As many of you are aware, Utah County currently has the default form of county government in Utah, which is three full time County Commissioners. Is that the most effective form of government? Should we change it?
I think our Founding Fathers got it right with our US Constitution, which includes separate branches of government, checks and balances, as well as regional representation. In sharp contrast, the Utah County Commission has “executive, legislative and judicial” powers according to their own web site, with no regional representation in a county with over 500,000 residents.
Fortunately, none of us get to decide. Instead, if two Utah County Commissioners, or 10% of the voters on a petition, request a change in the form of government, then it would go to the ballot, and the voters in Utah County would vote on whether a study commission consisting of individuals chosen by the cities, county and state legislators should be formed to propose a new form of government for Utah County. The study commission would then review the issue, and could recommend one of the following changes:
1. Five or Seven full time County Commissioners (former Utah County Commissioner and Governor Gary Herbert publicly supports changing to five full time County Commissioners in Utah)
2. Full time Mayor or Executive and part time County Council (what Salt Lake County and Cache County have done)
3. Full time unelected Executive, with a part time elected County Council (what Wasatch, Summit, Morgan and Grand counties have done)
Then, that form of government would be on the ballot again, and if it was approved by the voters then within two years new elections would be held to implement the new form of county government. I will admit I lean towards the Mayor or Executive with a County Council form of government right now, but I think the voters should decide the issue.
I believe a change in the form of Utah County's government could do the following:
1. Increase public awareness and involvement (especially if County Council members were assigned to certain geographic areas)
2. Increase the legitimacy of the Utah County government to represent us on regional planning issues, and make them a better negotiator with federal, state and local governments
3. Lower the cost of government - a full time mayor and part time county council would cost less than three full time commissioners. Note also that the actual salary for the new form of government would be on the ballot as well, so the voters would know if they were approving a government that would cost more than the current form of three county commissioners.
4. Economies of scale - many things could potentially be done most effectively at the County level, including roads, public transportation, bicycle trails, Utah Lake, airport, etc.
If any of you have lived or visited in Orange County in California, or Fairfax County in Virignia, then you may have noticed that they have a number of thriving cities, but they also have a relatively effective county government handling many of the issues I identified above. But what do you think? Can you even recognize a Utah County Commissioner if they walked by you? Does that matter? Do we need Utah County to lead out on the issues now that we have over 20 competing cities in Utah County? Is Utah County ready for more than one million residents in 20 years or less? Very interested in your thoughts.
Some have claimed that any change in the form of government would cost the tax payers more, citing claims that Salt Lake County's budget increased after 1990 when they adopted a Mayor and County Council form of government. I believe the budget increased because Salt Lake County is much less conservative than Utah County, and they simply elect officials who are much more liberal in their approach to spending. In sharp contrast, three full time county commissioners cost Utah County $312,000/year in salary, while a full time Mayor at $104,000/year, and five part time county council members at a salary of $20,000/year would only cost Utah County $204,000/year, resulting in substantial savings and what I believe is a better form of government.
