Gov. Mike Leavitt, in office about 40 days, said he didn't think he'd love being governor as much as he does or that the job would be as exhilarating as it is.
Speaking at the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics, Leavitt said Wednesday that he hasn't decided which, if any, bills passed by the 1993 Legislature he will veto.But he's looking at several, including SB199 - which requires school districts to either raise property taxes by two mills (0.0004 percent) over four years or give the equivalent amount from existing money to a fund that will be distributed to growth districts in need of critical school buildings.
"As you can imagine, those who have money taken away don't like it; those who get money do," Leavitt said. SB199 is an attempt to make the so-called 1992 "equalization" law, nicknamed "Robin Hood," more fair. The "Robin Hood" law recaptures property tax from "rich" school districts and redistributes it to "poor" school districts. The 1993 version of the bill likely ensures a small tax increase - 0.0004 percent - phased in over four years for most Utahns.
Leavitt ran on a promise that he wouldn't look to a tax increase to solve the state's problems - even difficult problems like public education funding.
"Locally, (SB199) will raise taxes. I didn't support it because I think there are better ways to deal with (finding money to build new classrooms in overcrowded districts).
"I think it better to use the critical school fund (long in place in the state) to deal with spot problems. But 60 percent of the Legislature voted for it. Even more voted for the "Robin Hood" bill that passed last year. I'm not ready to decide (on a veto) yet," Leavitt said.
The Utah Taxpayers Association is ready. It opposed the bill during the session and Wednesday issued a press release formally calling for Leavitt to veto it.
Taxpayer Association President Howard Stephenson, who is also a freshman state GOP senator representing the southern part of Salt Lake County and northern Utah County, has a meeting scheduled with Leavitt this Friday, where he'll try to convince Leavitt to veto the measure.
Should Leavitt veto any bill, lawmakers can override the veto with two-thirds votes in both the House and Senate.
Said Stephenson: "SB199 does not equalize the collection of capital outlay funds nor does it equalize the distribution. This is a statewide tax increase designed to throw money at Utah's school building problem. It soaks the taxpayer without resolving the underlying inequities in the way we fund school building construction." The bill gives poorer school districts a means to raise property taxes above the current statutory limits, and will lead only to more disparity between the tax rates of rich and poor districts, he said.