Salt Lake County voters will choose Tuesday whether they can live with their current three-commissioner form of government or whether they want to change to a council-mayor form.
The proposed change would separate legislative and executive powers out to the nine-member council and mayor, respectively. Proponents of change say it would institute needed separation of powers into county government, with the council serving as a check on the executive and vice versa.Six council members would be elected by district, with three at-large. They would serve part time, with the mayor serving full time.
Opponents say the mayor would have too much power. Most of what the commission now does is executive in nature, meaning executive duties would actually be concentrated into one person who would not be subject to open meeting laws.
The council's primary responsibility would be to approve the county's yearly budget. That power, proponents say, trumps all other powers because it is through the budget that priorities are set and responsibilities assigned, giving the elected (and, they say, more representative) council ultimate responsibility for county affairs.
The mayor would have veto power over council decisions, which could be overridden by a two-thirds vote.
County residents have rejected various proposals to change the form of Salt Lake County government, coupled with schemes to consolidate governments.
Most of the concerns expressed by residents regarding the change of government have been regarding cost. The county auditor has estimated that changing the form would entail a one-time cost of $540,000 to $1.2 million, with an additional $380,000 to $3.1 million per year over current costs.
Proponents point out that that's relatively little in the perspective of the county's $500 million annual budget, but that doesn't satisfy the other side.
"Any time government takes money from citizens when it is not absolutely necessary, it is wrong," said change opponent Lynn Price.
Residents of the unincorporated areas have been a point of debate, with proponents saying they would be better represented by a council and opponents saying the opposite would occur. Two council districts would be made up of a majority of unincorporated residents.
The current proposal was born when Rep. Richard Walsh, R-Union, submitted a bill in the 1997 Legislature that would force Salt Lake County to put a proposed change to a vote. After passing the House, Walsh withdrew the bill when Salt Lake County commissioners promised to do it on their own.
The commissioners came up with a plan and voted to put it on the 1997 ballot, but later changed their minds when various insiders, including Walsh himself, said they were rushing things and should give the process more time.
The plan is available online at (www.co.slc.ut.us).