Rank has some privileges. House Majority Whip Kevin Garn, R-Layton, has found a way to get $250,000 for an addition to a historic museum in Layton City Hall.
No final decision has been made. But when GOP leaders discovered that $1 million for an extension of a road on Antelope Island had been placed both in the bond bill and placed in the supplemental appropriation bill, all of a sudden there was $1 million in one-time cash that hadn't been allocated.Leaders decided to place $750,000 of that $1 million into a mitigation fund for endangered species. (Rep. Tom Hatch, R-Panguitch, had tried to impose a retail water sales tax for endangered species mitigation, but that failed.)
What to do with the other $250,000? "This (Layton museum) addition is much needed," said Garn with a smile. The museum, which houses pioneer memorabilia from the Layton area, has too little space to exhibit its collection.
Last year, on the final night of the session, it was learned that House Speaker Mel Brown had gotten money for a state-run golf course in Midvale, his home, and Senate President Lane Beattie had gotten some money allocated for freeway sound walls. Later, his area of West Bountiful got some of that sound wall money from the state Transportation Commission.
Finally, Gov. Mike Leavitt made sure that Southern Utah University, his alma mater, got $1 million to buy land for expansion of the Utah Shakespearean Festival.