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Show WE LOST Along with a whole flock of other Beaver County taxpayers, we lost out in our effort to head off the extra half-cent sales tax bite in Beaver Bea-ver County. We appeared before the Beaver County Commission with petitions signed by 325 voters, urging either repeal of the sales tax ordinance or submitting it to referendum and letting the voters have a chance to say whether they wanted it or not. Commissioner Easton and Commissioner Tolley felt that the county ordinance should remain re-main in force for at least one quarter so Beaver City Council, proponents of the added tax, could get their ordinance into effect. Commissioner Pryor expressed readiness to "repeal the ordinance ordi-nance right now." Commissioner Tolley said he felt that if Beaver wanted it, the commissioners had an obligation ob-ligation to them and should allow them to assess the extra half-cent on all purchases made there. If Milford and Minersville didn't want the ordinance, ordi-nance, he would be willing and would so -go on record to repeal the ordinance after Beaver's ordinance became effective. But the county ordinance or-dinance must remain in effect for one quarter. We feel as Commissioner Tolley does that all the commissioners represent all the county. And we feel that while they have an obligation to Beaver, they also have an obligation to Milford Mil-ford and Minersville and the other non-Beaver residents. If Milford and Minersville did not pass the sales tax ordinance, approximately $3000 collected collect-ed by the extra half-cent bite within the next three months would go into Beaver County general gen-eral fund. Commissioner Tolley did ask the county attorney if it were possible to rebate that amount to the municipalities in which collected, but was advised there is no legal way that can be done. City dads in Milford and Minersville have passed the sales tax ordinance. As Milford City Attorney Sam Cline pointed out in a letter, to the attorney general, requesting request-ing a ruling on the county's authority to levy a tax inside city limits: . . it in effect compels the cities and towns to impose similar ordinances in order to retain the benefit of the moneys collected." The petitions for referendum were not presented pre-sented to the county commission, although an additional 100 voters in Milford and Minersville signed them, because a briefing of the Utah statutes failed to disclose any method of seeking referendum on action of county commissions. It would seem, under the Utah statutes, that actions ac-tions of the State Legislature and City Councils may be challenged by the voters, but County Commissioners may impose any taxes, up to the statute limitations, and pass any ordinances, and the taxpayers and voters have no recourse whatever. what-ever. This "oversight" certainly should be. corrected correct-ed in the next session of the Utah State Legislature. Legisla-ture. Commissioner Tolley remarked in a Milford City Council meeting that he "wished he had a little newspaper so he could give the public the other story" on the extra sales tax. The Letters to the Editor columns of The Beaver County News and The Beaver Press are always open to Commissioner Tolley . . . and to all other readers of our newspapers. |