Months after scathing state audit, elected leaders in this Utah county face outcry over transparency

At a Nov. 22 budget hearing, Uintah County resident Tammie Mecham attempted to share her concerns with elected leaders about county management and public spending.

But she was immediately shut down, witnesses said. Commissioner Bill Stringer directed the deputy clerk to stop recording audio of the meeting. Only after an officer removed Mecham from commission chambers did the audio recording, which The Salt Lake Tribune reviewed, apparently resume.

“It’s shady,” Mecham said in an interview with the Tribune. “They don’t want the public to know a person was escorted out of the room. Why would you cut the tape if that wasn’t shady?”

Cutting audio is a violation of Utah’s Open and Public Meetings Act, which requires “complete and unedited” recording of open portions of meetings, from commencement through adjournment.

Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2021/12/10/months-after-scathing/