His concern: County clerks planning for a June special election or primary don't have enough time to prepare under existing petition deadlines. One bill - SB54 - would move that deadline back from June 1 to April 15.

And, in SB53, he wants to ban local initiatives or referendums for land-use or zoning measures that are purely administrative in nature.

"It cleans up a problem that . . . has come up before," Goodfellow said, adding that it will prevent people from "trumping private-property rights through a citizen-led initiative."

For example: Someone gets all the necessary governmental approvals to subdivide his land, but concerned neighbors organize against the project.

"SB53 would mean I can't get my neighbors to sign a petition saying, 'I don't want you to block my view,' " Goodfellow said.

Former five-term Rep. David Hogue, a proponent of citizen-led efforts, said that bill would be "a very bad mistake" because it would remove a person's constitutional right to try to bring about change on such issues through the ballot box.

"Private developers are the driving force behind it," Hogue said, adding that referendums occur when elected officials fail to listen to their constituents.

Various county election clerks, who want a little breathing room as they prepare for June primaries, are the driving force behind SB54.

It takes about three months to ramp up for primary elections, said Tooele County Clerk Marilyn Gillette, adding the June 1 petition deadline for initiatives and referendums - combined with a June primary - means "double-crunch time" in her office.

"For us, it's a matter of doing justice to checking all the signatures and completing the paperwork," Gillette said.

Hogue said he could see merit in SB54, but suggested giving people more time to gather signatures.

"They have 45 days from the time the law is passed in a council or commission meeting - that could be increased to 60 or even 90 days," Hogue said.

cmckitrick@sltrib.com

* INITIATIVE: The right of a group of residents to introduce a matter for local or statewide legislation, usually by way of a petition signed by a specified percentage of the electorate.

* REFERENDUM: Submitting a law, proposed or already in effect, to a direct vote of the people, either locally or statewide.