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Show - The Ogden Valley News ™ | eé~Page-21 - J anuary Volume 1, |ssue 3 V‘ ' o » Resources. Developers of Wolf Creek want to burld the state subsidized water project—a reservoir and distribution system-—for - large scale recreational facilities and residential development. . - ganda are also used to influence policy outcome. Private advertisement and marketing techniques, sometimes subsidized, can | -be used to influence policy. An advertisement prepared by ‘The project will cost an estimated $570,000, over half a mrllron o ‘H. Austin Belnap, a congressronal candidate for the 2nd dollars. If approved, The State Board of Water Resources will -~ Congressional District in the early 1970s claims that, “Utah’s ~ finance $456,000 of the project at 0% percent interest with tax Land Use Act [of 1973] will destroy your property rlghts.’.f ‘On Mr = payers’ money. The execution of such plans include piping Wolf - Belnap’s flier he notes that “Maria Sego lived a peas[a]nt in Creek, which will lead to the destruction of the habitat and foliage | fa[s]cist ltaly. Even though her family owned property, Mussolini associated with the creek as it runs through Eden. The protected placed such stringent controls on it that ownership meant nothing. ~ - ~ Bonneville Cutthroat trout is one of many species that will be © - ~ ~ - ~ - ~ - VA ~ Sadly, she can see this occur[r]ing in her adopted America | adversely affected by this project if it is carried through. Another ) th[rlough LAND USE .” Another advertisement claims that the is the taxpayers that will finance another special mterest——the land use act is cemplete socialism, and asks who wants to control developer! you and your property? This same advertisement asks who furA few years ago under Governor Leavrtt S adrmnrstratron the nished the money to make the study on the Land Use Act. A need to conserve open lands was recogntzed as projections by valid questaon Tax revenue is often spent by parties on both the Utah State Office of Planning and Budgeting predicted continsides of an issue to sway the voter. Sometimes threats are used ued vigorous growth and development for Utah. In response to to influence policy. After Eugene E. Carr, current adjunct profesthese projections, the Utah Critical Lands Committee was formed sor in Urban Planning at the Unrversrty Utah, wrote a Viewpoint and established. Part of its mission statement verbalized its pureditorial, that was printed in Salt Lake Tribune, touting the 1970s pose as a catalyst for locally initiated efforts to conserve open Land Use Act, he was sent a piece of “hate mail” decrying him -~ lands and to identify lands deemed critical for wildlife habitat, . as, among other things, a consplrator for totalitarian government watershed and recreational use. These efforts by the state - and a “Satanic Serpent of darkness.” have been virtually impotent in their ability to guide and influence Education is often an effective tool used by players to influ- local governmental land use policy. There are no, or very weak, ~ence policy if the campaign is sufficient to the degree necessary legal mandates attached to these guidelines. As an example; to combat deeply embedded cultural perceptions and mores. | - soon after the Utah Critical Lands Committee was created, Weber ~ “Buy in” is another tool often used. Including major players in the | County Commissioners sold, without a public hearing or wrthout - effort to find solutions to problems can be an effective strategy ‘used by policy makers. This process can and will often use - public notice or in put, 160 acres of County owned property - on Powder Mountain that was givento the County by the owner citizen representatlves in a managed environment as a means of of Powder Mountain Ski Resort several years ago in eXChange tor' “obtaining buy in by the citizenry on a desired policy. If the newly the County paying $200,000 for the construction of the access ~appointed members of a task force, or study committee feel like road leading up to Powder Mountain. The property was ear- - . ‘they’re part of a team, they are less likely to fight the desired out" marked as a County Wilderness Park. It was also a critical water- - come. Both of these tools are currently being used by Envrsron shed area and recharge area for the aquifers that provide cullnary Utah, prevrously known as the Coalition for Utah’s Future. ' ‘Envision Utah is a private non-profit organization that, accordrng water for Eden residents. The headwaters of Wolf Creek are - located on this property Last year the County sold the property - to a December 13th , 1998 Standard Examiner article, “wants to “help Utahns plan for the one million additional residents who for $32,000, in inflated dollars, a whole lot less than it acquired ~ the property for, at a time when property in Ogden Valley has - are expected to crowd the Wasatch Front during the next twenty ‘more than quadrupled in value. Currently, Utah State Land Use - 'years.” Envision Utah’s actions represent the first orchestrated policy has no teeth or effective means to ensure local governeffort by an organization to utilize, to such an extent, the common " ments comply with state recommendations or policy. voice of the people as a basis to formulate state land use polrcy Currently, plans are being made to introduce The Oualrty Beginning in January 1999, collected and organized data Growth Act in the 1999 legislature. Governor Michael O. Leavrtt ‘obtained from the previous year's surveys town meetings will be is introducing the Act, and it will most likely be sponsored by presented in a new round of workshops. The collected datais ~ Susan J. Loehn and Kevin Garn, Representatives from the Dav1s : organlzed into four resulting future scenarios that articulate the ,*. ~ County area. ltis rumored that the state will provide economic - vision for Utah’s future based upon the values and desires that ‘participating citizens felt were lmportant as verballzed in earller .incentives or penalties to help ensure that local governments ~implement the Act. Penalties could include such tactics as W|th- - workshops and meetings. holding funds for water pro;ects in the rebellious community. The Standard Examiner article also sites prolectrons from the 3 Apparently, the state of Utah is still a ways ‘State of Utah’s Office of Planning and Budgeting. “Currently 1.6 from |mplementlng million people live in . . the Greater Wasatch Area. By 2020 that . state mandated planning, therefore, is resorting to the entrcement philosophy. The question becomes, does the state have large -~ population is expected to swell to 2. 7 million people as we gain enough carrots to compete wrth the economic rncentrves that the f 43,000 new residents . . . each year.” Envision Utah is taking a ~ status guo holds citizen approach to plannrng in the state. It began in January 1997 by conducting a public opinion poll that asked Utahns what S o | Behavrors-- ‘ L | they thought should guide growth planning decisions. The group - Can honour set to a leg? No: Or an arm? No: Or take away the grlef of a also held multiple meetings all over the state, gleaning informa~ wound? No. Honour hath no skill in surgery then? No. What is honour? A tion from citizens about their values as residents of the state and - word. What is in that word honour? Air. A trim reckoning! Who hath it? He ~ the best way to deal with projected growth in Utah. This grass~ that died o’ Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth he hear it? No. ‘Tis roots program is being used to find a consensus for the. citizenry insensible then? Yes, to the dead. But will [it] not leave with the Irvmg? No for the direction leaders should lead. The article further éxplains, Why? Detraction will not suffer it. Therefore, 'll none of lt Honour isa - “Leaders can't lead until they know where we’re headed.” Board - mere scutcheon—and so ends my catechrsm members for Envision Utah include a host of prominent names . ‘What actrons or behavrors do pollcymakers and other actors from Utah society, and represent many interest groups as should | | be expected ., drsplay as they try to influence policy? Lobbying, oftrcrally or | unoftrcrally, comes to mind. Those who have an economic stake in the status quo have a clear economic stake in making sure that ~ business continues as usual. The average citizen that they have an economic stake in making sure ¢y is implemented that doesn’t benefit a relatively o economically elite at the expense of the many tax should realize that sound poli- small group of payers who are utcornes—“l’o Thrne Own Se!f Be True It is relatlvelyeasy to see the lmpact that the actors behavnor has had on public policy and, specrtscally, on Utah state land use policy. Actors have been very effective in maintaining the t;status quo belng consrstentl, true to themselves,. successtully just trying to keep. their heads above water whlle trying to make ‘ends meet. Butit usually is this silent majority that remains srlentl "_.keeplng at bay interference from the state in local land use polrcy, as can be seen from one community to another. For example, =8 Perhaps the treadmill is moving so rapidly that this group of citiseveral months ago | spent the day touring Box Elder County with zens doesn’t have time to analyze the situation and rhetoric that the county’s three county commissioners. Box Elder County had ~ is used by those that have the most to lose if current polrcy - no master plan in place, and, for all practtcallty, very little, if any, changes. | zoning regulations to govern land use in the county. These types Individuals can formally ban together to form speC|al mterest of haphazard policies checkered throughout the state will be | - groups, organize themselves and combine resources to become ~insufficient to meet the pressures of development and growth as ~a powerful lobbying voice. In addition to formal lobbying by special interests groups, there is also informal lobbying gorng on ~ the state'moves into the twenty-first century. The environment in the form of networking and the good ol’ boy system mentrenedi:?:ff’%‘j;?f""?can suffer at the hand et unchecked and unregulated develop» - earlier. The medi ia reeeurcee und/er ether conveyors of nrepa ffi*:;ff';mg, rrar | . 5 A LI |