Lawmakers' trip to Salt Lake County will cost $100K

He said local governments typically contribute funds for legislative tours.

"It only makes sense that Salt Lake County would want to do that, as well — after all, we're showing off their county to the legislators," Webb said.

Next Thursday's itinerary has legislators scheduled to eat breakfast in the Salt Palace, where they will meet with Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller and others; lunch in the E Center for a discussion with local government officials; and dinner at the top floor of the University of Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium to hear an update by LDS Church officials on the church's City Creek Center development in downtown Salt Lake City.

One tour will visit the City Creek demolition sites, the Utah Theatre (which is mostly closed now), downtown developments, Utah Transit Authority's intermodal hub, and visits with several social service agencies. A second tour will visit the Aerotropolis, the Day Break residential development, the new Intermountain Healthcare campus in Murray and various industrial parks.

Unlike other legislative tours, this year's events don't include a public hearing where local residents can ask legislators questions or just make comments. Salt Lake County, and especially Salt Lake City, lean Democratic, and state government sources told the Deseret Morning News that some legislative leaders didn't want to give disgruntled residents an opportunity to publicly lambast the Republican-controlled Legislature.

A similar heavy schedule is planned for a daylong visit to Davis County the day before, but planners there have only budgeted $11,500, said Barbara Riddle, Davis Area Convention and Visitors Bureau president and CEO.

For some time, local chambers of commerce have helped raise funds and organize the two- or three-day tours by the Legislature. Lawmakers tour the state each August for a few days to learn first-hand the concerns and troubles in various parts of Utah.

So far, $58,000 for this year's tour has come from private donations. Carabello said most of the private donations have come "in large part from corporations and non-profits."

"There has been a concerted effort to not go directly to lobbyists," Carabello said.

This is not the first time the trips have raised controversy. Different areas of the state were vying against each other for a more varied and lavish event.

Lawmakers held a public hearing in the LDS Church's Logan Tabernacle one year, bringing cries of violation of church and state.

Another year, a fund-raising letter went out asking lobbyists for donations of up to $5,000 each to pay for a trip to Wasatch and Summit counties. That letter was disavowed by legislative leaders, and the state picked up a bit of the cost that year. But $100,000 to host 104 lawmakers from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Salt Lake County?

"$100,000 seems pretty excessive," Salt Lake County Councilwoman Jenny Wilson said.

---

E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com; bbjr@desnews.com