First woman to serve on Utah County Commission is sworn in
Former county clerk/auditor Amelia Powers Gardner says she wants to bring innovation to county government.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Amelia Powers Gardner is sworn in as a Utah County commissioner by Josh Daniels in Provo on Thursday, April 29, 2021. Powers Gardner replaces Tanner Ainge and is the first woman ever to serve on the commission. | Updated: April 30, 2021, 12:00 a.m.
Amelia Powers Gardner became Utah County’s newest commissioner and the first woman to hold that role after an inauguration ceremony Thursday.
In a short speech after she took her oath of office, Powers Gardner’s voice broke as she described growing up in Utah County, raised by a single mother, sometimes experiencing bouts of homelessness. Now she holds one of the county’s most prominent leadership positions.
Deseret News By Kellie Baxter
Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
It was alarming how quickly the Utah County Commission voted to give itself more power over the budget (“Fireworks fly in Utah County over commission’s ‘power grab’ of budgetary oversight,” April 1). The agenda item was added at the last minute, surprising employees and the public. Numerous state lawmakers spoke against the change online. Public comments during the meeting opposed the change. Why was this decision rushed despite notable opposition?
The way Commissioners Bill Lee and Tom Sakievich handled this shows a lack of transparency, leadership and communication. You should never blindside your employees because you were “busy with other matters.” If you don’t have time to sit down with your employees to discuss it first, don’t put it on the agenda. There are a lot of unanswered questions that the commissioners should answer for their constituents: Where is the documentation that the Cl
Deseret News
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In this screenshot taken from the Utah County Government’s YouTube channel, Utah County Clerk/Auditor Amelia Powers Gardner, inset, urges Utah County commissioners Bill Lee and Tom Sakievich not to vote to move budget oversight out of her office, blasting them for proposing such a “major” structural change with barely 24 hours notice. The commissioners voted soon after to approve the change in the public meeting on Wednesday, March 31, 2021.
YouTube
High-ranking state officials as well as local leaders from Utah County are seething at a Wednesday vote by county commissioners to sweep budget oversight away from the county’s independently elected clerk/auditor and place it solely under the commission.
Utah County commissioners take over budget oversight from the clerk/auditor, drawing complaints of a power grab sltrib.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sltrib.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.