Salt Lake County will urge Utah lawmakers during the 2008 session to allow larger-than-ever solar arrays on rooftops - a move that could turn libraries, theaters and convention centers into power producers.
"With us trying to conserve energy and look at alternative-energy sources," County Mayor Peter Corroon said, "it is the right time and the right bill to come into the 21st century with our laws."
The solar initiative will serve as the mayor's centerpiece for the 2008 legislative session. It's also the only proposal the state's most-populous county is pitching to lawmakers.
Everything else is defense or backup.
The county plans to advocate affordable health insurance for small businesses, oppose property-tax "reforms" that would defer payments for seniors and push against a privatization commission that could put government-run recreation centers at odds with private gyms.
Officials also will guard against any changes to their transportation priorities - specifically two west-side TRAX routes and a FrontRunner commuter line to Utah County that a legislative audit threatened to derail last fall. Utah lawmakers insist that those projects will remain on track; county leaders want to make sure.
Yet tensions seemed to have softened between the state and county since the Real Salt Lake squabbles last year, when Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and leading Republicans resurrected a stadium deal scuttled by Corroon.
Both sides claim a cease-fire as the 2008 legislative session dawns - a stance backed by politicos who say legislators probably won't do the county any favors, but aren't likely to take any punitive action.
"We had a torturous history regarding the soccer stadium," House Speaker Greg Curtis said. "But outside of that, what else have Corroon and I gone blow to blow on?"
Corroon expects little resistance on his pet proposal - a solar initiative sponsored by Sen. Kevin VanTassell, R-Vernal, and Rep. Roger Barrus, R-Centerville.
The measure would allow business, industry and government to install solar arrays - or wind turbines, fuel cells or hydropower - capable of pumping 2 megawatts of electricity into the power grid for compensation.
That's significantly higher than the current cap of 25 kilowatts (it takes 1,000 kilowatts to equal a single megawatt).
The change would enable Salt Lake County government to cover its rooftops with solar panels, generating as much as 1.8 megawatts atop the Salt Palace.
"This is a fundamental policy that will pave the way for present and future solar development in Utah," said Sara Baldwin, community programs and policy associate for Utah Clean Energy. "Once these policies are improved, more people will look at solar, wind and other renewable resources."
Aside from solar power, Salt Lake County plans to push for:
Affordable health insurance for small businesses: The county has 22,000 businesses with fewer than 10 employees, according to Economic Development Director Dale Carpenter. Those shops provide three-fourths of the valley's job growth. Without cheaper health care, those entrepreneurs will struggle to keep employees and compete with their big-box neighbors.
Reimbursement for the transfer of roads: When legislators transferred 2300 East (stretching from Interstate 80 to Holladay) from state to county hands last year, the move came without money for maintenance. The county wants to change that, especially given the costs that come with building sidewalks, resurfacing streets and plowing in the winter.
On the flip side, the county will fight:
Property-tax deferments for seniors: With tax relief already in place for thousands of seniors, military veterans and disabled residents (the county granted about $5.7 million in tax reductions last year), Treasurer Larry Richardson said officials will object to need-blind deferments for all seniors. "We certainly want to help people who need help," he said. "I just don't think Jon Huntsman Sr. is in need of tax relief - but he would be eligible."
A privatization commission to guard against government interference with private enterprise: County officials fear the commission could pit public recreation centers against private gyms, potentially reducing services or raising fees for people who cannot afford private facilities.
jstettler@sltrib.com
