Slide1: Welcome to Passport to Your County! A basic overview of county government in Utah


What are Counties?: What are Counties? Counties are geographical areas within each state that surround one or more cities/towns and provide services to all citizens within their boundaries. Some states call them something different. For example, Louisiana identifies them as Parishes, while Alaska and New York refer to them as Boroughs.


What are Counties?: Counties come in all shapes and sizes. Utah’s counties have populations between just under 1 thousand (Daggett) and just under 1 million (Salt Lake). Loving County, Texas is smallest at about 65 people, while Los Angeles County, California is largest at just under 10 million. What are Counties?


What are Counties?: Each state has a different number of counties. Utah has 29 counties. Hawaii and Delaware have only three (the least). Texas has 254 (the most). What are Counties?


Why are Counties Important?: Counties provide many different and important services. Citizens who vote and local county leaders decide what services their county needs most. Also, the state and federal government require counties to provide some services. Why are Counties Important?


Services Provided in Utah: These are just some of the main services counties in Utah provide: Services Provided in Utah Public Safety Jails Road Construction/Repair Animal Services Health & Human Services Sanitation Services Parks & Recreation Libraries Tourism Economic Development Planning & Zoning Many Others


How are Counties Structured?: Each county decides. Two main structures to county government in Utah: Commission Form Council Form Counties also decide on whether to have an elected or appointed administrator, or to not have one at all. How are Counties Structured?


The County Commission: Commission form is most common in Utah. Twenty-four of Utah’s 29 counties use this. Commissions are made up of three elected commissioners. Depending on needs and size of the county, some commissioners are full-time, while others are only part-time. Some counties have appointed administrators who take care of day-to-day issues of running a county, while the commission provides overall direction. The County Commission


The County Council: Only five of Utah’s 29 counties use the council form of government. Councils vary in size, four counties have seven council members, while Salt Lake has nine. All councils are elected part-time positions. One of the council counties have an appointed administrator (Wasatch), two have elected administrators (Cache & Salt Lake), and two counties has neither (Grand & Morgan). The County Council


Commissions and Councils: Commissioners and council members oversee all county services and functions. Each member of the commission or council oversees several specific areas so that everything is monitored. Members of the commission or council collectively oversee the county budget. Each week (usually on Tuesdays), commissions and councils meet to discuss the important issues facing their county. The public is encouraged to attend. Commissions and Councils


Other County Offices: Besides commissioners and council members, each county also elects other key people to oversee specific areas of county service. Depending on the population of the county, some of these offices are combined or filled with a non-elected official. Assessor Attorney Auditor Clerk Mayor/Executive Other County Offices Recorder Sheriff Surveyor Treasurer


County Assessor: County Assessor’s office determines the value of business and residential property (homes and vehicles). Based on the fair value of property, a tax is assessed. Property tax money pays for not only county services such as parks and roads, but also for schools and other things each community feels it needs. County Assessor Property Tax = $$$ $$$ = Services


County Attorney: Attorneys protect citizens of the county in two areas—Criminal and Civil. Criminal duties include prosecuting individuals accused of breaking state or local criminal laws. Civil duties include representing county government in law suits, drafting contracts and ordinances, giving counties legal opinions and advice, and representing the county before other governmental entities (such as the Legislature). County Attorney


County Auditor: Because counties oversee large sums of tax dollars and the services that they pay for, each county has an auditor who ensures that the money and assets are handled correctly. Most counties in Utah combine this office with the Clerk, calling it the office of the Clerk/Auditor. County Auditor


County Clerk: County Clerks oversee all federal, state, and local elections—whether county officials are up for election or not. Their office also issues marriage licenses, receives and transmits passport applications, and prepares and retains all minutes, agendas and correspondence for the commission or council and other meetings. County Clerk


County Mayor/Executive: Only two Utah counties have an elected mayor or executive. Cache County has an elected executive office that oversees all the county’s day-to-day operations. Salt Lake County has an elected mayor office that does much of the same thing. It should be noted that many counties have an appointed or non-elected official that oversees day-to-day county operations. County Mayor/Executive Cache County Executive Lynn Lemon Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon


County Recorder: The Recorder's Office records and keeps a large library of documents. Some of these are quite old—dating back to the 1800s. These include: Records of property that is bought, sold, or transferred.  Maps called “plats” that show all the land in the county and who owns it. A variety of other records and documents such as military discharges, federal tax liens, and court judgments. County Recorder


County Sheriff: The County Sheriff is probably the most recognized county official. The Sheriff’s office oversees law enforcement for the entire county, including outside city or town limits. Sheriffs oversee a wide variety of programs designed to protect the public. These include: Drug enforcement Search and rescue Prevention Dispatch Many, many more County Sheriff


County Surveyor: The County Surveyor makes sure that all property within the county is correctly located, measured, and recorded. Surveyors use this information to produce maps showing where everything is. These maps help identify roads, boundaries, and other landmarks for citizens, emergency response people, postal workers, and many others who need to have accurate information about where things are. County Surveyor


County Treasurer: The main function of the county treasurer is to bill and collect property taxes. However, they also are responsible for distributing the tax revenues to the many different entities that assess taxes, including school districts and cities. County Treasurer


What County Do You Live in?: Carbon County What County Do You Live in?


Interesting Carbon County Facts: Economy is heavily dependent on coal mining, but also railroad transportation, energy, and education are prominent. In Utah, Carbon is the 20th largest county in land area and 13th largest in population. Average age in Carbon is 34. Has actually seen a decline in population in recent years. Carbon County School District is largest employer. Carbon is at the junction of Wasatch Range and San Rafael Swell, thus both mountain and desert terrain available a few miles of each other. Interesting Carbon County Facts 2004 International Days Child Parade


Carbon County Cities & Towns: Scofield Sunnyside Wellington Carbon County Cities & Towns East Carbon Helper Price


Carbon County Landmarks: Scofield Reservoir Price Canyon Western Mining & Railroad Museum College of Eastern Utah Nine-Mile Canyon CEU Prehistoric Museum Carbon County Landmarks


Carbon County History: Established in 1894 as a county. Price is the county seat. Carbon gets its name from the vast amounts of coal found there. Evidence of dinosaurs and an ancient Freemont Indian culture is abundant. Mormon settlements were established along the Price River in the late 1870s. The discovery of an abundance of coal was made in the 1880s, thus establishing it as a main industry that has continued to today. Carbon County History


Carbon County Government: Three Elected Commissioners Other Elected Offices: Assessor Attorney Clerk/Auditor Recorder Sheriff Treasurer Department heads, administrative officers and chief deputies are all appointed, not elected. Carbon County Government


Carbon County Services: Justice Court Planning/Building Department Recreation Department Road Department Senior Citizens Center Television Broadcast Service Travel Bureau Many More Carbon County Services Animal Control Economic Development Elections Emergency Dispatch Fairgrounds Family Support & Children’s Justice Center Jail


County Government Summary: Counties are geographical areas within a state that surround one or more cities/towns and provide services to all citizens within their boundaries. Each county decides how their community or group of communities will be governed. Each county has several elected officials who oversee various aspects of county government. County governments offer a wide variety of important services to the community. Utah has 29 counties. County Government Summary


More Information About County Government : More Information About County Government Utah Association of Counties www.UACnet.org National Association of Counties www.NACo.org