Reader comments
Ruby's dream? Creation of Bryce Canyon City elicits cheers and jeers

What's next? Lagoon a town?

I am from Garfield county and I don't see one problem with this. I love Ruby's and their family. They give so much time, money and support to the residents and schools of garfield county. How is that greedy? The greedy ones are those who want the money for themselves that sit in the county office and try to figure out how they can waste these taxes or use it to benifit Panguitch and forget about the rest of the county. The mayor is a good man. I'm known him for years and not once has he ever done anything to cheat anybody. The residents of the newly created town of Bryce Canyon City deserve the same benifits that any other town gets. Congratulations Ruby's Inn!!! Maloy, you are so so wrong about these people and although I don't know you, to call Mayor Syrett greedy, you know nothing about him or are greedy yourself to keep the countys money rolling into Panguitch.

Almost forgot. The story didn't mention how Mayor Syrett and Ruby's tried to include residents of 5 other resorts near Ruby's in this town and was advised by county commissioners not to. County commissioners then turn and accuse Ruby's of being greedy. Doesn't sound greedy when they tried to include 5 competing resorts.

To the first comment. Lagoon is already part of a city. duhh They are receiving the benefits a town provides. You have no clue.

County government is one of the biggest taxpayer rip offs in the country. Often the work done by county employees is simply an expensive duplication of what towns and states already do. Those who make the money should be able to keep the money. Rubys and the residents of this new town have been susidizing out lying town for years I'd bet. Let the state take on their welfare now. I live in New England and know no one in the area of this new town, but I do see counties claim tax revenues that are better provided by the state without duplication everywhere in the USA.

To Boston Terry -- To say that County government is often just a duplication of what towns and states do is a very simplistic and unknowing statement. Many people do not live in cities. Thus, who provides their municipal services, i.e., road maintenance, law enforcement, trash pickup, etc.? Counties do. Did you know that more people live in unincorporated Salt Lake County than in Salt Lake City?

Personally I don't see what is morally wrong about the whole situation. Ruby's Inn burnt completely to the ground about 20 years ago and they had to start from scratch. Now they can afford to have a fire station right there.
Also, the Syretts are far from greedy people. I used to work for them and live in the area and personally know many things that they have done for the community and people living there. They helped finance portions of the new high school and the parking lot and donate money for many causes.
It just sounds like to me that the county leadership is bitter. The fact is that Garfield county has benefited for years off the backs of these people. Now the people of Bryce Canyon city can start to benefit a little from their decades of hard work. Good for them.

This IS about money, and a selfish lack of civic-mindedness. I am determined to never drop another dime at Ruby's Inn. When I visit Garfield County, I will visit what I consider more deserving businesses.

Good for Ruby's! I love the Bryce Canyon area. Sounds like sour grapes from the county commissioner's to me.

Best of luck to the new town. Generally, the more local the control of money, the better life is for everyone. The county's response was predictable; the loss of power is always a bitter pill. Other county commissioners would do well to treat people better or risk alienating them like they did to Ruby's Inn.

Work hard, provide what people want, control your own destiny.

Way to go Ruby's!

It isn't morally right for the county to collect taxes from the operation, but give almost nothing back. The residents of Garfield county are finding out exactly how much Ruby's Inn has been subsidizing the rest of the county.

Now I see why the pro-Ruby's faction has such a majority here: my comment (containing nothing but personal experience and historical facts) was not posted.

Way to go, Deserted News!

Garfield County's government is so much larger now than it was 15-20 years ago. I have lived here most my life and can see fiscal waste throughout our county. If the hospital is now profitable, why does the county still subsidize it? The new expansion of the hospital comes from operating in the black! Cut out the subsidy and you will make up the $150,000 (Not $300-$500K) Ruby's will take out of the county. If you ask the county Clerk, Moore, they do not really know how much the county will lose. Also, don't buy new trucks every year. Try to get a couple of more years out of the vehicles. Commissioners Dodds, Ramsay, and LeFevre, try practicing some fiscal restraint, and cut out the FAT! Budgets can be controlled two ways, raise income, which is what you are proposing through additional taxes; the second is by cutting expenses, you have never explored this option.

Garfield County covers a large geographic area, yet has less than 5,000 residents.

The impact of providing county services to unincorporated areas (or those without their own services) is amazing. It's easy to sit here and complain about taxes.....unless you are involved in the day-to-day operation.

Ruby's Inn doesn't even improve ITSELF (old, dowdy rooms, dingy and worn-out buildings, bad pavement and cement). The only time they improved was when the lodge (nothing else) burned down...but last time we were there, it had ugly plywood kiosks obliterating whatever style the lodge had when new.

Nothing prevented Syrett from putting paved roads (WHAT WE WOULD CALL DRIVEWAYS!!!!) to their homes; now they'll be able to name them streets and be eligible for taxpayer subsidies.

If I were a competing business, I wouldn't want to be under their thumb, either.

This IS all about money!

Sounds to me like the county got what was coming. If they want to such taxes out of Ruby's but not provide services, then they should not be surprised when the locals decide to form their own town and keep more of their tax revenue.

This type of self-determination is one of the best things that could happen to the State. Whether it is a small section of a county forming its own city or a minority section of school district deciding to start their own school district, the message is clear: Large entities, be equitable or expect see portions of your kingdom revolting and forming their own local governments.

As an old engineer once told us, "The easiest way to avoid union trouble is to treat employees fairly so they have no reason to unionize in the first place."

I am sure the bottom line about Ruby's Inn becoming a city is greed...I know the family very well. The third and fourth generation will distroy Ruby's with their "holier than thou" attitudes. Their customer service is poor and faculities are dirty. Money alone cannot buy better service. I have heard a Syrett family member say this about tourist: "it really doesn't matter how we treat our guest...we will probably never see them again"

To those citizens in other cities and the unicorporated areas of Garfield County, tourists who visit Bryce Canyon benefit from the services of the county and other cities not just the services of Ruby City. Now,however, Ruby City will keep the sales tax revenue paid by those tourists to benefit Ruby city exclusivley. To make up for that lost revuene your property taxes will increase. County Commissioners were elected to represent the interests of all citizens in the county not just Ruby's Inn or what is now Ruby City. Therefore, they correclty denied the new incorporation until the legislature tied their hands. When you write out your property tax check in November thank the legislature and Mr. Syrett. He is laughing all the way to the bank, with a new driveway you paid for I might add.

Out of interest in this story, would the two commissioners, Dodds and Ramsay reply to this article and tell how many of their immediate family they have put either on the county payroll or State payroll. It would be very interesting. Nepotism at the highest.

I stayed at Ruby's Inn, and the only thing is that I prefer a more upscale hotel. I think that someone would be smart to open one in that area.