TAYLORSVILLE — There will soon be one more law enforcement agency in Utah.
The Taylorsville City Council Wednesday approved the formation of a city police department and signed off on a longtime Taylorsville resident and Salt Lake County Sheriff's captain, Larry Marx, to be its chief.
The department was created on a 3-2 vote, with two council members expressing concerns not about the idea of a city police department but about the process by which it was created and the speed with which council members took the issue on.
The City Council voted in August to drop its contract with the county sheriff's office because, as Mayor Janice Auger told the Deseret Morning News last month, "we don't have the stability we need." About 33 deputies have been patrolling the city, and the county wanted to charge the city about $120,000 per deputy.
Auger, who is out of town and was not at Wednesday's meeting, said in August that she believes the city can fund its own police department for $4.6 million a year. However, it's going to cost $1.1 million to get the department started by buying uniforms, patrol vehicles, weapons and other items.
Some council members have worried the city is moving too quickly.
"I feel like I'm being rushed here," Councilman Morris K. Pratt said. He moved to have the council's decision on the police department postponed until Oct. 5, but that motion failed.
Councilman Bud Catlin agreed the city was rushing into an important decision.
"This is a $5 million expenditure," he said. "It's probably the single biggest decision ever made in this city. We've bought a pair of shoes, and we're trying to make them fit."
But Councilman Russ Wall said studies on the feasibility and propriety of a city police department have been in the works for at least three years — as long as he has been on the council. And council chairman Les N. Matsumura said he has watched the process step by step and has signed off on every step.
Residents in Taylorsville have not been overly anxious to abandon ties with the sheriff's office in favor of a city police department, either. In December 2002, a survey showed that 78 percent of residents were happy with the sheriff's deputies' service.
On Wednesday, resident Keith Sorensen said city officials have not communicated with the public enough and that taxpayers, who will fund the department, should be involved in making the decision. Ultimately, he said he would like to see the department put to a public vote.
The council also voted 4-1 to support Auger's nominee for police chief, Larry Marx. The one vote against Marx was Catlin, who expressed concern about the fact that Marx was on the steering committee that recommended formation of a police department and that it was clear from the start he was interested in being chief. He said that creates a possible conflict of interest.
"This is not about the candidate for chief of police tonight," Catlin said. "He is extremely well-qualified. It's not about Larry Marx. It's about the process."
He congratulated Marx on the council's approval and called his vote against the resolution "a matter of principle."
Taylorsville joins Draper as the second city this year to ditch its contract with the county and form its own police department.
E-mail: dsmeath@desnews.com