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Show Utah Legislature Receive "G" For Good, Rating The record of the 1971 Utah Legislature In matters affecting local government was generally accorded a "G" (for "good") rating by local government leaders lead-ers -- with a few notable exceptions, ex-ceptions, pertaining to controversial contro-versial issues on which there was sharp division of opinion, according accord-ing to Utah Foundation. A discussion dis-cussion of 1971 local government legislation Is contained in a research re-search report issued this week by the Foundation, the private, nonprofit non-profit public service agnecy. Major Issues affecting local government in the 1971 legislative legisla-tive session were a proposal to provide wider choice in the form of county government, which passed; and a proposal for an added one-half percent local option op-tion sales tax, which failed. Local government leaders and students of government generally applauded the action to open the way to optional forms of county government. Leaders In government govern-ment and civic affairs in Salt Lake City and some other Utah communities have been openly critical of the Legislature's refusal re-fusal to enact the sales tax measurealthough meas-urealthough other people of prominence have praised the same action, the Foundation noted. not-ed. Principal arguments offered by legislators against according the half-percent increase in local option op-tion sales tax were the desirability desir-ability of retaining the sales tax potential for the State General Fund, of which it is the principal support; and the belief that much cf the state outside Salt Lake and r.ome other Wasatch Front communities com-munities do not need or want the increase. After defeating the sales tax proposal, the Legislature passed pass-ed a number of bills designed to provide some means of financial relief to hard-pressed local government gov-ernment units. Salt Lake City's property tax legal limit was raised from 18.5 mills to 35 mills, a figure made uniform for cities of all classes in Utah. However, Salt Lake City officials express extreme reluctance re-luctance to make any increase in the property tax, pointing out that the city's levy exceeded 100 mills last year, and asserting that any further increase would tend to drive business out of the city and to deter new business enterprises from coming into the city. Local government was given the right to impose a$5 registration registra-tion fee on passenger cars and trucks, on a county-option basis. It is estimated that this would bring approximately $3 million If it were adopted by all local jurisdictions juris-dictions in the state. Universal adoption is considered unlikely, however. Money from this source is restricted to use for traffic law enforcement, and in many small communities expenditures for this purpose are considerably consider-ably less than would be provided by the vehicle registration fee. In Salt Lake City and County, and other large communities, traffic enforcement budgets are sufficiently suf-ficiently large to absorb the full potential return, and adoption of the registration measure would effectively release comparable sums for general use. It is estimated esti-mated that this source would provide pro-vide about a half million dollars to Salt Lake City next year, if adopted. An estimated $1 million is expected ex-pected to go go local government govern-ment throughout Utahfromal971 law requiring the registration of camper's carried over public highways. There would be no registration reg-istration fee as such payable to local government, but payment of property tax on campers is a prerequisite to registration and would provide the local revenue. Registration of snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles is also expected ex-pected to provide additional revenue rev-enue to local government (through payment of property taxes as a prerequisite to registration), but tax officials say there is no existing ex-isting basis for a reasonable estimate of how much money may come from this source. The proposal to permit optional option-al forms of county government is dependent on approval of a proposed pro-posed constitutional amendment to remove the existing requirement require-ment that all of Utah's twenty-nine twenty-nine counties employ the same form of govenrment. This proposal pro-posal will be placed on the ballot at the 1972 general election. If it is approved, a bill passed by the 1971 Legislature will take effect ef-fect January 1, 1973, offering a number of choices in the form of county government, including the possibility of city-county consolidations. con-solidations. Community leaders emphasize that adoption of the consitutional amendment will not automatically change any county's form of government, gov-ernment, and that the present form may be retained if citizens so desire. The enabling legislation (SB 92) was prepared by a citizen group known as Utahns for Efficiency in Government (UTEGO) and was based on the Local Government Modernization Studies conducted. under the auspices of the University Uni-versity of Utah Institute of Government Gov-ernment and directed by Prof. LeRoy Harlow of Brigham Young University, THE AMERICAN FORK CITIZEN. THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1971 V? T ifOTl GOT nOTHnl ck TT T?T? T7 IT ) jjj D J JLL VW-Vj(L y TIVo (fT2W 1 J1 n nun i r i 0) P viz |