The Salt Lake County Council on Tuesday passed off on Mayor Peter Corroon's plan to create a new umbrella department as home to a host of divisions hit by the county's recent spate of scandals.

The council unanimously approved an ordinance creating the new Administrative Services Department, a branch with its own fiscal administrator meant to tighten controls over several divisions including fleet, facilities, personnel, information services and telecommunications. Formal adoption is scheduled to take place Aug. 2.

Councilman Randy Horiuchi praised Corroon's proposal and expressed his desire to see it created as soon as possible, even as he questioned whether it is wise to pull the county's fleet from the Public Works Department.

The fleet was the subject of one of the county's most wide-ranging scandals last year, as several employees' use and alleged misuse of county vehicles and gas allowances led to resignations and some criminal charges.

And while Corroon and others have touted the new department as a way to centralize control of such divisions, Horiuchi said most aspects of county vehicles fall under public works — as vehicles are often driven by such personnel as sanitation workers and other public works employees — and that putting the fleet under administrative services control might put a wrench in the operation of public works.

But Councilman Joe Hatch said he thinks fleet should be considered an administrative service and public works should be seen as just another customer of the fleet, similar to the sheriff's office.

"I know it's a gamble and a risk, but I am willing to go along with the mayor," Hatch said.

The council also signed off on Corroon's appointment of former associate director of Human Services April Townsend as the director of the new department.

Calling her appointment a great opportunity, Townsend said she is hopeful the new department will be valuable in thwarting scandal and mismanagement at the county level.

"This is something that is going to help move the county in the direction of good government," Townsend said.

In other business Tuesday, the council approved a cooperative agreement with the Kennecott Land Company, which is working to plan and develop land owned by Kennecott Utah Copper on the county's west bench. Kennecott owns about 93,000 acres along the Oquirrh Mountains foothills, about 74,000 acres of which are in unincorporated Salt Lake County.

Jim Schulte, Kennecott's vice president for long-range planning, said said the company is trying to partner with governments on its entire west-side development project — even before specific steps are planned — rather than on a project-by-project basis because they hope to avoid fragmented planning.

Kennecott is already working with other governmental agencies, including the county's Council of Governments, which is made up of city governments throughout the county.

Kennecott Land's first west-bench project was South Jordan's Daybreak, a planned community that aims for walkability, environmental protection and a sense of community. About 500 homes have already been sold in Daybreak, which is still under construction. A school and community center are planned to open in the fall.

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