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Show County reviews new manual By SCOTT SUMMERILL FARMINGTON The Davis County Commission got its first official look at the proposed new Policy and Procedures Manual compiled by the auditor's office Wednesday. The new manual contains most of the old policies, plus a more comprehensive com-prehensive description of each department s responsibil it ies and procedural parameters. "Everything is written according to state statutes and has been reviewed by attorneys," County Auditor Ruth Kennington told the commission as she handed each a copy of the nearly five inch thick document. According to Kennington, vir tually all the requirements in the manual are already in place, and have been for some time. The document merely outlines them. The commission will review the document before adopting it. Once initiated, Kennington suggested a six-month period for each department depart-ment to go through it to ensure all the policies can be adhered to, and to make suggestions that may improve im-prove the manual. "It may be that there will be no suggestions," she said. "Most of the things outlined are already in place, and those that aren't shouldn't be hard to initiate by the departments or by forming committees com-mittees to handle them." "We'll have to review it before making any motions," Commission Chairman Gayle Stevenson said. "I just don't think I can lift it. " In other business, the commission commis-sion heard a plea from Joe Jensen, a West Layton resident, who wants the county to defy federal regulations regula-tions regarding wetland preservation preser-vation and drain a plot of land he owns to allow him to farm the area. Jensen has been trying to get the county to install a 12-foot deep channel through the property that would drain it. However, when the county submitted plans to install an 11-foot deep channel, the Army Corps of Engineers halted the project. pro-ject. Wetlands are protected by federal law, and destruction of such land subjects violators to fines that could reach as high as $50,000 per day from the day the land was compromised. com-promised. "What is it you want us to do?" Commissioner William Lawrence asked Jensen. "Just install the drain and see what happens," Jensen said. "Nobody has ever been fined for this before, and every case that's gone to court has been won by the people." Stevenson told Jensen the commission com-mission would not defy the federal government on this issue. But, if Jensen insists on pursuing the matter to higher powers than the commission, "more power to you. But, you're asking us to do something we're not at liberty to do." |