Complaining about Ephraim’s

franchise fees and other matters

Dec. 14, 2017

A few years ago, while paying my utility bill I asked the clerk what the franchise tax showing on the bill was for.

She didn’t know, but the city manager at the time,  Richard Anderson, came by and said it was fee Ephraim City charged the city electric utility for the right to be the city’s exclusive electric utility.

I asked why, since they were both city functions. His answer was that other cities were doing the same thing.

If the city and the electric utility really are separate entities, it makes sense why it is illegal for the city to take funds from the utilities for the general fund without informing citizens and having a public hearing. I think it is too bad Ephraim City took money out of the utility fund for the general fund this year.

Also, I don’t understand why the Utah Legislature passed a bill outlawing the city from  profiting from business licensing. Probably because the Legislature is limiting the power of the municipality.

Ephraim needs to work on the water system. It would be a wonderful Christmas present to the citizens of Ephraim to have clean pure water purified with healthy oxygen instead of the poison chlorine. Some cities have this blessing.

Frank Crowther

Ephraim Utah