The Millard County Commission voted 2-0 to opt into a petition from the Utah Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office, led by Kathleen Clarke, that opposes prohibitions on national forests by the United States Department of Agriculture.
The roadless rule, officially known as the Roadless Area Conservation rule, “places about one-third of the national forests (in the United States) off limits to virtually all road building, logging and development,” according to the Public Broadcasting Service. It was put into place in 2001, in the waning days of the Bill Clinton presidential administration, PBS reported. The United States Department of Agriculture runs the roadless rule through the Forest Service.
Redge Johnson, a consultant for the PLPCO, claimed to the Millard County Planning Commission on Sept. 5 that Utah Gov. Gary Herbert sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue “requesting a Utah-specific roadless rule petition.” Clarke wrote the February letter, per Clarke’s signature on the letter.
The plea is called the Utah Roadless Rule Petition, according to the planning commission meeting agenda.
Commission Chairperson Wayne Jackson and Commissioner Dean Draper voted in favor of the petition. Commissioner Jim Withers was absent from the Sept. 18 meeting.
Twenty-eight of Utah’s 29 counties are on board, Johnson said Sept. 5, when the planning commission recommended that the commissioners vote to opt in.
Idaho and Colorado adopted their own petitions in the early 2000s, and Alaska is about a month ahead of Utah in getting their own, Johnson told the planning commission.
Proposal to precede public hearing
Jackson and Draper agreed to County Attorney Pat Finlinson’s suggestion in the Sept. 18 meeting to “have a proposal … before the public hearing” on a Zions Public Finance Landfill.
The meeting agenda had an item that said “discussion regarding Zions Public Finance Landfill proposal.”
In the meeting, Finlinson said “ My suggestion is we come and allow Zions to make a proposal … enough time when the public has made a proposal.”
“Our landfill policy … is an ordinance … it’s not a resolution,” Finlinson said.
“We have talked about bringing them in on the second of October, too,” Jackson said.
“Or we can … have a couple of public hearings,” Commissioner Dean Draper said.
Then Finlinson said “Have a proposal … before the public hearing.”
The Oct. 2 agenda item regarding “Zions” is “Landfill study presentation – Zions Public Finance, Inc.”
Zions Bank has done a study regarding rates and Millard County Solid Waste, Draper said.
Draper talked about results of the study “regarding the landfill and rates” and “to get it out to the public,” for it to be “read” and see “informed comments.”
Jackson’s abatement question
The commission granted an abatement in the Sept. 18 meeting on delinquent property tax for Mike Van DeVanter and one of his family members. It first saw a question from Jackson that resulted in responses from Draper and Finlinson.
“What are your feelings?” Jackson asked a staff member whose work involves finance.
Draper said that “she is not the one” to make the decision.
“I am not a professional,” Jackson said. “Any input?”
“There are three people in Millard County who are elected to make these decisions,” County Attorney Pat Finlinson said.
The three county commissioners are Jackson, Draper and Withers. County commissioners are elected and vote on county affairs.
Draper then asked questions of Van DeVanter and the family member. He also guided a discussion between him and Jackson over the decision.
A motion to grant an abatement of taxes, interest and penalties as of 2017 as applied for was given after Van DeVanter and the family member showed up to the meeting after their agenda item originally came and went.
