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Show , al rv Ti - PROPOSAL FORM OF WASATCH COUNTY SERVICE FORM ANNOUNCEMENT OF WASATCH OF sisting resent form of Commissioners of seven % THE WASATCH COUNTY Shall the ed Count GOVERNMENT Shall the present form of Wasatch County Government consisting of three elected_ Count Commissioners be changed to -a “County Council-Manager Form” con‘Sisting of seven elected County Council members and an appointed Count — ie 7 | County ee COURIER GOVERNMENT — Wasatch County be changed to elected COUNTY | Government consistin of three elect_a “County Council-Manager Form” con- Council members and an appointed Count : tant Manager? ARGUMENT AGAINST Wasatch County Voters should vote against the initiative to ) en oe ee ee ee ee) change the form of County Government. The initiative proposes a largely untested new form of government consisting of a seven member county commission ARGUMENT FOR The citizens. of Wasatch County havetaken the. opportunity, and a county manager. The new form will result in bigger, more expensive :‘govthrough their First Amendment right to petition as allowed by Utah State Law; ernment, with less representation on a day-to-day basis. to propose a change of county government. The three member Commission sysThe: Cost of Big Government: Increasing the size of County Government is not ‘tem has been a common method of governing at the county level. With the the answer, it only adds to the problems. A change in the form of government growth in Y the County, it has become apparent that governing the county is more will add four additional council members and. one new County Manager. Those work than can be handled by three part-time-.people. This idea is not an untired | five new employees will requires salaries, staff support, office space, benconcept. “At least four ~counties have, in recent: years, chosen to, adopt an efits and use of County vehicles. The list goes on and the expenses mount, . alternative to the County Commission. Twenty-eight cities in the state of inevitably costing Wasatch County taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars Utah use the council- “manager form of. government by ordinance. Three major annually. SEVEN IS TOO MANY, to expensive, and not the way Wasatch County citcities, including Orem, use a city manager but not by ordinance. Heber City izen’s desire to have their tax dollars spent. An Inefficient Form of has a seven-member council and a manager. Voters of Wasatch County will now Government /Better Alternative Options Available The proposed initiative prohave the hard-fought opportunity to choose a new form of government. This motes more meetings, ‘more committees, more.disagreements, more lobbying, more proposed plan will be a council-manager system as authorized by Utah Law 17delays and less representation of Wasatch County citizen’s and their concerns. 52-505.(4) “In the council-manager form of government, the legislative powCurrently the state legally allows five additional forms of government other © ers of the county shall be vested in the ‘county council, and the .executive than the current Wasatch County form of government. The current initiative is powers | . aoe See Be -yested in “the county manager.” The plan, therefore, an invented form of government sponsored by only five individuals. Currently can offer professional management, representative legislation and direction four of Utah’s 29 counties have a seven member commission. Two of the counfrom area citizen representatives .working-on a part-time basis. -Powers: There ties are in constant turmoil and many of their citizens are proposing a return ‘ will no changes in the general powers, duties and responsibilities of Wasatch to the three member system. Once you vote for this system of government it County Government. The County structure, boundaries-and districts will remain will not be easy to return to the more direct three member system. Seven is intact. The» Council, will»retain: the. . Legislative, budgeting and taxing too many to accomplish the goal of a better, more diversified representation, --}_authorities as the. currents Commi $$ ion jer will be the administra-— citizens should be made aware of and explore all options available. Not. ‘the. tor or executor of.) the. pol¥gtés, established *b @ Council. Legislative: The Best’ Solution Wasatch County has recently been subjected to a virtual. £lo00d: Wasatch County Council* Tansee eet OF Bemeaae S mbers elected through parof negativity and criticism from within. Increased ‘fights amongst: ‘ourselvés - tisan election. _ Two 42) members will be “at-— 6," representing the county ‘only aids those who do not have the best .interests of the County. at hear. as a whole, and five (5). wEll De: ‘elected from ners Uographical districts, Breaking up the county into districts for representation proposed ‘opens the giving citizens of each disv¥ies. a. ¥epresentative. £9-whom they can voice condoorfor divisive and fractional politics. within the County Commission. cerns. Heber North, (Voting’Districts 1, 2, 14 & 16); Heber South (3, 5 6 & Outside or self serving interest, with clearly defined agendas, will pit one - 10), Midway (7,. 8,. .&13) 7 Wasatch County East (La eengs [Center. Creek, Lake area. of the County against another, and will encourage commission members to Creek, Timberlakesj])zWasatch County South (4, 2.- [Daniel, ~Charleston exclusively represent his/her area of interest. Instead of requiring each _and Walisburg]). council members ‘will be paid. », COO per year with the ‘Commissioner to view the County as a whole and to make decision with the best Chairman receiving “$7200, with no benefits. Execytiv he County Manager will interest of the entire County in mind (as our current form promotes) the new be an employee of the” county appointed by the#Cour y Council meeting profesform encourages petty infighting and divisive politics. A divided County is sional hiring qualifications. The Manager #will” direct, the general operation a vulnerable county. Your vote against the new form of government will help | of Wasatch County, ° under «the general | “direct # on of | the County Council us face Wasatch County’s challenges together. Less Direct Representation The Compensation will be about $60,000 per year: ‘plus benefits. seven member commission will Not result in increased representation at the Other Officials: All other: elected county,.off Eee peeeritt, Clerk, “Attorney, County level for the average Wasatch County citizen. Rather, the proposed etc.) will remain the same. tee z é change in government will result in a disturbing concentration of governmenThere are many advantages: to the new ore tal power to a single individual. The seven member commission. requires the = Area representation ae hiring of a full-time county manager, who will become the Chief Executive. Officer of Wasatch County. Thus daily operations and administrative control - Professional management of the County will be turned over to a single appointed bureaucrat. The more. d.in Public Service yonoyeit~ * powerful and ea eect ee opportunities for citizens te be rides influential position in Wasatch County will shift from your Council seats) ni Commissioners to a single person whom we neither vote for or against, but one Extra protection against centralization of power who is appointed by the County Commission. An appointed County Manager means Protection against acquiring of power: by voters in a geographical area less direct representation for all Wasatch County citizens. A Positive A more efficient government resulting ° “froma fukt- ~time administrator Approach to Government Stability in Wasatch County Wasatch County has become Lower costs through more efficiency, ‘which’ could.result in lower taxes _a victim of it’s own popularity. Wasatch citizens have long appreciated the Continued oversight and -supervision by elected; representatives peace and beauty of the area and preserved a tradition of fair play, honesty Objective hiring and supervision of County employees . and high integrity. Wasatch County is experiencing a period of unprecedented growth with all the typical challenges associated with such growth. the benGreater Equality and consistent treatment: of- employees and departments.. efits of stability, experienced and a “feel” for Wasatch County and it’s peo-. ple will be lost if we try to change to a system we know won't work. We have Will che new form of government cost more? prospered greatly over the last decade and Wasatch County and it’s citizens have made wise and fruitful decision. The proposed initiative would require NO, the a wage cost ‘of the Commissioners versus fe ee wage “cost of an expensive special election for all seven positions just a few months from Council Members and County Manager will be insignificant when compared with now. This would be followed by the time consuming process of hiring and trainpotential efficiency of operation. Professional management will SAVE money ing a County Manger. A seven person commission would literally take months ei ew SESE efi. and. better seer emen es. Be cael e a é before the new county government could effectively function. Additional months will be lost while each person settles into the new job and learns their duties no benefits. ‘from ‘this ‘plan? and responsibilities. In the meantime, Wasatch County will continually lose ' . ground in the most crucial time in history. A positive, pro-active approach "EVERYONE. Sy 2 separ rhe ‘powers, martorine: “area ‘Pobt dscns ton with teary is the best way to handle all challenges facing Wasatch County and. it’s cit“defined: rules for all citizens; the entire: Valley will benefit through proizens in the manner they expect. Too much, Too Fast, Too Big, Too Costly, Too fessional, responsive, effective and efficient. government. Will the proposed Confusing Wasatch County, one of Utah's most beautiful counties, and it’s- cit"government change affect .the Comprehensive: General .Zoning Plan? YES, although izens deserve better.than to be forced into making a last minute decision as the revision -to that Master Plan is underway ; in the past it has not.»been to how to be best governed. Less than six weeks before Wasatch County’s consistently followed. The new optional government plan specifically discussGeneral Election, the proposed new from of government was facing legal chal| eS keeping the plan current and enforced. Will the new Manager become a “diclenges from the Utah Attorney Generals office, while last minute changes to “ tator” or have total control over operations? NO, “thes: authority to hire.and the proposed initiative were being added. There is time to explore all the nue tre~ the: Manager is retained by the County Council. While the Manager ‘has ‘options available to us and to study the alternative forms of government. The “administrative Bie ag pein ake the elected Council ‘has finally governing proposed initiative will cost taxpayers more than ever for a less effective authority. . Sage? ae Ren ge form of government. As citizen’s ,-we should learn from the mistakes of other counties and work hard to avoid the same inefficient outcomes. Wasatch County ‘Why have a County Manager? Bs is made up of hard working, concerned and caring citizens. As a. citizen you deserve to have all the facts, in plenty of time, so you may vote for the Because of continuing uncontrolled growkh: A. County Manager idk Esnree ful 2 best form of government for our county. Be Informed! Vote Against the Seven time professional ‘administration and . management. to County business. 5 Member Commission and Preserve the Standards of ie ¢ os County. Professional management will be able to find more efficient and less costly _ ways’ to: operace, thereby saving taxes. Perhaps one of. the greatest concerns REBUTTAL TO We are confident that the voters of wiacsten County will take the in Wasatch County is with uncontrolled growth. With the forthcoming growth time to read the ballot initiative before making their decision to vote for resulting from the already approved developments, within a very few years it or against it. “It is obvious, after reading the oon comments, that is: probable that the majority of the Wasatch County population could be in they did not. the Jordanelle area. Under the current system, political powér could be totalPoint #1 - Does the current County Commissioners. each have support staff, ly centralized and controlled by that majority population, effectively deprivoffice space, and county vehicles,? No, and neither would the new seven mem“Ing the remaining citizens.of the Heber Valley of their vote. The new plan ber council. The cost increase is roughly twenty-five thousand dollars per would minimize this potential by proving geographical representation, thereyear. This can edsily be made up by avoiding one costly law suit. Currently by Gistributing power throughout tie County. the commissioners are involved in several at the County’s expense.. Quinn, cia Mgaeas Ronda Young a Rose, Point Bob #2 - This is not an “invented” form several the State Legislature allows. As to will not allow more than 5. However, this spanners, and over 900 citizen signatures. ee of government, but rather one of having only5 sponsors, the State plan does have 20 more alternate As to the statement that 2 coun- VOTE YES for a change ‘of county Government on ‘November 7, 2000. ties under this system are in constant turmoil, we would like to know who they are. There are currently 3 counties being governed under this system, and a. "REBUTTAL TO More. representation, ©“patter separ eei cit ae power, Seva aie EET fourth ‘transitioning to it in this election. The counties that are using it ;clency in government! Too good to: be true? The: proposed. seven-commission: govreported to our. local papers that the system is working well, and the deciernment claims to do all this and more. The fact is while’ citizens desire sion to make the change has been positive. change,. the proposed seven-commhission government will not deliver results. Point #3 - To state that this form of government is less representative is Representation: Dividing the county into districts opens the door‘for localjust not. true. Bach district in the County will have a voice in the County ized politics and inner lobbying among members. Each district representatives Government. As it-is now, any one area in the valley could have complete cononly accountable to his district, not the county as a whole, opening the door trol. For example, when the Jordanelle Development# Boompicted. ‘those resi“for special interest groups to dominate our county. The districts set in the dents would have enough votes to elect all 3 commissé& proposal will not: equally represented. Some areas will loose representation. of the valley without a voice. Is that what Wasat: Ls Legislative: Contrary to proponents claims, the way Wasatch County does .busi- | want fair and equal representation from each corn . -hess will change drastically. The seven member commission. proposal calls for Lastly, the County Manager is there only to carr a’ $500 per month salary For doing ‘a job which requires a minimum of 30 hours Council in the most efficient way possible. He or. she de ~ per .week,. Evening meetings will become a priority leaving aid the day. to day policy. Those authorities aré left solely with the elected members of the - needs of. Wasatch County .to a non- -elected: “county manager .. A manager not.-even Council. Please consider the truths of this ballot initiative. Help keep this required to be a citizen of Wasatch Co. ‘The’ seven man commission proposal. has valley a place we will want to continue to call home. Be proactive and attend not addressed any of the. critical needs: and. Xelationships with Federal, State meetings that -will be held on this matter. Ask the questions you want and other County agencies. Cost: Larger government © is. always more costly: and answered, and then make the right choice and vote ee on November 7th. less efficient. The proposal states a: wage Tange ‘of $75,000 per year. for’ the. non-elected manager plus secretarial. expenses, _ -benefits, vehicles,” office NOTICE The abeve text-is printed as Seckia ce by the Wasatch County Clerk’s space, etc.,,, for five new. additions to County government . Cone¢lusion:. “The Office. A full copy may be obtained at the Wasatch County Clerk’s Office, 25 current proposal boosts a seven member - commission ~ will solve ail of the North Main Street, Heber City, Utah. A copy is also available on the County’s County’s’ problems. It will not! It -is..obvious this plan. was. not clearly web page www.co.wasatch.ut.us though out. There are alternative forms of county government. available. A vote against the seven search out the Wasatch County. PROPOSAL member form of FORM OF WASATCH commission allows.:the government which will residents best: of serve Vs Paes. COUNTY GOVERNMENT— the county to residents. of . - MT mTNT ET YT men mr Tim Neyer Ee i tay al Bill Se . Wren, Lynn , Authors: oroo "TTT i = COURTESY | eee _ PROPOSAL PUBLIC | yoo A WASATCH COUNTY COURIER rose AS nee rn rrr rey PRINTED | . 7 Ce ! OCTOBER 25, 2000 |
