By Myrna Trauntvein
TN Correspondent
Zack E. Buck, a certified residential appraiser, was selected to be the new assessor for Juab County. Cody Adams, county Republican party chairman, reported to the Juab County Commission that Buck had been selected by county delegates at a delegate meeting as their unanimous choice for the position. Richard Hansen, commissioner, made the motion to appoint Buck to replace Colby Park. “We would like to welcome Zack Buck as the new assessor,” said Byron Woodland, commission chairman. Buck, a resident of Nephi, studied at Snow College and attended Orem High School. He and his wife, Denise, are the parents of five children. Park was selected by the commission to replace Glenn Greenhalgh, who recently retired, and that meant that the assessor’s office needed a midterm appointment. Greenhalgh, the person Park replaced, was the county planning and technical director, a hired employee position. Before commissioners made the appointment, Woodland said he thought commissioners should meet in executive session with Buck and discuss terms of employment. “Utah code states that you must make the appointment in open meeting before you do that,” said Ryan Peters, county attorney. Further training programs conducted by the Property Tax Division of the State Tax Commission are open to county assessors who are currently employed in property tax administration and two representatives from that department attended meeting to offer support for Buck and the county. Utah codes states that to appoint an interim replacement, the county commission, within 10 days after the day on which the vacancy occurs, gives notice of the vacancy to the county party chairman of the same political party of the prior office holder and invites that party to submit the name of an individual to fill the vacancy. The party chairman, before 5 p.m. and within 30 days, submits to the county commission the name of the individual the party selects to serve as the interim replacement. “We can act today,” said Woodland, “because Adams and the party delegates held a meeting to which all county delegates were invited.” The commission, no later than five days after the day on which a party chairman submits the name of the individual to serve as the interim replacement, is to appoint the selected individual to serve out the unexpired term. If the vacant office has an unexpired term of two years or more, and the vacancy occurs after the election at which the officeholder was elected but before the second Friday in March of the next even-numbered year a midterm appointment will need to be made. “Alaina [Lofgran], as county clerk, within 180 days before the next regular general election will notify the public and each registered political party that the vacancy exists.” Following that notification, candidates may register for the election. In this case, that will be in 2020.
| 