Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Contacts: M. Royce Van Tassell
801.836.7028
Taxpayers Association Releases Petition Opposing
$1.8 BILLION Bailout of UTOPIA
The Utah Taxpayers Association released a petition for citizens to oppose the proposed $1.8 billion bailout of the failed municipal telecom network, UTOPIA. By June 27, City Councils in UTOPIA’s 11 member cities will vote whether to move forward with this bailout.
“UTOPIA’s proposed $1.8 billion bailout is bad for Utah taxpayers,” said M. Royce Van Tassell, vice president of the Utah Taxpayers Association. “Rather than weighing taxpayers down with new debt, City Councils in UTOPIA member cities should vote AGAINST this boondoggle.”
Among other things, the Taxpayers Association’s petition notes:
- Voters “in one UTOPIA city have already rejected by referendum a smaller property tax hike to bail out UTOPIA;”
- “Two other UTOPIA cities have raised property taxes to pay for UTOPIA;
- “The proposed UTOPIA bailout would give cities the ability to cut off residents’ water or power if a resident doesn’t or can’t pay their UTOPIA tax;”
- “UTOPIA has never even managed to break even on their operations, let alone cover their debt service;”
- “UTOPIA’s decade of failure is sufficient proof that no amount of tinkering or bailouts will make UTOPIA successful.”
The Association’s petition concludes,
- “We the undersigned residents, voters and taxpayers of UTOPIA cities oppose this $1.8 billion UTOPIA bailout;
- “We hereby call on our duly elected City Council members and Mayors to vote AGAINST continuing to UTOPIA’s Milestone 2.”
Voters can sign the petition digitally, or download and sign a hard copy of the
petition at uNOpia.org.
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