Juab County Commissioners can not find a way to budget more than $600,000 to contribute to a natural gas line to be built by Mountain Fuel to Eureka.
"I see no way of getting money for the gas line this year," said Commission Chairman J. Morris (Ike) Lunt. "We just don't have the money."Eureka resident Gerry Garbett had asked commissioners to help residents get a gas line as the commission helped East Juab County obtain natural gas this past year.
However, there are some differences. Juab County did not have to advance the money for the gas line construction right away. The money will be paid over a period of six to seven years.
In addition, the gas line will be owned by the three communities of East Juab County - Levan, Mona and Nephi - and the county will eventually make back the money the county contributed.
The taxpayers will not come up short.
There is no chance for the county to recoup the money they would invest to bring Mountain Fuel Natural Gas to Eureka. It would be a donation to the company.
"We'll have to look at helping Eureka at a future date," said Lunt.
If Eureka were willing to bond, the community could probably participate in the line bringing natural gas to Mona, Nephi and Levan. The line comes from Santaquin and would have capacity to handle Eureka.
The community could then be a participant, as are the other three communities, in the municipal gas line.
Natural gas is even more attractive to residents of Mona and Eureka because they do not have a municipally owned electric power system.
Mountain Fuel is giving Juab commissioners "a thorn in the side," said Commissioner Joseph Bernini, a Eureka resident. "Yes, they are just giving us a jab in the side for the 50-year deal we turned them down on."
The County Commission turned Mountain Fuel down on a 50-year franchise the company wanted in the county in order to deliver natural gas to large consumers. The gas would come from the Kern River line in Juab County.
The commission did not even grant the tri-city system a 50-year franchise.
In addition, commissioners said they did not want to give Mountain Fuel the right to do anything they wanted in Juab County. If more large industries and large-gas consumers locate inside the county and if it is feasible for the tri-city system to serve them, commissioners want to allow that service.