets from 31 feet to 41 feet.

The widening will allow parking on both sides of the street, where parking now is allowed on only one side. In order to widen the street, the city must cut down the trees. A survey of the property owners on the street, conducted by the engineer's office, indicated that about 20 of the 32 property owners contacted want the street widened, even if it means cutting the trees. The council voted 5 to 5 on the question Monday, leaving Mayor Bill Cregg 4 I WtU2EeNES5 0 WW SPRING GvlCtf-fxJD I Rep. Pat Williams has said he plans to introduce a bill in Congress to preserve portions of the Rattlesnake area, but he has not decided whether his proposal will match that of Friends of the Rattlesnake, a Missoula conservation group.

The group's suggestions for use of the Rattlesnake area are indicated on the map above. Youth Homes told to buy property school children could be taken for tours. Williams also would like the forestry school at the University of Montana to use the area to conduct research on the benefits of wilderness preservation. Chinske said his group's plan is the product of meetings with many organizations and companies who have offered ideas for the proposal. For example, the plan provides for an educational and research facility at the site, where research on the area could be conducted.

It also allows vehicle use in the recreation area when necessary to maintain water and utility facilities. Essentially, the Friends of the Rattlesnake proposal divides the area into two sections, wilderness and special wildlife-recreation. The wilderness area would consist of 31.665 acres and would be managed in the same way as other national wilderness areas. About half of the land proposed for wilderness and recreation is owned by private interests, such as Montana Power Co. and the Burlington Northern.

The proposed bill provides for the purchase of that land, and backers of the legislation hope the landowners will agree to sell. The public hearing will begin at 11 a.m. in the Missoula City-County Librar- y- cle use would be permitted. However, snowmobiles would be permitted on the Mineral Peak Jeep Road, except during big-game hunting season. The rest of the recreation areas will remain roadless and will be used primarily for backcountry-type activities, such as hiking and skiing.

Motorcycling would be allowed in the Rattlesnake Creek Valley up to Franklin Bridge. The special wildlife-recreation area would consist of 29.685 acres and would be designated as a "special management" area under regulations of the Forest Service. Within this area, 15,905 acres would be special wildlife areas, with priority given to preservation of wildlife habitat. (See accompanying map.) No new trails or recreational facilities would be allowed, and no on-the-ground motor-vehi Community briefs. Appeal deadline nears on butcher jobless pay By STEVE SMITH and used the money to buy a more suitable house at 2301 River Road The Youth Guidance Home is an alternative to incarceration at Pine Hills, the state reform school for boys.

Birnbaum said Missoula Youth Homes is virtually assured of getting $50,000 in community development money through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. That money, he said, will be used to buy a new building for its Attention Home. The Attention Home, which is now in rental property at 266 S. Third St. provides short-term emergency housing for kids who have no place else to go.

The third home run by Missoula Youth Homes is a rental home at 103 Ar-temos Drive. It houses as many as eight kids, mostly those who are runaways or are neglected at home. Birnbaum said the Youth Homes organization is looking for another site for that home because the Artemos home faces expensive remodeling Youth Homes has a new house in mind on West Central Avenue, but it needs to come up with $24,000 for a down payment and state licensing Birnbaum said donations are being solicited through "person-to-person" contacts with people in the community who have financial resources. He said his organization has collected $13,000. so far Missoula Youth Homes is a nonprofit corporation intended to provide a non-institutional alternative for troubled kids.

The programs are run with a combination of state grants, state general fund money and United Way money. The homes are more than "crash pads'" or "overblown Birnbaum said They are plares. he said, where kids can feel secure and learn to control their own behavior." By DEIRDRE McNAMER Staff writer If you're going to provide solid, reasonably attractive homes for kids in trouble, it helps to have some real estate savvy. That's why Missoula Youth Homes which runs three group homes in Missoula for homeless or delinquent teen-agers, appointed a committee in the fall of 1977 to figure out the best way to house troubled young people. Should Missoula Youth Homes continue to rent, or should it buy some houses? Should the corporation move any of its existing homes to other locations? Would real-estate purchases be the organization's best hedge against inflation? The committee included members of the Missoula Youth Homes board of directors, as well as an accountant, a real estate broker, a stock broker and a social worker.

The group interviewed real estate experts, loan officers, building inspectors people with knowledge of the Missoula housing market and recently came up with a couple of recommendations. First and foremost, the committee said, Missoula Youth Homes should buy all three of its youth homes, and any other homes that it sets up in the future. Real-estate purchases will save Missoula Youth Homes money in the long run enabling the organization to bolster its operating budget and will make the homes permanent fixtures in the community, the committee said. Geoff Birnbaum. executive director of Missoula Youth Homes, said Friday that the the organization recently sold its Youth Guidance Home at 302 Fourth SL W.

the only home it owned i i i I i Staff writer Striking meat cutters in Missoula and Billings have until Wednesday to appeal a recent state ruling that disqualifies them from receiving unemployment benefits during the strike. Issued by Ed Nelson, supervising claims examiner for the Montana Employment Security Division, the ruling states that the strikers' unemployment resulted from a "stoppage of work which exists because of a labor dispute." "From the facts submitted by the representatives of the employer groups and the unions, there Restaurateur pleads innocent to charge Robert Gallegos, one of the owners of the now-defunct Gilded Lily restaurant, pleaded innocent Friday to a misdemeanor charge of failing to pay back wages to 10 employees of the restaurant when it closed last month. Justice of the Peace Janet Jensen set a non-jury trial for July 23 on the charge. Gallegos is charged by the Missoula County Attorney's office with failing to pay nine employees that they claim they earned between May 5 and May 22. The complaint states that Gallegoes failed to pay another employee, Eric Sells, $315.88 that he allegedly earned from April 15 until May 22.

Thirteen employees walked off their jobs May 19 saying they had not been paid for several weeks. fen of those employees filed complaints with the county attorney's office. The restaurant's lease expired at the end of May. Marianne Forest, co-owner of the restaurant, said after it closed that she and Gallegos had told the employees six weeks before that the restaurant was in dire financial straits. At least one former cook at the Gilded Lily is now cooking for Connie's Lounge, according to an employee at Connie's.

Jt efit claims when they went on strike against retail grocery stores April 25. The Havre area strike was settled May 10, but the strikes in Missoula and Billings are in their seventh weeks with no settlements in sight. Wages are the primary reason behind the strike, although there are other issues. Missoula meat cutters, who earn $6.44 an hour after a three-year apprenticeship, claim they are among the lowest paid workers in their trade in the country. Negotiations between meat cutters and the Employers Association of Western Montana which represents Buttrey Food Stores.

Albertson's, Safeway and Super Save stores ended the third week in April when the union rejected by a two-to-one margin the employers association's contract offer. As a result of the lengthy strike, several Missoula meat cutters have found employment in other towns. Others, who are receiving $50 a week in strike benefits for picketing, have applied for food stamps and sought other financial relief. According to Nelson's ruling, the strikers are disqualified from unemployment benefits "beginning with the effective date of their respective claims until the stoppage of work due to the labor dispute ceases." Spokesmen for Missoula Meat Cutter Local 242 have not said whether an appeal to Nelson's ruling is planned. 'was a substantial drop in the volume of sales and 4 considerable reduction in the services and merchandise offered (by the stores) to the public," Nelson's ruling states.

"It can be considered that there was a stoppage of work which exists because of a labor dispute at the 32 grocery stores where claims have been filed by affected employees." the ruling continues. The Montana Unemployment Compensation provides that benefits won't be awarded when unemployment is the result of a labor dispute. A total of 280 striking meat cutters in Missoula. Billings and the Havre area filed unemployment ben.