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Show Wasatch County’s Source for News PAGE 20 ommisioners ~ Courier Editorial '| asatch County needs a bee organized, more e open government. This last week members of The Courier staff tried with little sucV_ cess to track down the construction bidding documents for the new $2.27 million Jordanelle fire station. Either these documents exist or they don’t but it’s awfully hard to tell which one it is since the county doesn’t seem to have its act together. _ We already know there were no competitive bids for the avchitectural contract but we were told there were competitive oe for the construction contracts. Normally, bidding documents for construction projects are kept on oS in a binder so the public can view them with ease. When we tried to find them this week we were given the royal run-around.We were first sent to The County Clerk, then to the County Attorney, then to the engineering department, then to the Jordanelle Special Service District, back to the County Attorney and finally to the County Commission. eitheflenbihinal oe BIA LB) Lille Ltd i Need Radio Collars rith all the secret meetings going on in this county you missioners need radio collars. Shortly before last week’s Daniel Planning Commission meeting, held in.the back room of the County — this chapter [of the Utah State Code].” I a friend of mine found all three commis- hardly believe a meeting in an official county building can happen by chance or is -a closed meeting in the basement of the © county building. Others have told me that similar meetings take place on a regular social in nature. | Recently, I learned that LaRen Provost signed an architectural contract for the Jordanelle Fire Station in private when it basis in our county government. According to our interpretation the Utah sonable person could conclude that the county is trying to ee” an unethi- . cal or illegal act. | Whenever a newspaper such as ours tries to gather documents for the express purpose of informing the citizenry of the county, we would like to know the truth as quickly as possible. Instead, we were hit with a requirement _to submit formal GRAMA requests, a ‘method of requesting government documents, as if we were merely on a fishing expedition for information. We could understand the need for formal GRAMA requests if we had asked the County for hundreds of documents, but all we wanted were some simple bid documents. Any other county could have produced them within a moments notice. But here in Wasatch Ue, we are treated as if we were the troublemakers. By SAM ALLEN Commissioner’s Chambers. Two weeks ago sioners and State Senator Beverly Evans in of oversight or disorganization rather than something more serious. But a rea- _ meeting in a restroom or a picnic Courter Ponca Corummisr should be public. But the law is very Beat about the nature of these meetings. “No chance or social meeting shall be used to circumvent Commissioner Kohler and Commissioner Duke came out of a closed meeting they stack of contracts with one document that appears to be a bid from Utah Home Builders, Inc. What’s surprising is that there are no records from losing bidders. Part of the requirements of the law is that all submitted bids, whether they win or lose, should be available for public review. We sincerely hope. that this lack of substantial documentation is the result be reason- able to say a tend to wonder whether our county com- After one of us had cornered a County Commissioner, we were given a Open and Public Meetings Act, these meeting are illegal. If a quorum is present (a majority of members from a public body)— - and they are discussing public business, they must notify the public about their meeting at least 24 hours in advance. If they want a closed meeting, they must post a notice saying so. To the best of my _knowledge none of our county commissioners have ever advertised their private meetings. Chance meetings ag social meetings are not covered under the Utah Open and | Public Meetings Act. After all, it would not should have been done in a public meeting of the Fire Board. Commissioner Provost did not have the authority to sign the document since he was not a member of the Fire Board at the time. Now does anyone actually believe that this contract was negotiated in public meetings? None of the Fire Board members that I have talked to even knew about it. : Therefore, the planning and negotiations for the contract must have been conducted in closed meetings. Violations of the Utah Open ail Public Meetings Act qualifya class B misde_ ~see COLLARS on page 25 floral tere voll UU TUESDAY THE KNIGHT THE JEX FAMILY MONTOYA FAMILY FAMILY HEBER CITY HEBER CITY & bh dll Leal nn CHARLESTON “Right here--after the Charleston parade, we like to come play games in Charleston Park and eat cotton candy.” “We like to sleep. in. Actually this is the first time we've hada chance to really celebrate the 24th of July.” PAYNE FAMILY PARK CITY JONES FAMILY & CLEVERLY FAMILY SALT LAKE “ We like to go to the ‘We all come to park, then jet ski, go Charleston every igor e" back to the park, eat, wave running, come scott ASH d.d.s. david MAISEY d.d.s. watch fireworks, have a bonfire, eat some more, play games, dance, eat again. Something To Smile About! 654-4009 midway That’s how we do it.” 783-CARE kamas |