Issue: HB142 would encourage neighborhoods to create local councils that could tackle crime and other local concerns. The bill would also establish a $50,000 fund to help councils pay for training, programs and activities.
History: The governor's gang task force recommended the state encourage neighborhood councils and help fund them.Action: The House Revenue and Taxation standing committee refused to forward HB142 to the full House by a 7-5 vote.
Pros and cons: The bill's sponsor, Steve Barth, D-West Valley City, said neighborhood councils come up with the best solutions to local problems. He explained that the small local councils would answer to local government, which would also monitor applications for state. But GOP opponents to the measure said citizens don't need a state law to form a neighborhood council and that funding should be a local government responsibility, not the state's.