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Show as - JANUARY 10, 2001 WASATCH COUNTY COURIER AS It’s The Numbers, Stup id “T.don’t have any problem with the way the voters voted,” said Kohler,. referring to the plan’s 57 to 43 percent ARLEN Kore: : county council and - insisted, saying the full time county 3 : ~ makeup of the county manager to replace the three-member _ has shifted dramatically since the. inisystem. Wasatch is only the fourth tial count. “That just doesn’t give county of 29. statewide, approve everybody a fair vote.” o such a measure. : _ Attorney Joe Tesch was_ interUnder the new system, five “dis viewed. by KPCW last week to outline trict” members will join two “at-large” the suit’s. finer points. Like Kohler, he officials on the council. The five are to Both sides agreed the numbers from the 2000 census would erase any maintained the intent of the case was Meanwhile, Orvis simply to ensure accurate representa- Officials May Challenge Practice of Excluding Missionaries: SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — State residents missions serving abroad foreign from When Mormon the state-by- — state reapportionment count. ‘House seat. ‘This is worthy for our state to be | asking these questions because we lost it by a small, small amount,” Natalie Gochnour, deputy director of ~ the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget. “It’s certain that our popula- North Carolina when residents living abroad were counted. But if Utah’s 14,000 residents serving Mormon missions abroad had been counted, Utah would have gained a fourth seat. — Gov. Mike Leavitt fins asked the tion in Utah is always smaller because of people on missions.” ~The census figures showed North Carolina with 18,360 residents living overseas, compared with 3, 545 for Office and the state Office of Planning and Budget to research possible avenues of appeal. But Leavitt said the only recourse he sees is going to court. At least three states have gone to court since 1970, with one case going The bureau began counting U.S. military personnel in other countries in the 1970 Census count as a result of the number of soldiers serving in the | questions Vietnam War. - could be raised about why the Census - counts military personnel and federal employees living abroad but not oth- ae * ers, he said. ‘We don’t want to be unreasonable x about it. On the other hand; we don’t want to leave opportunities ee FISHSH To jesse sued,” he said. Leavitt’s staff has HeQth researching’ oy ion Nolin the matter since last Thursday and iS" ~ “OLD expected to report back by the end of _ plans to meet with the state’s congres- sional delegation, Leavitt and the Utah — Attorney General to determine the best action. ‘This is a rare, pardelar case. The : court,” he said. The Census Bureau counts citizens — to where they live at the . REPUBLIC Protecting Your Investment senior U.S. House member, said he according * _» Title Company of Utah the week. Rep. ne Hansen, R-Utah, the state’s best. remedy may be to go to Le) count, _ 2 South Main, Suite 2G Heber City, UT 84032 Located in Historic Heber Bank Building A , nal Oo . of aid rs! . be aA : ct “I would assume that this thing will | get appealed back to the Supreme — ‘Court no matter who wins in the . q District.” 654-7177 = lesion Town Hall 11 at’7 ) p.m: : 654-1515 25 North Main, Heber City Town Board meets Wesnsy, Jan. 17 at 7 D. m. HEBER son sponsors’ objective remainsS securing as _ Town Board meets ‘Thursday, ae ‘DANIEL he. the prompt election. CHARLESTON _ * Gl said while a representative CITY 75 North Main, Heber G ok City Council meets Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. — Planning Commission meets Jan. 11 at 654-9900 Utah. to the US. Supreme Court. | Leavitt said legitimate overseas population, bolstered by a large military presence, was added to the mix, Utah was bumped from the 435th Utah just fell 856 people short of gaining a seat in the House of Representatives last week, losing to Utah Attorney General’s North Carolina’s supports “If the city government of Heber 3 ee ae the census. But there is an exception for civil servants and military personnel serving overseas. officials: may challenge the U.S. Census Bureau’s practice of excluding tion once the voters elect the new council. But Vic Orvis, who helped shepherd the plan through its legal review, questions the timing of the new lawsuit. nat confusion. Breakdown of the census by county, however, is notoriously slow. nya © records . that were old and not accurate and did not ~ fairly represent the Kohler _ population,” LP sage will usher in a seven-member. at - the — time. “They took SF decide if they are representative under terms laid out by the state’s Attorney Genetal’s: office. 35 27 <5 But Arlen Kohler: and Jerry Duke: who brought the suit, along with their attorney Joe Tesch, insist the purpose of the legal action is simply to ensure proportionate districts,.not to scuttle the county council initiative altogether: that the districts be right” bers ’ to _the best available num- _ baited The crux 6 the | plan, of course, is_ numbers. Its pas- pretty important © “There was no attempt at all at gerrymandering,” he added. “We didn’t even consider it.” Kohler said the plans es whose petition for extraordinary relief was denied by the state Supreme Court, need to reexamine the latest population breakdown in the Heber Valley. “The strength of the plan isi repre-_ sentation,” Kohler added. “It’s pretty important that the districts be right.” ese asian court will have “most.” registration records, which Wren said were ‘ Specifically, the represent effected da while making a good faith effort to draw the district lines. ° ra t ly when it was presented a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the plan’s five “neighborhood” districts. to districts by voter al tricts those Those “were drawn inte The Fourth District Court was reminded of this phenomenon recent- ence. of the plan is representation, it’s eh said. “It seems logical to allow the dis- lad _ plan — it’s all about numbers. “The strength en a a cious thing to take a look at that,” he ait of government that the districts are not proportionate, allowing in some cases for a 50 percent differ- sit change pease ie. the cent variance from one another, _ Kohler and Duke however, charge eat but it may be a judi- was not eee arly are: Mr Kohler and Mr. Duke so concerned,” he said. “It just smacks of collusion - between the existing County Attorney, Joe Tesch, and two relatives.” 3 Orvis said the legal action suggests initiative sponsors had a political agen- seat ne fact indisputable about be elected from districts canvassing the county — not to extenda 10 per- spatilte () passage on Nov. 7. “The only thing I want is I believe voters deserve to have the districts. be representative.” Initiative sponsor Bob Wren agrees. “It’s still not totally out of whack... STAFF 28 COURIER lt DEREK JENSEN Scrap Plan OF Lawsuit Over County Council Districts Seeks To Get Count Fite Not Br etam d Rn aaa oe ree 654-3227 |