Fiscal Transfers, Predictable Outcomes

Superintendent Huntsman’s concerns regarding Senate Bill 65 are, predictably, well-founded. To redirect the minimum basic tax levy through the state treasurer—a new “Minimum Basic Tax Special Revenue Fund,” no less—before eventual redistribution, is a layer of needless complexity. The Marsac Building will be flooded with paperwork, and the already stretched staff at Park City Municipal Corp will be forced to address citizen inquiries regarding these delayed allocations. UDOT struggles with simple road maintenance; we expect efficient fiscal management from this? It’s a faded municipal beige bureaucracy at its finest. The legislative fiscal note’s assertion that most districts will see no “direct, measurable costs” is…optimistic. The potential loss to Park City—approximately $500,000—stems directly from the state’s unnecessary interjection into local revenue streams. Senator Fillmore's intentions may be proper, but the execution is as cumbersome as navigating SR-224 during ski season. Remember last year’s SB 37, vetoed by Governor Cox? A similar exercise in futility. The workaround, naturally, is diversified funding. But in the absence of that, I suggest one bypasses this entire debacle and considers sending the children to boarding school.