Final tallies affirm a government change for Summit

Final tallies after provisional and absentee ballots were counted in Summit County Wednesday still affirm the election night vote: the county will change its government.

That ballot item, Summit County Proposition 1, will increase the current three-member commission to five members and a county manager. It was approved election night by a mere 110 votes, winning by 50.5 percent.

But 430 ballots tallied this week pushed that gap a little farther apart. Proposition 1 succeeded by 236 votes, winning by 51.1 percent.

Precinct breakdowns show the proposition passed with west-side voters, where popular skiing hot spots Park City and Snyderville Basin are located. However, it failed in the east-side towns, home to the smaller farming communities.

As Summit County has exploded in growth over the years, commissioners have had to battle the interests of the east- and west-side residents.

In 2004, 61 percent of Summit County voters favored re-evaluating the structure of the commission. The initiative failed with east-side voters but passed among west-siders. In March of this year, the three current commissioners voted 2-1 to put the issue on the November ballot.

Opponents of the government change agree that more commissioners would balance the conflicting interests of the diverse county. But they take issue with the amount of money a council manager would cost.

Now approved, elections for additional commissioners will be held in November 2008. The commissioners and appointed manager will take office in 2009.

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E-mail: astowell@desnews.com