• Authorize private-property owners to request the ombudsman or arbitrator to seek an additional appraisal of the property in question.

• Allow each federal agency to establish a property rights ombudsman within the agency, and those agencies would also be allowed to use state property rights ombudsmen to help resolve disputes.

In effect, the Utah law is the template for the federal law, Hatch said, and he hopes the federal experience mirrors that of the state, where condemnations dropped by half since the ombudsman position was created.

"After eight years in Utah, this program has taken much of the pain and acrimony out of the eminent-domain process," Hatch said. "It has saved time and money, and improved the relationship between the government and its citizens."

"The issue is more than just time and money," Call said. "What if property owners were treated with full disclosure and full courtesy?" he said.

---

E-mail: spang@desnews.com