The idea first came from an ad hoc governmental association two years ago and didn’t get far. But this time, citizens are behind it. If they’re successful, a future election ballot may ask local voters, “Shall a study committee be appointed to consider and possibly recommend a change in the form of government of Tooele County?”
Remember the idea? In March 2014, just as Tooele County government’s financial crisis was winding down, there was talk by members of the Tooele County Council of Governments for such a study to be done. Grantsville Mayor Brent Marshall, who was COG’s chairman at the time, pitched the idea. The council consists of the Tooele County Commission and representatives from incorporated cities and towns across the county.
Marshall’s proposal wasn’t entirely a surprise. Citizen dissatisfaction had been heard since the county’s financial woes erupted in 2012. But by March 2014, no one had formally requested the matter be studied to see if the three-member commission should be changed, and if so, what the process entailed.
Some COG members supported Marshall’s plan, but then-commissioners Jerry Hurst, Bruce Clegg and Shawn Milne did not. By June 2014, the commissioners declined to voluntarily put the question before voters. They said if citizens wanted the question on a ballot, they would have to seek grassroots support, get signatures and file a petition.
That support is now being sought.
As reported in last Tuesday’s Page A2 story, “Citizens group push for study of Tooele County government,” local citizens are collecting petition signatures to get that question on a future ballot. According to petition contact sponsor and Tooele City resident Erik Gumbrecht, it’s a nonpartisan, grassroots effort.
He said about a third of the required 1,900 signatures from registered county voters have been collected. Other petition sponsors include Tracy Shaw of Tooele City, Jeff McNeil of Erda, Elliot Lawrence of Grantsville, and Matt McCarty of South Rim.
Gumbrecht, who is a former chairman of the Tooele County Republican Party, said because of the county’s recent growth, “looking at the possibility of a change in the form of government” could be beneficial to handle more future changes.
We agree such a “look” may be worthwhile. When the idea was first proposed in 2014, we supported it to give citizens — as allowed by state law — a chance to study and possibly vote on county governance. Yet, we also warned if such a study were done, the data must be credible, comprehensive, and be subjected to exhaustive public review. For comparison, it should also include data obtained from counties outside of Utah.
After the commissioners declined to voluntarily place the question on a future ballot, in an editorial we called their decision an affront to local citizens who faced tax increases to help fix the county’s budget. Was their decision a belief in the dignity and value of the Tooele County Commission office, or were they worried it couldn’t withstand a study’s scrutiny?
The current Tooele County Commission has done a lot to restore trust and integrity in the office over the past year. The county’s financial woes are hopefully behind us and won’t be repeated. Yet, the question still remains.
Thanks to a group of citizens, local voters may get to answer it in a future countywide election.