2018 TOP 10 STORIES of the YEAR Tax Hikes Common Refrain Across County in 2018
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TOOELE Community RANSCRIPT photos of the T year S T C See B1 BULLETIN S THURSDAY December 27, 2018 www.TooeleOnline.com Vol. 125 No. 60 $1.00 2018 TOP 10 STORIES OF THE YEAR Tax hikes common refrain across county in 2018 TOP TEN STEVE HOWE attended the June 20 meeting thing it could to add sales tax STORIES STAFF WRITER and most of the 14 residents so an increase in property tax If one thing who spoke said the increase would not be needed.” changed for was too high for a single year. The City Council cited an 1 Tooele County When the dust settled increased police budget and $8 residents in 2018, in August, the Tooele City million for a new police station it was likely an increase to Council approved an 82-per- as the main reason behind the their property tax bills. cent increase over the previous significant property tax hike. While there were more than year’s rate. The new tax rate means a few tax increases around “We knew we had to do this, that the owner of a residential Tooele County this year, none and we probably should have property valued at $200,000 made headlines quite like the done it sooner,” Mayor Debbie and who paid $201 to Tooele tax hike in Tooele City. Winn told the audience at the City last year will pay $367 this A proposed 115-percent Aug. 15 meeting. “We planned year. increase in property taxes was for many years to have more Also, the owner of a commer- approved in June, despite vocal retail development in Tooele, cial property valued at $200,000 FRANCIE AUFDEMORTE/TTB PHOTO dissatisfaction from residents but it didn’t happen. The Tooele City Mayor Debbie Winn holds up her own property tax statement, showing her own property tax has in attendance. About 70 people administration has done every- SEE TAX PAGE A9 ® increased, during a past town hall meeting on a proposed tax increase for the city. County will make sweeping change to its form of government in 2021 Voters approve study committee’s recommendation to replace 3-member commission with five member council and appointed manager FRANCIE AUFDEMORTE/TTB PHOTO TOP TEN TIM GILLIE Growth in the county has created a need for more homes and a pressing STORIES STAFF WRITER need for high density housing — much to chagrin of many residents Culminating a two-year 3 long process that started in November 2016, local voters approved a change Residents, planners in the form of Tooele County’s govern- ment during the 2018 general election. By a 52.7 percent margin, voters battle over high casted a yes vote to the ballot question, “Shall Tooele County adopt the alter- nate form of government known as the density projects council-manager form of government that has been recommended by the study committee?” The new govern- TOP TEN TIM GILLIE approving growth, and citi- ment will be lead by a five-member STORIES STAFF WRITER zens, concerned with crowded council elected by districts and an In 2017 Tooele roads, dried up wells, and loss appointed county manager effective 2 County was the of rural land, clashed in 2018 Jan. 1, 2021. seventh fastest over high density develop- Also known as Prop. 6, the change growing county in ments designed to fit more in Tooele County’s form of government the United States, according to people on less ground. started with the 2016 general election. the U.S. Census. That growth In unincorporated Tooele FRANCIE AUFDEMORTE/TTB PHOTO That’s when voters approved the for- continued in 2018 as the County, six residential develop- Erik Gumbrecht reads election results at a Prop. 6 party held on election night. Voters agreed mation of a committee to study Tooele to change the county’s government to a five-member council and appointed manager. county’s population is expected ments approved by the County County’s current government and other to reach 105,485 by 2037, Commission drew enough authorized forms of county government council with an appointed county man- porters on election night as the group according to official population ire from citizens that seven in Utah. Those other authorized options ager. watched online reports of election projections from the Kem C. referenda petitions were filed included expanding the county com- “The citizens have taken their county results. “I’m ecstatic. There was so much Gardner Policy Institute at the to overturn rezone requests mission to five or seven members, an back,” said Richard Mitchell, chair- hard work that went into the study.” University of Utah. or development agreements elected county council with an elected man of the County Government Study Government officials, county mayor, or an elected county Committee at a gathering of Prop 6 sup- SEE GOVERNMENT PAGE A6 ® charged with planning and SEE PROJECTS PAGE A6 ® Fire burns 171 acres and closes Middle Canyon for several days TOP TEN STEVE HOWE City below. two hand crews, a hotshot crew and a STORIES STAFF WRITER In the ensuing hours, the fire had helicopter. The evening of July burned 88 acres and threatened a Air support units, including three 4 26, a red ring of flames pair of structures and forced evacua- airplanes and two helicopters, were was visible high over tions on Grimm Hill Road and Cassity dispatched to the fire, dumping water Tooele City in the area of Drive. and retardant on the blaze to aid Middle Canyon. The blaze continued to grow, containment. Local residents watched North Tooele Fire District crews quickly reaching a maximum size of the helicopters refill their buckets at first responded to the fire that eve- 171 acres within a day of ignition. Settlement Canyon Reservoir and por- ning, when the fire was only about While there were dozens of fires table reservoirs set up near the fire. 2 to 3 acres. The fire was reported in Tooele County in 2018, the Middle Middle Canyon Road was closed by a UTV rider coming down Middle Canyon Fire was notable for its prox- until Aug. 3, when the fire was was DAVID BERN/TTB PHOTO Canyon Road around 9 p.m. The eve- imity to structures and the scale of deemed fully contained and out. A BAe 146 jet carrying fire retardant drops a load along the south ridge at the mouth of ning winds quickly moved the blaze the response to the blaze. At its peak, Fire crews from North Tooele Fire Middle Canyon on July 27. Two other fixed wing aircraft and two helicopters were also up from the canyon and over the sad- there were 101 personnel assigned involved in aerial retardant work to control the human-caused blaze. dle, with the flames visible in Tooele to the fire, including six fire engines, SEE FIRE PAGE A9 ® INSIDE BULLETIN BOARD B5 CLASSIFIEDS B8 Low snowpack, Two arrests Vote by mail HOMETOWN B1 dry summer made in ATI brings out OBITUARIES A8 spurs more theft case record voter SPORTS A10 drought See A3 turnout See A2 See A4 A2 TOOELE TRANSCRIPT BULLETIN THURSDAY December 27, 2018 County health, local doctors tackle opioid crisis head on TOP TEN STORIES MARK WATSON we are trying to treat.” CORRESPONDENT The gathering included comments The opioid crisis in from Tooele City Mayor Debbie Winn, 5 Tooele County makes Dr. Greg Gardner, Corporal Shawn the Top 10 news stories Sagers of the Tooele City Police for the second straight Department, and Hillary Bryan. year. It ranked fourth on the list for “We are serious about working 2017 and fifth this year. together to address this issue, so we Researchers who focused on opi- can save lives,” Antinori said. oid abuse in Tooele County said that Also attending the news confer- Utah ranks fourth in the nation in the ence were Grantsville Mayor Brent percentage of opioid overdose deaths, Marshall, Stockton Mayor Thomas and Tooele County ranks third in Karjola, Grantsville City Police the state in percentage of overdose Chief Jacob Enslen, and Sen. Daniel deaths. Thatcher. Opioid and heroin abuse informa- The battle to fight the opioid tion was presented on two occasions epidemic in Utah will continue during meetings at the Tooele County in 2019 with a “Living Well with Health Department by Westminster Chronic Pain” class in Tooele sched- college student Mikayla Holt, Dr. uled to start in February at the USU John Contreras, director of the Extension — Tooele County Office Master of Public Health program at inside the Tooele County Health Westminster, and health educator Department at 151 N. Main, Tooele. Hillary Bryan For information about the classes, They spent 200 hours interviewing contact Maren Wright Voss at 435- active users, former users and family 277-2400 and at maren.voss@usu. members of users in the study. edu. It was discovered that being sent to mwatsontooeletranscript.com jail was the most effective interven- tion in Tooele County for people seek- ing to stop their own opioid or heroin addiction. Research showed that because there are no drug treatment detox facilities in the county, being FRANCIE AUFDEMORTE/TTB PHOTO confined in jail was the only recourse On Sept. 4, Dr. Greg Gardner (above right) talks about the opioid crisis in Tooele County during a campaign launch at Mountain West Medical Center. The county ranks third in the state for opioid and heroin overdose deaths. Gardner is an emergency department physi- for users. cian at MWMC. “We learned that people needed to stay in jail for at least three months percent of Utahns are now talking and more.