Council denies Corroon request

Mayor Peter Corroon wants to avoid a communications nightmare. He doesn't want to see what happened in New Orleans happen in Salt Lake County in the event of disaster.

Now he's scrambling to find a way to fund a new emergency coordinator position that would facilitate that communication after the Salt Lake County Council turned down his request Tuesday during mid-year budget adjustments.

Several County Council members said now is not the time to make major changes — new policy decisions should come at the end of the year during the county's budget hearings, not during mid-year adjustments.

Corroon wanted the emergency services coordinator, who would have been paid between $75,000 and $90,000, to secure contracts with companies to provide supplies during disasters. The coordinator would also look at surrounding cities and see what other emergency plans are out there. Namely, the coordinator would get everyone in county government in agreement before and during a disaster.

Councilwoman Jenny Wilson agreed the county does need to train employees on what needs to be done before a disaster. She said she's been on the Council 18 months and still doesn't know what her responsibilities are if a disaster struck.

Now, Corroon said he'll either try to find another way to fund the position or come back and ask the Council during November budget hearings.

"Public safety is very important to us," Corroon said Tuesday. "We're emphasizing that in light of what we're seeing around the country."

The Council also turned down the mayor's request for an environmental management coordinator at $50,000 a year.

Corroon wants to incorporate environmental ideas into everyday county operations. He said the coordinator has the potential to save the county hundreds of thousands of dollars in water and energy bills.

One of his employees is already pulling double duty, working on both diversity projects as well as finding ways to use environmentally friendly ideas to save county money. Ann Ober helped secure $100,000 to install solar panels at the Salt Palace and worked with the Utah State Extension to do an audit of the county's water usage.

For now, Ober will continue her many duties until Corroon asks the Council to fund the environmental programs coordinator position again in November. "We'll patchwork it through," Corroon said.

Other mid-year budget adjustments sailed through, ranging from tourists to technology:

• Parleys Canyon could be the future home of a new shooting range. The Council voted to fund a $215,000 feasibility study for a public gun range in Salt Lake County.

• The Council approved a $705,000 marketing blitz to woo new conferences to the Salt Palace, which is undergoing another expansion.

• Sheriff Aaron Kennard will get a new computer system to track inmates and trends, thanks to $1.5 million from the County Council.

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E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com