There is a lot happening on Capitol Hill this legislative session. Voter turnout was so high during November’s General Election (yay!) there were some problems. A number of bills are being discussed to fix the problems.
• HB 230 requires that return postage be paid on all Vote by Mail ballots. Studies show that the turnout is the same whether voters pay for their own return postage or the county pays for it.
• HB159 would automatically register a person to vote, or update their information if they are already registered, when they renew their driver license. This will help keep voting records up to date.
• HB 218 allows changes to be made to polling locations after the 90-day cutoff. Currently, the county commission has to approve polling locations 90 days before an election. This really tied the Salt Lake County Clerk’s hands for the General Election last November where some lines were four-hours long. New polling locations couldn’t be opened to help shorten the lines. This bill allows that.
• 116 requires county clerks to file a plan with the Lieutenant Governor’s Office showing what they will do if the election day lines get too long.
We’ve had a number of calls concerning Property Tax Abatements for 2017. The forms will be available on the website after the general session of the Utah Legislature is over and by April 1.
During the legislative session, decisions are made concerning how much will be allowed for each abatement. I’ll post the information in a future Clerk’s Corner so you’ll know it’s available.
Public Meeting notices: Would you like to keep up on what’s happening in the county? You can receive notice whenever a public meeting (county commission, planning commission, trails, etc.) is scheduled. Just go to the Public Notice Website https://www.utah.gov/pmn/index.html and create an account. You can then indicate which meetings you would like to receive notices for. That’s it! You’ll receive an email for each one you’ve indicated.
May Tax Sale: Each year the county holds a tax sale for properties that are five years or more delinquent on taxes. Tooele County’s tax sale will be held May 17 at 9 a.m. in the Commission Chambers of the Tooele County Building. The list of properties that will be on the sale will be available about May 1.
Marylin Gillette is the Tooele County Clerk/Auditor