countyVoice the
A Publication of the Utah assciation of Counties
He Just Enjoys the Ride... 10 County Pride: Cache... 15 Outdoor Facilities Ready? ... 18
March/April 2013
Luck of the Irish?
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UTAH COUNTIES INDEMNITY POOL Established in 1992, the Utah Counties Indemnity Pool was created by Counties, is owned by Counties and Governed by Counties. Pooling is a practical extension of local government’s obligation to be a good steward of public funds and is a prime example of efficient government through Interlocal Cooperation.
UTAH COUNTIES INDEMINITY POOL est. 1992
Administration: 801.565.8500
800.339.4070 Facsimile: 801.568.0495 Claims:
Website: ucip.utah.gov
what’sInside
March/April 2013
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For the Most Part, the Luck of the Irish Shined on Counties
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Easy or Hard, He Just Enjoys the Ride
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Are Your County’s Outdoor Facilities Ready?
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While county government didn’t find a pot of gold at the end of the session, it didn’t exactly come up empty-handed either. Read about some of the highlights (and lowlights) of this year’s Legislative Session.
For having such an easy-going, mild-mannered personality, one would think Davis County Treasurer Mark Altom would be more comfortable taking the easy path to achievement.
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As Winter melts away, following some particularly harsh weeks of Utah weather, county citizens are (or soon will be) returning to public parks in large numbers.
Everything Else...
UAC Calendar 4... UAC Notes 4... NACo Notes 4... New Officials Profiled 14... County Pride 15... UAC Service Partners 19... Know Your Legislator 20... This Issue’s Infographic: Evolution of Utah’s Counties...21 UAC Executive Committee John Jones, President (Carbon) Brandy Grace, 1st VP (Millard) David Wilde, 2nd VP (Salt Lake) Gordon Topham, Secretary (Sevier) Robert Kirk, Past Pres. (Utah)
UAC Staff Brent Gardner, Chief Executive Officer Jill Brown, Accountant Chelsie Dalton, UBHC Admin Asst. Debbie Goodwin, Office Manager Alice Hancock, Admin. Assistant Doug Perry, Communications Dir. Adam Trupp, General Counsel Arie Van De Graaff, Legislative Analyst Mark Ward, Senior Policy Analyst
The County Voice Published six times annually, The County Voice is the official magazine of the Utah Association of Counties. To subscribe: uacnet.org/archived-newsletters/ To submit articles, ads or other content, contact Doug Perry here: Utah Association of Counties 5397 S. Vine Street Murray, UT 84107 (801) 265-1331 doug@uacnet.org
2013 Utah Association of Counties Board of Directors Past Secretary Art Partridge (Washington)
Uintah Basin Kirk Wood (Duchesne)
Utah County Larry Ellertson (Utah)
Commissioner Bret Millburn (Davis)
Five-County Doug Heaton (Kane)
Washington County Alan Gardner (Washington)
Clerk Norm Johnson (San Juan)
Southeastern Jeff Horrocks (Emery)
Washington County Russell Shirts (Washington)
Auditor Diana Carroll (Grand)
Six-County Claudia Jarrett (Sanpete)
At-Large Kim Carson (Summit)
Sheriff Dave Edmunds (Summit) Assessor John Ulibarri (Weber)
Davis County Louenda Downs (Davis)
At-Large Jeff Merrell (Uintah)
Davis County Steve Rawlings (Davis)
At-Large Mike Kohler (Wasatch)
Weber County Jan Zogmaister (Weber)
At-Large Dale Eyre (Sevier)
Weber County Kerry Gibson (Weber)
At-Large Jim Eardley (Washington)
Salt Lake County Ben McAdams (Salt Lake)
At-Large Cindy Bulloch (Iron)
Surveyor Reid Demman (Salt Lake)
Salt Lake County Richard Snelgrove (Salt Lake)
At-Large Les Barker (Garfield)
Bear River LuAnn Adams (Box Elder)
Utah County Gary Anderson (Utah)
Recorder Brenda Nelson (Morgan) Treasurer John Bond (Weber) Attorney Doug Hogan (Tooele)
March/April 2013 • countyVoice
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CALENDAR April 10-12 April 17-19
UAC Management Conference American Planning Assoc. - Utah
Provo (Utah Valley Convention Ctr) More/Register Logan More/Register
May 22-24 WIR - Annual Conference Flagstaff, AZ June 18-20 Assessors Summer Conference Tooele June 20 UAC Board Meeting TBA June 21 USACCC Summer Conference TBA June 26-28 Treasurers Summer Conference Vernal July 9-11 July 19-22 September 25 September 25-27
Recorders Summer Conference NACo Annual Convention
Box Elder County Fort Worth, TX
UAC Board Meeting USACCC Fall Conference
Midway (Homestead) Midway (Homestead)
November 13-15
UAC Annual Convention
St. George (Dixie Center)
Solutions For Your County Property Notices Election Materials Laser Checks Pressure Seal Forms Full-Color Printing Envelopes and Letterhead Mailing Services IC Group is an environmentally responsible company, and is accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council
More/Register
More/Register
NOTES from UAC New Publications UAC recently re-printed two of its most important publications, the Membership Directory and County Government in Utah. Both publications are available electronically online at the UAC website and may be purchased from UAC for $10 if a printed version is desired. All county officials will receive a complimentary copy of the Directory at the UAC Management Conference in April.
Got UAC E-Groups? Launched in 2011, UAC E-Groups continues to steadily add new county officials to the discussions that impact all of you. E-Groups features the ability to post questions, comments,
documents, photos and even videos you can share with your professional peers in Utah’s counties. But you have to be a member and participate. If you have yet to join, contact UAC at (801) 265-1331 to receive your invition.
UAC Basement Update Construction to partially finish the basement of UAC’s building continues. When complete the build-out will enable the Association to rent the space to a tenant that is similar-in-scope to UAC. The construction includes two new entrances to the building on the southwest and northeast corners of the building and is expected to conclude in April or May. When complete, the space will add approximately 4,500 square feet of semi-finished space to the building.
NOTES from NACo County Health NACo testifies before Rankings Special Report Senate on payment in County News looks at the state-by-state lieu of taxes County Health Rankings compiled by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and how counties can use that information to improve the health of their residents. It includes: • An explanation of how rankings are calculated • How counties can use their rankings to improve health, and • Stories from counties that have used their rankings to spur improvement
Click Here for More
House passes workforce SKILLS bill
The House has passed legislation — the Supporting Knowledge and Investing NACo has urged Congress to extend in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act (H.R. mandatory funding provisions for 803) — that reauthorizes the Workforce the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Investment Act of 1998 (WIA). The program, in testimony before the U.S. SKILLS Act would consolidate more Senate Energy and Natural Resources than 35 existing federal employment and Committee. Ryan R. Yates, NACo training programs into a single Workforce associate legislative director, said local Investment Fund. In addition, the bill governments have relied on PILT for would eliminate provisions relating to more than 30 years to provide payments automatic designation of local workforce to counties and other local governments areas, allowing state boards to designate to offset losses in tax revenues due to local areas in consultation with the the presence of substantial acreage of governor. federal land in their jurisdictions.
Click Here for More
Click Here for More
March/April 2013 • countyVoice
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For the Most Part, the Luck of the Irish Shined on Counties This Legislative Session
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his year’s Utah General Legislative Session began as late in the year as possible meaning that by the time it ended, we were only days away from St. Patrick’s Day. While county government didn’t find a pot of gold at the end of the session, it didn’t exactly come up empty handed either. Below are some of the highlights (and lowlights) of the recently completed Legislative Session. The relocation of the state prison in Draper was a major issue throughout the session. SB 72 which authorized a prison relocation and development authority to request proposals for prison relocation sites and make recommendations to the Governor and Legislature received a great deal of debate throughout the session. The bill passed and UAC will be involved in ensuring county interests are represented. To that end, the passage of HCR 5 should help. The concurrent resolution recognizes that regional correctional facilities and county jail contracting can assist the state of Utah in addressing increasing incarceration costs and a growing prison population. Meanwhile, the fight to fund current jail contracting and reimbursement programs saw incremental success with an additional $1 million being appropriated to each program and another $380,000 being appropriated to jail programming. UAC helped shepherd a number of bills that will benefit county citizens. These include HB 74 which protects greenbelt property owners from increased property taxes due to circumstances beyond their control and a number of bills that strengthen counties’ standing with the federal government (HB 113, HB 164, and HB 155). Working with other interested parties, UAC was able to assist in amending a number of pieces of legislation that would have been problematic to county government had they passed as
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countyVoice • March/April 2013
Photo: Eric Schramm
THE PRODUCTS YOU NEED. THE SERVICE YOU DESERVE. If you’re not banking with Zions Bank®, you should be. Jim Divver, Government Sales One South Main, Salt Lake City • 801-844-8055
originally drafted. Legislation in this category includes HB 88 which originally would have allowed any property owner unsatisfied with local planning and zoning to opt out. In the end, the bill was amended to offer a conduit for dissatisfied property owners to make their opinions known to both the planning commission and the local government’s legislative body.
2013 Enrolled Bills of UAC Interest HB 74 (Mathis) – Removes the Farmland Assessment Act rollback tax in the case where land moves from agricultural use based on the exercise of underground mineral rights conducted by the owner of a split estate. SUPPORT HB 88 (M. Brown) – Requires notice to property owners within a municipality or county in the event of a proposed zoning change. Permits property owners to file a written objection to zoning changes within ten days of a public hearing to the planning commission which must consider those objections and forward them to the legislative body of the local government where the zoning changes are to take place. OPPOSE
Every year there are a number of bills that are too problematic for a compromise during the frantic six and a half weeks of the session. Thanks, in part, to UAC’s lobbying efforts, most of these bills didn’t pass. Among these, include a bill that would have moved county government to a fiscal year without addressing how to fund the six month period outside the budget process to get there; a bill that would have required, in most cases, a vote of the people in addition to a truth in taxation hearing when raising taxes; and a bill that would have required notice to all property owners within a mile radius of a property that received an adjustment to its value from the county board of equalization. Blimey, though, not everything came out counties’ way this year. SB 181, an important piece of legislation to county government, failed to pass. The bill which would have required counties to charge fair market value for large, countywide GRAMA data requests got held up in the House Rules Committee after passing out of the Senate. The bill was amended multiple times to address concerns of industries that regularly conduct business with the county, but there was still a philosophical aversion to the bill by a number of legislators. UAC will continue to work on the issues that SB 181 addressed in the months to come as well as any number of issues that will arise between now and the start of the 2014 legislative session. Until then, send any four-leaf clovers you might find our way, we might need them.
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countyVoice • March/April 2013
HB 113 (Handy) – Authorizes a county governing body to represent the county as a cooperating agency for certain federal land development and management actions. Also designates the county governing body as a body that has special expertise for certain federal land development and management actions. SUPPORT HB 164 (Roberts) – Permits the chief executive officer of a municipality or county or a county sheriff to respond to action or inaction by the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or the United States Forest Service that may danger the health, safety, or welfare of the people within the municipality or county by first sending written notice to the BLM or Forest Service and then, if nothing is done, taking action to mitigate the risk. SUPPORT HB 334 (McCay) – Authorizes the legislative body of a county or municipality that created a special service district to adopt a resolution to reorganize the special service district as a local district. SUPPORT HCR 5 (Noel) – Offers the Legislature’s official recognition that regional correctional facilities and county jail contracting can assist the state of Utah in addressing increasing incarceration costs and a growing prison population. SUPPORT SB 72 (Jenkins) – Establishes the makeup of the Prison Relocation and Development Authority and permits that authority to issue a request for proposals for a new prison development project, to review those proposals, and make recommendations on those proposals to the Legislature and Governor. SUPPORT
2013 Failed Bills of UAC Interest HB 91 (Chavez-Houck) – Would have created electionday registration by permitting voters to register at the polls and then vote provisionally. After the county verifies the prospective voter’s registration, it would then count the voter’s ballot. NEUTRAL HB 133 (Tanner) – Would have extended the tax sale process on property where the taxes paid are five years delinquent by allowing the property owner six months after the tax sale to make payment and maintain the property. OPPOSE HB 159 (McCay) – Would have required the county to notify all property owners within a mile radius of a property where the Board of Equalization approved a property value adjustment. Additionally, the bill would have extended the Board of Equalization period an additional 45 days after notice has been sent. OPPOSE HB 199 (McCay) – Would have required county government to move to a July 1 to June 30 annual fiscal
year without addressing how to fund the six month period outside of the budget process to get there. OPPOSE HB 397 (Nielson) – Would have required that a taxing entity that engages in truth in taxation for a tax increase that exceeds the consumer price index also be required to place the proposed tax increase on the ballot with a requirement that a majority of voters approve the tax before it can be imposed. OPPOSE SB 181 (Harper) – Would have required counties to charge fair market value for large, countywide GRAMA data requests. The bill was amended multiple times to address concerns of industries that regularly conduct business with the county. SUPPORT SB 237 (Adams) – Would have required online travel companies to remit the sales and transient room taxes on the full price paid by their customers instead of the discounted price those online travel companies agreed upon with the hotels. SUPPORT
March/April 2013 • countyVoice
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Easy or Hard, He Just Enjoys the Ride
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or having such an easy-going, mild-mannered personality, one would think Davis County Treasurer Mark Altom would be more comfortable taking the easy path to achievement. But he’ll tell you it doesn’t and hasn’t always worked out that way. “A lot of people will take their [mountain] bike up on the lift at Snowbasin and then ride down for the exhilaration,” explains Altom. “For me, it’s the sense of accomplishment I feel after pedaling up the hill, up the steep places, up the technical parts which I am always trying to do better on that make it fun. And then I still get the exhilaration of flying down the mountain after.” And yet, the soft-spoken and friendly county official is hard-pressed to share any challenging events in his life
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because, in his view, they don’t exist, unless you count his one and only political loss in 1990 as he ran for Davis County Treasurer. A good friend and neighbor, former State Auditor Tom Allen, encouraged the young banker living in Kaysville to run for the open seat following the retirement of Pauline McBride. “I encouraged him to run and told him I would give him all my campaign signs and other things I used when running for office,” said Allen, who nominated Altom at the 1990 Republican County Convention. “But he did all the work and made it all happen—I can’t take credit for that.” Indeed, Mark knew it would not be easy but felt ready for the climb, spending many hours after work each day walking through neighborhoods, passing out flyers and meeting Davis County residents.
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against two other candidates (one of which he competed against in the 1990 primary). To make it even more interesting, he had to garner at least 70 percent of the vote. “I needed 273 delegate votes to get 70 percent and I received 275, which was amazing considering there were three candidates,” he said. The win was a great confidence builder. Now, 20 years later, Altom uses that and other challenging professional experiences to fuel his push up new climbs. Including those in his spare time. “Nobody was familiar with the last name Altom in Davis County,” he reflected. “So I had to work very hard at it... and put my heart and soul into the campaign.” The hard work seemingly paid off as he enjoyed a 57 percent vote among caucus delegates. Unfortunately, party rules at the time did not allow for multiple balloting and 70 percent was required to avoid a primary vote. Well short of that mark, Altom entered the primary with one other candidate. Despite his earlier performance at the caucus vote, the primary vote didn’t go as well landing him in second place to Michael Porter, who eventually went unopposed in the general election and became the new treasurer.
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“I was obsessed with golf,” he said pointedly. “I would go with a friend of mine two to three times a week at day break so we could get nine holes in before we had to be to work at eight.” However, a few years ago Altom said he felt conflicted. “I took up golf to relieve stress. But I found that the amount of stress relieved was in direct proportion to the amount it created,” he said. “Mountain biking fits me so much better. It gives me excellent physical and mental exercise. “I used to like hiking, and biking is like fast-forward hiking—I get to see so much more,” he compares.
“That had a huge impact on me. But as difficult and disappointing as it was I had an inner calm feeling that it would be okay,” he explained.
His wife of 34 years, the former Debra Wilson, has seen plenty of her share of the outdoors, too, literally growing up at the foot of the Grand Tetons in Alta, Wyoming.
Turns out, his inside instincts were correct. Within a year Porter was accused (and later convicted) of stealing a property tax check his office had received. The incident, though isolated and still under investigation at the time, was enough to force his resignation.
Following Mark’s two years of missionary service to Switzerland and France, the two met at BYU in a student ward choir. Both were assigned the tenor section which, he notes, sparked a harmonious friendship and now marriage.
Suddenly, Altom was back to campaigning. Even though he was appointed to complete the remaining seven months of the first two years, and had known and worked with several employees in the treasurer’s office, he still had to pull off a special election win for the final two years of the term
The two raised five children and are now enjoying the sweet sounds of eight grandchildren.
countyVoice • March/April 2013
And now as Altom rolls up and down Utah’s backcountry on two wheels he has lots of time to reflect
on life and being a county treasurer—20 years of changes and everything that lay ahead. “When I got in office things were transitioning from manual ledgers to more automated processes and so technology has been the biggest change to my office,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of things for the benefit of tax payers that also are more efficient for our office. “And I would say that there will be a way at some point to save a lot more by e-mailing tax notices. It’s not there yet, but not too far in the distant future,” he adds. In the mean time, those who work with him say it’s his patient and evenhanded nature that make him extra special with residents of Davis County. “He believes in fairness for not only the employees working in our office and within the county, but for all residents of Davis County,” says Jean Shaw, chief deputy treasurer at Davis County. “He has extreme patience. I can’t count the number of times that he has allowed someone into his office who was disgruntled or angry and allowed them personal time to vent, and then takes time to help them find solutions to resolve their tax issues.” Truly, his old friend Tom Allen knew back in 1990 what professional colleagues and citizens of Davis County would also come to know as time went on. “I thought back then he would do a great job and he has done a great job. He was the right choice,” added Allen. But at the end of the day, Altom finds comfort in growth and handling disappointments and a challenging hill or two like everyone else. “I’m certainly not perfect,” he says in a satisfied tone. “But I know I’m better now than I ever have been because I keep learning.”
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March/April 2013 • countyVoice
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More Official Introductions
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ince our last publication, four additional officials have or will take office shortly and one has announced their plans to retire. Salt Lake County Assessor Lee Gardner announced he will retire from his office sometime this year, ending 19 years of service, so that he can serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints with his wife, Ursula. Gardner has not announced an official date but is expecting to receive a mission call in the near future. A replacement will be named by the Council shortly after that time.
In the mean time, Beaver County Clerk/Auditor Paul Barton, who had served since 1981 in that office, left in early March to pursue a new position with Beaver City as the treasurer. Sanpete County Commissioner Spencer Cox, who had been in that position for four years, was elected to the Utah State House of Representatives in November. Carbon County Clerk/ Auditor Robert Pero, who had served for nearly two decades, was confirmed the newest member of the Utah State Tax Commission on February 19. And Ruth Smith, Rich County Treasurer will resign her position effective April 30, ending 18 years of service as an elected official so that she can retire. Brian Stephenson was appointed to replace Paul Barton, Jon Cox has replaced Spencer Cox, Seth Oveson has replaced Robert Pero, and Loujean Argyle has been named to replace Ruth Smith when she leaves.
Stan Summers Representing Box Elder County, is getting his first opportunity to serve in local government. He has worked professionally as a small business owner in several ventures. He enjoys family, hunting, fishing and mining for gold. He is also a published author. Casey Hopes Representing Carbon County, he is getting his first opportunity to serve in local government. He worked most recently as a supervisor at Nelco Contractors and owns Carbon Copy Center. He lists horses, hunting, camping and snowmobiling among his hobbies. Alan Roper Representing Millard County, he has spent several years serving on the Fillmore City Council. He enjoys traveling, farming and camping in his spare time.
Newly Appointed County Officials Beaver County Clerk/Auditor
Brian Stephenson
Carbon County Clerk/Auditor
Seth Oveson
Rich County Treasurer
Loujean Argyle
Salt Lake County Assessor
TBA
Sanpete County Commissioner
Jon Cox
Michael Dalton Representing Beaver County, some of his local government and other experience includes service on the Beaver City Council and Beaver Hospital Board. He lists roping, camping and hunting among his hobbies. Watch our next issue for more introductions!
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County Pride: Cache Valley!
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iscover your own adventure in Logan, the heart of beautiful Cache Valley. We’re famous for our handson heritage experiences, dynamic performing arts
and outdoor beauty. Logan has affordable accommodations, unique shopping and more than 70 restaurants. For more information, contact the Cache Valley Visitors Bureau at 1-435755-1890 or log on to www.visitloganutah.com. HANDS-ON HERITAGE Cache Valley’s dramatic landscape represents the rugged struggle to settle the American West. It’s the ancestral home of the Northwest Band of the Shoshone, mountain men roamed and traded furs here in the 1820s, and Mormon pioneers settled the area in the 1850s. Pick up a copy of the Heritage Driving Tour brochure at the Visitors Bureau, and spend a day or two visiting the 29 communities nestled in our 50-mile-long valley that extends from Utah into Idaho. Stop in at the American West Heritage Center, a 160-acre living-history center and experience the history of the Old West. Depending on the day, you’ll visit with Native Americans, mountain men, farmers, and pioneers. They’ll keep you busy living life like they did. Give it a try. Museum open year-round; living history open seasonally. www.awhc.org For a true taste of the area enjoy the self-guided Cache Valley Food Tour where you can learn about and sample famous foods
made in the area including cheeses, chocolates, coffee, cookies, honey, fruit, ice creams, and pastries.
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Stroll on the beautiful campus of Utah State University, a major research university founded as an agricultural college in 1888. Old Main is an architectural icon and the A on top stands for the Aggies, the USU mascot. www. usu.edu Take a walking tour of historic downtown Logan, where you’ll find great examples of early Mormon pioneer architecture, including the temple and tabernacle, the 1923 Ellen Eccles Theatre, the 1914 Bluebird Café (the oldest restaurant in the state), impressive turn-of-the-century homes and churches, and the beautifully restored Cache County Courthouse, home of the Cache Valley Visitors Bureau. THE HEART OF THE ARTS Welcome to our rich cultural tapestry of performing and fine arts, nurtured and thriving since 1856. Logan was so artsy that in the early 1900s it was known as the Athens of the West. Take in a wide variety of fantastic talent at our free Noon Music Concerts at the historic Tabernacle Monday through Friday. Concerts last about 45 minutes. The Center for the Arts is home of the stunning 1923 Ellen Eccles Theatre, which hosts local, regional, and nationally touring productions, and the beautifully restored 1878 Thatcher-Young Mansion, now an art gallery with rotating exhibits. www.centerforthearts.us During the summer months the internationally renowned Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre takes the Ellen Eccles Theatre stage to perform operas and Broadway shows along with concerts, classes, backstage tours, and more. Hundreds of performers from the nation’s greatest stages showcase a month of spectacular performances. www.utahfestival.org or 435-750-0300 ext. 3 The Caine-Lyric Theatre opened in 1913 and is home to the Old Lyric Repertory Company, one of the true remaining repertory companies in the nation. Each summer the talented actors and actresses light up the stage with 4-6 productions
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and offer a charming view of America’s theatre past. Call 435-797-1500. Dozens of nationally recognized artists live and find their inspiration in Cache Valley. Stroll through a handful of galleries in historic downtown Logan and many local businesses proudly display local artist works. Don’t miss the quarterly Friday night Gallery Walks. The 250-member American Festival Chorus presents choral masterworks, American folk music, and awardwinning guest performers. The Chorus and symphony are under the direction of Craig Jessop, former conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. www. americanfestivalchorus.org NATURE CALLS Downtown Logan is only a 5-minute drive from outdoor adventure and beauty in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Beautiful Logan Canyon National Scenic Byway is a 41mile spectacular drive past limestone cliffs, the Logan River, and forested canopies to the turquoise-blue waters of Bear Lake. Along the way, hike to the Wind Caves, the 1,500-year-old Jardine Juniper, or the grave site of Old Ephraim, the largest grizzly bear on record at the time of his death in 1923. www.logancanyon.org The dramatic canyon provides great fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, canoeing, biking, geocaching, horseback riding, and bird-watching. Don’t miss Tony Grove Lake, a glacial lake surrounded by wildflowers and a likely spot to spy a moose. Biking: You can’t beat scenic cycling rides through our small towns and farming communities. You’ll enjoy wide open space on little-used roadways. Mountain biking is very popular in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest where the scenery includes rivers and lakes, forested canopies, and meadows of wildflowers. Birdwatching: This region is known for many species of birds that make Cache Valley home. Our unique geography means you can see shorebirds and mountain species all within a 20-minute drive. Cutler Marsh offers viewing in classic wetland habitat.
Camping/Picnicking: More than 383 campgrounds, 27 parks, and many picnic areas are located in Cache Valley and nearby Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Canoeing: Spectacular bird and wildlife watching is available via canoe trips on the Bear River. Canoe in the Cutler Wetlands Maze to experience the outdoors in all its splendor. Fishing: Anglers will find some of the best fishing in the West in our lakes and rivers. The Logan and Blacksmith Fork Rivers are known for their blue-ribbon fly-fishing. Golfing: Cache Valley boasts four golf courses. Logan River and Birch Creek Golf Courses rank in the top courses in the state and top 500 courses in the country. Hiking: Countless trails make hiking a delight. Spring Hollow is an easy half-mile walk to one of the region’s most photographed streams. A popular 2-mile hike to the Wind Caves offers an outstanding example of arches and rooms formed by wind and ice erosion. The 1-mile Limber Pine loop trail, located at the summit of Logan Canyon, features interpretive information designed especially for children. Hyrum Lake State Park: This beautiful 450-acre manmade lake offers boating, year-round fishing, waterskiing, camping, and swimming. Facilities include a 32-unit campground, modern restrooms, showers, a concrete boat ramp, and a sandy beach. Article courtesy of the Cache Valley Visitors Bureau. For additional information visit www.visitloganutah.com
March/April 2013 • countyVoice
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Are Your County’s Outdoor Facilities Ready?
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s Winter melts away, following some particularly harsh weeks of Utah weather, county citizens are (or soon will be) returning to public parks in large numbers.
help with your on-site facility inspections. So spring into action today, ensuring your citizens can safely create great memories in your county’s parks and recreation facilities.
This should remind counties to spring into action by ensuring public assets found in county parks and other outdoor facilities aren’t ignored as they ramp-up for busy warmer months of use.
Written by Lance Mergens, ARM, CPSI, Utah Local Governments Trust. Providing all lines of insurance products for both large & small government entities throughout Utah.
General maintenance requires that local government parks and recreation departments give special attention to joints, moving pieces, and other stress points holding fixtures and equipment together. Too often slides, benches, swings, etc. are ignored or too quickly put back into service without a careful inspection. As bushings and bearings become weathered, metal-onmetal friction deteriorate hardware and create significant problems. Holes in plastic playground equipment can also be an issue. Aging plastics become brittle after weathering in the extremes of Utah’s climate. When these and other types of hazards exist, unsafe conditions for citizens and potential liabilities for counties become real. The good news is that they can be largely prevented with a simple and careful inspection and replacement of worn parts. If an annual inspection of your county’s outdoor fixtures and equipment is not routine, make it a point to begin in 2013. Most insurance providers are more than happy to
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countyVoice • March/April 2013
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fees; Access to more than 12,000 medical providers and every major hospital in Utah; All employee benefits under one roof. Monsen Engineering supplies GIS, Land Surveyor and Construction professionals with hardware, software and consumable supplies. We represent Trimble GPS, ESRI, Laser Technologies, Canon, HP, KIP, etc. Not only do we supply hardware and software, we offer training and repair for nearly everything we sell. Monsen Engineering has stores in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Reno to serve the Intermountain West. Integra connects government agencies with advanced networking, communications and technology solutions. We offer a full range of products and services—including data networking solutions, managed services, colocation, cloud services and voice products—backed by an enterprise-grade fiber-optic network consisting of 5,000 long-haul miles, 3,000 metro miles and a nationwide IP/MPLS network.
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We’ve got your back. For nearly five decades, we’ve had the public sector’s back. Today, we work to make sure the software you use every day is clear and easy-to-use - even if your task itself is complex. It’s all part of something we call empowerment. So how does Tyler create software that thinks like you do?
Scan now with your smart phone to view our video How Tyler Creates Software that Thinks Like You Do.
March/April 2013 • countyVoice
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Know Your State Legislator
In and effort to help you become better acquainted with our state legislature, UAC will provide a few bits of information about a handful of state legislators in each issue of The County Voice.
Senate House Wayne Harper wharper@le.utah.gov 801-566-5466 Senate District 6 Profession: Business Consultant
Deidre Henderson dhenderson@le.utah.gov 801-787-6197 Senate District 7 Profession: Business Owner
Brian Shiozawa Wayne Niederhauser Aaron Osmond bshiozawa@le.utah.gov wniederhauser@le.utah.gov aosmond@le.utah.gov 801-889-7450 801-558-4766 801-888-8742 Senate District 8 Senate District 9 Senate District 10 Profession: Profession: Profession: Physician CPA, Real Estate Business
Curtis Oda coda@le.utah.gov 801-725-0277 House District 14 Profession: Insurance Agent
Brad Wilson bradwilson@le.utah.gov 801-425-1028 House District 15 Profession: Real Estate
Stephen Handy stevehandy@le.utah.gov 801-979-8711 House District 16 Profession: Public Relations
Stewart Barlow sbarlow@le.utah.gov 801-289-6699 House District 17 Profession: Physician
Susan Duckworth Rebecca Edwards Jim Nielson Douglas Sagers jimnielson@le.utah.gov beckyedwards@le.utah.gov dougsagers@le.utah.gov sduckworth@le.utah.gov 801-250-0728 801-550-3474 801-554-1968 435-830-3485 House District 22 House District 19 House District 20 House District 21 Professsion: Professsion: Professsion: Professsion: Caregiver Architect Family Therapist Healthcare
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Rebecca Chavez-Houck rchouck@le.utah.gov 801-891-9292 House District 24 Professsion: Public Relations countyVoice • March/April 2013
Joel Briscoe jbriscoe@le.utah.gov 801-946-9791 House District 25 Professsion: Labor Relations Consultant
Roger Barrus rogerbarrus@le.utah.gov 801-292-2266 House District 18 Profession: Engineering
Jennifer Seelig jseelig@le.utah.gov 801-519-2544 House District 23 Professsion: Public Policy Research
Angela Romero angelaromero@le.utah.gov 801-722-4972 House District 26 Professsion: Program Manager
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