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Show Utah's Counties - I N 29 Unique Parts - Max J. Evans of One State Stanford J. Layton Coordinator of Publications Miriam 6. Murphy Beehive History Editor O Copyright 1988b Utah State Historical Soclety 300 RIO Grande Contributors Cralg Fuller Stanford J. Layton Murray M. Moler Mlrlam B. Murphy Phllip F. Notarlann~ Gary B. Peterson I * * Cherie Hale, cover + La Mar W. Lindsay, as state archaeolog~ st Susan4Whetstone, photogra Th~ s" ublicat~ on has beeh funded with ! hee assisiapce of a matchlng grant- ln- atd from the Department o I I the , Interlor, Natlonal Park Service, under pr of the Natlonal Htstorlc Preservation Act of 19 amended a a Thls program recelves flnanclal assistance for iden- In 1850 the Utah Territorial Legislature created six small counties. Each contained an area of early white settlement. County borders and names were changed about 100 times be-fore the creation of Daggett County in 1917 gave Utah its present 29 counties. Counties are units of local government, but state laws define their form and powers. Three-member county commissions govern 28 of Utah's counties. In 1987 Cache County changed to another form of government allowed under state law and is now run by an executive officer and a seven- member council. The commission or council must hold regular meetings, open to the public, at the county seat. Other elected offi-cials usually include county clerk, treasurer, at-torney, recorder, assessor, auditor, surveyor, and sheriff. In the early settlement period, county and town officials were often LDS church leaders. Counties may do many things. Like all units of government they raise money to operate by taxes, fees and licenses, fines, and when ap-proved by the voters, bonds. Counties may license and regulate local businesses, zone prop-erty and plan development, build and maintain roads, and build and operate a variety of facili-ties including schools, libraries, jails, hospitals, fire departments, senior citizens centers, air-ports, golf courses, parks, zoos, and plan-etariums. Counties issue marriage licenses and record property ownership. They may also pro-vide such services as water. waste dis~ osale, lec-tric power, flood control, welfare, and animal control. Probate courts operated in each county until statehood and from 1852 to 1874, when federal law banned the practice, they often heard civil and criminal cases as well as probate matters ( wills and estates). In 1896 the new state constitution created seven multi- county judicial districts. A district |
