| Show reasons why senate bill 90 should become A law the purpose e of senate bill 90 is to require county commissioners to publish the proceedings of the board of county commissioners meetings meet the necessity for this type of legislation arises out of the fact that there is not sufficient publicity given to the official actions of these boards which spend such a large portion of money gathered by taxation those boards of county commissioners who oppose any publicity do so by reason of the fact that they do not want the people to know what the tax money is spent for or with whom it is spent some do not obey the present law and therefore do not come coine before the legislature with clear clean hands bands publications of these proceedings would do more too to enforce the anti law in our state than any other single thing that could be done it is a well known fact that boards of county commissioners in this state slate are daily violating the anti nepotism act it is a well vell known fact that certain county commissioners have paid themselves illegal salaries it is a wellA well known fact that county commissioners in this state kate vre arc profiting through county purchases by routing county purchases through stores in which they have an interest which is a violation viol vio olion lotion of the law the states of idaho wyoming colorado and nevada require publication of commissioners proceedings and information obtained from the states has shown that the public demand for the publication of the information has been so insistent that the legislature in those states have not seen fit to repeal this legislation despite the vigorous efforts of the county commissioners to have the law repealed and thus permit them to conceal illegal transactions th honest county commis commissioner and county clerk will not oppose the publication of this liis in information fornia tion the county official who has some ria tion un ul eding either nepotism misappropriation thin tiling to cover up or some kindred activities has plenty to fear through publicity in the event that senate bill 90 becomes a law davv the saving to the taxpayer will amount to approximately twenty times the cost one county official hs made the statement that in his judge judgement jud gement mint it would save the taxpayers of this cot bointy rity at least a year if all the official accounts of coin commissioners in I 1 were published senate bill 90 is a protection to the honest official and it i il threat to the dishonest official the bright light of publicity does more to clean up dirty politics than any other known agency newspapers have been called on in the last four years to devote more and more of their space to the doings of the government in salt lake county alone ohp daily newspapers pay ou out t over a year in salaries alone to say nothing of composition stereotyping stero stera typing press work paper and distribution to report the news originating in the city and county building the police court and the state capitol the county clerk of salt lake county has made the statement that the cost of publishing the proceedings of the beard of county commissioners will be a year this claim of course is so ridiculous that it should not be given cognizance by any member of the legislature but even though the claim were true if the three thre e daily newspapers of salt lake city pay out in excess of a year in salaries and 50 a year for mechanical work of printing and distributing this news certainly per pei year would not bof be an abnormal fee for the publication li of the official proceedings inasmuch as many t things will come to light which the newspapers do not have the timoor time or the money to dig out nut of the public re records corAs every newspaper in this state has bee unselfish in behalf of the p ulie good there is net one worthy cause to which the newspaper man does not give heed and spend his good time and money to further the welfare of his community and his state if the publication of county commissioners proceedings is good gol i in n other states of the union lne and serves the public need certain certainly 1 I y i it t should be good for the people of tle the state of utah the cost I 1 will not continued on page 4 continued from pase page 1 I be excessive the benefits will be enormous publication of pr proceedings oce edings will result in curtailed tax levies levie will keep relatives of county commissioners out of the public feed trough mandvill and will vill do more toward bringino brin pinc ginz about equitable taxation in giving the public a better knowledge of the activities of their public servants the county officials association has a paid lobbyist who spends his entire time at the capitol and is working assiduously to repeal any statutes now on the books which will require publicity in respect to public expenditures by county commissioners ile he also seeks to prevent placing on the statute books any law which will reveal the expenditures of the county officials mr pail thatcher of ogden is the paid lobbyist of the county officials official i 4 association we suggest that the senate appoint a committee to investigate mr thatchers That churs lobbying activities together with an in in airy into the sources of the monies which he be is to receive for his salary and expenses I 1 all the of this state are asking that this rne measure asure become a law they have no paid lobby and any publisher is willing to appear before any committee of the legislature on sufficient notice and explain his reasons masons for favoring this legislation A newspaper provides provida s a protection to the people which no constitution can guarantee utah state press association we suggest that tha you mail a card or letter leer to your Ro and senator requesting his support on this bill |
