Salt Lake County has rehired freelance lobbyist Paul Rogers to represent its interests at the Utah Legislature for a fee of up to $42,500.
The pay is 10 times what Rogers earned during his two terms in the Utah House and two in the Senate. And it's only a fraction of what he is earning to represent 16 other major clients at the Legislature, including US WEST, Blue Cross-Blue Shield and WordPerfect.County commissioners selected the former Republican lawmaker as their lobbyist on a "sole source basis," which allowed them to skip formal bidding and consultant selection procedures.
Rogers will be asked to monitor and influence legislative action on a proposed optional cultural sales tax initiative, jail reimbursement, redevelopment agency regulations, an annexation moratorium, urban trails funding and anything else that might affect the county.
The county's lobbyist may also be asked to oppose a bill that would prohibit counties, state agencies, cities and special taxing districts from employing a person "solely for the purpose of lobbying the Utah Legislature." The bill, HB128, was introduced last week by Rep. Phil H. Uipi, R-Salt Lake, and Rep. J. Reese Hunter, R-Salt Lake.
County Commissioners Jim Bradley and Randy Horiuchi approved the contract with Rogers on Wednesday over the objections of Commissioner Brent Overson, himself a former Republican state senator. Overson said he didn't question Rogers' qualifications, only the process by which he was hired.
According to Overson, the county should have sought proposals from other qualified candidates. Competition might have lowered the price and saved the county some money, he explained.
"In the future, we would do well to have RFP's (requests for proposals) before we choose a lobbyist," Overson suggested to his fellow commissioners.
Commission staff manager Anthony W. Mitchell recommended the selection of Rogers on a "sole source basis," explaining that Rogers has done the job for the past two years and is well-versed on the county's legislative agenda.
"Much time and county resources would have to be expended in order to bring any other lobbyist to the same level of knowledge and experience in county affairs," Mitchell said.
As the county's lobbyist, Rogers has agreed not to represent any other client when that client's interests conflict with the county's.
In addition to Rogers' presence on Capitol Hill, the county has staffed a legislative liaison office with a team of employees and department heads. The commissioners themselves also routinely lobby legislators on the county's behalf.
And while they don't represent the county, two county employees are currently serving in the Legislature: Sen. Blaze Wharton, D-Salt Lake, who is Horiuchi's administrative assistant; and Rep. Steve Barth, D-Salt Lake, a public works supervisor. One other lawmaker, Rep. Dave Jones, D-Salt Lake, has a consulting contract with the county.