Reader comments
Case made for tax hike in part of Utah County

What many government agency's, including fire, police, health, and all other tax funded groups is that simplifying things is cheaper and easier than complicating everything they do. Get rid of costly electronics in the field, like laptops with skylink in every vehicle. Use the radio systems they also have to pass informatioin, it takes just as long as doing it from a vehicles $4,000 to $6,000 laptop with all the other electronics needed. One radio, one call, simple. Then with all these electronic gadgets police haul around with them, they get distracted while using them and this endangers them at the scene of traffic stops or writing tickets. Raising taxes to sustain opulence and status quo has to end. We don't need a crime lab in every vehicle , and we don't need vehicle benefits for off duty police to use for normal and private shopping. Then if the fire departments need to go grocery shopping to buy food for their garage parties, then stop using the big hook and ladder trucks or department vehicles to go to the grocery stores. They can bring their food to work with them in their own private vehicles. Saving dollars is very simple.

Mr/Mrs Simplify, you should walk a mile or two in the shoes of law enforcement before you play "arm chair commissioner."

The technology used by law enforcement today GREATLY aids their ability to be more effective in their response to calls.

I personally support a tax hike if it means I can continue to feel safe in my community and know that help is readily available if needed.

I am concerned about a cut back of law enforcement services in these unincorperated areas. It doesn't make any sense. Wouldn't this just create an area for criminals to have free reign in?

If Utah County is the second largest county in the state, why are the commissioners giving law enforcement a budget as though they were the second smallest in the state?

Thats always the need for tax increases,fire and police.
Thats the systems way of scaring taxpayers into a tax increase, then they syphon it off into the general fund. It's obvious they haven't heard about the state of the economey.
Poor folks in Utah county, get everything from fiber optics in Provo, to a light rail system , and a new tax for your freeway upgrade....whew! when will it ever end.

Commissioners spent like drunken sailors when they jumped on the UTA FrontRunner bandwagon and pushed for the multibillion-dollar tax hike for a wasteful train and poorer bus service.

They had no clue in the world how little they were getting for those billions. They would not read UTA's studies or outside analyses of them. They put infinite trust in UTA and the poor biased analysis by UTA�s avowed "sister-agency� MAG.

When the results of the highly critical Legislative Audit of UTA came out last January, responsible representatives should have shut down FrontRunner construction just as Wall Street has shut down fraudulent companies/banks whose apparent high value was junk.

UTA conned Utah County into that huge tax hike with junk data.

UTA has misrepresented TRAX "success". Instead of explosive growth, it has had no unforced growth.

UTA has played down the continuing decline in the bus system, which has maintained its low, post-TRAX, ridership only with the aid of massive free ride programs at colleges/universities. Auditors noted these institutions received $6.3-million in subsidies compared to cash-fare-payers.

SHUT DOWN FrontRunner construction and freeze UTA expenditures. Call a grand jury with outside technical advice to ferret out the extent of foolish waste.

Who is in charge of Utah County's Budget? It seems that this should have never got to this point. Sounds like one of the commissioners does not like law enforcement to not keep the sheriff fully funded. I can't see how they as a whole would let that happen.