Friday, February 04, 2011

Utah legislature reaches out to rural counties

The Utah Legislature is observing its first "Rural Legislative Day." Amy Joi O'Donoghue, of the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, reports the goal of the day is "to highlight success stories and provide a platform for feedback." The day is sponsored by Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development and will include discussions of rural issues at the state senate building.

Seventeen of Utah's 29 counties are designated rural, but some fear "their contribution to the economic livelihood of the state may be overlooked because of the dominance of the Wasatch Front, where most Utahns live and work," writes O'Donoghue. "The reason we've decided to do this is to engage the rural communities by becoming more proactive," said Bev Evans, director of the state's Rural Development Office. "Without having something organized in a formal way, people don't often feel as comfortable coming up to the Legislature," added Evans, a lawmaker for 20 years. (Read more)

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