• Commissioners hold public hearing to receive comment on proposed budgets

• A Look Back at 2021

• County commissioners meet to approve budget amendments and budget for 2022

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By Myrna Trauntvein
TN Correspondent

There is state code that must be followed in setting a budget for a county legislative body.

One of those is that a calendar year taxing entity such as the county legislative body must hold a public hearing open to the public.

Juab County Commissioners met those requirements as they conducted a public hearing to amend the county 2021 budget and to adopt the new budget for 2022.

No other items can be on the agenda other than discussion and action on the taxing entity’s intent and a taxing entity must hold a public hearing beginning at or after 6 p.m

“We see that there are no interested persons here to provide comment,” said Richard Hansen, chairman.

The only member of the public attending the meeting was the press. There had also been no written comments submitted.

The governing body of a taxing entity conducting a public hearing must provide an interested party desiring to be heard an opportunity to present oral testimony within reasonable time limits and without unreasonable restriction on the number of individuals allowed to make public comment.

Another rule is that a taxing entity may not schedule a public hearing at the same time as the public hearing of another overlapping taxing entity in the same county.

“There were two other public hearings set for tonight,” said Hansen.

Those were the county fire district and special service district #2.

A taxing entity may hold those hearings on the same date as a public hearing: a budget hearing if the taxing entity is a local district or a hearing for a special service district.

“Both of those hearings were conducted by their governing boards,” said Hansen.

If a taxing entity holds a public meeting for the purpose of addressing general business of the taxing entity on the same date as the public hearing, the public meeting addressing general business items has to conclude before the beginning of the public hearing.

That meant that the meeting to conduct the county’s regular business was held at 10 a.m. and, in keeping with state code, the public hearing began at 6 p.m.

The budget process must be completed by the end of December since the calendar budget year ends December 31 and the new budget year commences on January 1.

Following the scheduled budget hearing, Clinton Painter, commissioner, made the motion to close the public hearing and meet in the budget session of the commission for the purpose of discussing and adopting the the amended budget for 2021 and to adopt the budget for 2022.

Marvin Kenison, commissioner, made the second and all voted in favor.