In a unanimous vote this week, the County Council approved $271,000 to hire three financial administrators to keep an eye on the government's three departments.

Chief Financial Officer Linda Hamilton says the move will "decentralize" financial reporting, save the county money and help the county avoid the scandals of last year.

"We know there are problems in the departments," she said. "We want to clean them up."

Councilman Joe Hatch said Hamilton's pledge that the cost is revenue neutral is "smoke and mirrors," but conceded it could occur if savings are realized in the long run.

Councilman Mark Crockett added an amendment that forces an accounting of any budget savings.

- Derek P. Jensen

Peter Corroon can keep the cap on his veto pen.

After jostling with council members for several weeks, the Salt Lake County mayor has agreed to a compromise over the administrator of the Zoo, Arts and Parks tax.

The deal shifts the position to the Community Services Department but keeps it under the mayor's purview. Some council members had wanted it under their control.

The accord also gives the council money to manage constables and the authority to select where the parks and recreation portion of the tax is distributed.

Council members cheered the "de-politicized" plan - "it's a win-win for everyone," Councilman Joe Hatch said - while Corroon called the truce "a good sign."

"We hope we can work other things out this cordially," Corroon said Wednesday.

But some worry about the person the council tapped for the job.

A day after hiring Elleney Soter as ZAP administrator, council members began wrestling with her professional track record, which includes being fired in December 2003 as the director of Salt Lake City's Gallivan Center.

"The idea of having six jobs in six years has to worry any employer," Councilman Randy Horiuchi said of Soter.

Horiuchi also worries that Soter, who has a master's degree in arts administration from the Art Institute of Chicago, has no experience in recreation and may not be able to relate to the county's neighborhood and suburban art groups.

Soter, who edged two other candidates for the job and started work Wednesday, said she expected some concerns. But "they interviewed me and within an hour they made an offer," she said. "So I can't imagine it was that contentious."

After a year as Gallivan Center director, Soter was fired over management and budgeting issues. She "inappropriately" spent taxpayer money on two Gallivan employees who were paid $12,904 in overtime for three months, Salt Lake City Public Services Director Rick Graham told The Salt Lake Tribune last year. Overtime was supposed to total $14,164 for the entire year. Some of the hours logged were not worked, and the employees allege they had an agreement with Soter to get paid regardless of whether they worked.

Graham also accused Soter of violating city purchasing codes by authorizing illegal printing expenses, totaling $107,168, without formal bidding or contracts. Gallivan Plaza was $100,000-plus in the red when Soter left.

Angie Hyde, a former Gallivan event coordinator who resigned amid the investigation, said "it just didn't feel ethical to work there."

"It makes me uneasy to know she will be handling tax money," Hyde said. "She basically misused funds."

Soter, whose termination appeal was rejected, stands by her performance and blames any problems on the period's economic climate.

"I don't think any of us were aware at the time we cast the vote of her problems with Salt Lake City," said Councilman David Wilde, noting Soter was not his first choice for the ZAP job. "We found out the next day."

But Hatch and fellow Councilman Jim Bradley defend the hire. "We're not asking [Soter] to discover some rare vaccine," Bradley said. "We want her to run a program that is well established, and I think she'll do just that."

Besides, he said, with the county's standard six-month probation period, "she has plenty of time to prove herself."

djensen@sltrib.com