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Salt Lake County's controversial police fee may stick around for another year, but it may not last much longer than that.
"We want to move away from the fee as fast as we can," Councilman Michael Jensen said during a Tuesday debate about the fee's fate.
The County Council is looking for another way to pay for policing in unincorporated suburbs such as Magna, Millcreek and Kearns, where residents now pay about $168 a year for law enforcement through a dedicated fee.
The council decided Tuesday to leave the levy in place for a year — long enough for officials to lobby state legislators for a law change that would allow counties (like cities) to charge a utility fee.
"It is imperative that we go up there and try to get it from the Legislature," Councilman Steve DeBry said.
The county pursued a similar fee last year, but failed.
Meanwhile, the council plans to go along with Mayor Peter Corroon's recommendation to reduce the police fee by $500,000 to reflect a slight recovery in sales taxes. That decision will save homeowners about $6 a year, lowering their annual bills to $162.
Outgoing Councilman Joe Hatch urged his colleagues Tuesday to erase the fee altogether and replace it with a property tax.
Not only would it be a "great gift to unincorporated Salt Lake County" to do away with the law-enforcement levy, Hatch said, but property taxes would provide a stable source of police funding going forward.
But the council rejected the idea, voting 7-2 to keep the fee for one more year. Council members Randy Horiuchi and Hatch cast the two no votes.
Councilman Jim Bradley called the one-year wait prudent, saying it will provide time to educate the public and pursue alternative funding before the council has to decide.
About the budget
The Salt Lake County Council took the following actions Tuesday as it works on a 2011 budget:
Nixed $101,000 for a full-time negotiator for employee bargaining.
Added $50,000 for the Utah Sports Commission for marketing.
Moved two positions to the Mayor's Office to centralize the county's payroll.
Urged more study on whether the council should have greater control over internal audits.