Utah Association of Counties Preparing for 2008 Legislative Session

None by Eric Ray

(KCPW News) The Utah Association of Counties is compiling its list of priorities as the 2008 legislative session approaches, and property tax reform tops that list.

Executive Director Brent Gardner says the association's main concern is equity. He says elected officials at the county level want to make sure certain segments of the population don't become a burden to another. He adds capping property values, like California's Proposition 13 did, is not necessarily the answer.

The association will also push for an amendment to an incorporation law passed during the 2007 session. HB466 allows an area of 100 to 1,000 residents to incorporate without approval of the county's governing body. An unintended result of HB466 is that resort communities can incorporate and levy their own taxes, as seen in Garfield County with Ruby's Inn and potentially in Washington County with the proposed "Aspen, Utah."

A conversation with Gardner about the legislative priorities of the Utah Association of Counties is available for download here.

Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom. Copyright 2008 KCPW