| OCR Text |
Show Although still uncertain, it appears that the Moab-Grand County consolidation plan will require further revisions before be-fore it can come before the voters. According to a verbal opinion from Utah Attorney General Vernon Romney, given giv-en last week to Comm. Harvey Merrell, it is illegal to apply for an office prior to the establishment of that office. If this verbal opinion is substantiated by statute in a written opinion, expected to be received in the near future, substantial revision to the consolidation plan will be required. This will delay vote on the plan for 90 days after revisions are made, and will also delay election of Moab-Grand Moab-Grand Councilmen, should the plan be approved by the voters, until the next general election in 1978, it now appears. Filing deadline for either County Commission or County Council candidates was May 10, while the original voting date on the consolidation plan was May 25. This date was changed to August 10 by the County Commission since revisions re-visions were made to the plan after public hearings this spring. The date was set forward the 90 days required by law, before vote on the plan. Even if the election had been held May 25, if Attorney General Romney's opinion proves correct, a vote on Council candidates could not be held this fall. Officials in the Attorney General's office have been critical of Grand County in that the plan was not overseen by the Grand County attorney Bill Benge and the Utah Attorney General's office. County officials offic-ials counter this criticism with the observation that neither the County Attorney nor the Attorney General's office has had the time or resources to put together a proposed consolidation plan. Because of this, an independent inde-pendent legal consultant reviewed re-viewed the plan which was drawn up by the local consolidation committee, and at that time no problems were forseen in the proposed filing dates and voting dates included incl-uded therein. |
