By Julie Johansen
On Thursday, the Emery County Commissioners called a special meeting to publicly adopt a resolution that disperses funds from the county’s general budget to the Emery Emergency Special Service District.
This resolution will allow the transfer of $293,788, which is Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) funding, to the Emery Emergency Special Service District to improve quality of emergency services and make the district more stable while still meeting federal guidelines.
If left in the general fund, the amount of Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) would be reduced from $1.3 million to approximately $1 million. With the transfer, the PILT payment will remain whole.
This approved resolution will be forwarded to the state for approval immediately. Although there are other local service districts, the commissioners felt this is currently the most pressing issue for the residents of the county. With the funding, the district aims to improve emergency services offered to area residents.