Letter to Teachers

 

Spring 2006

Dear Teacher;

Greetings from the staff, board, and membership of the Utah League of Cities and Towns. We were organized in 1907 primarily to represent municipalities in the state legislature. While that is still a major focus of the League, we are also dedicated to the training of local officials, and to providing resources to cities and towns of every size, from every part of Utah.

As we have worked with municipal governments, we have come to realize how dependent good democratic government is on an educated and well-informed citizenry. Through a series of surveys we have found that citizens often pay their taxes without giving attention as to what is paid for and which level of government is benefiting. In reality, most of the services that we all have come to depend on, on a day-to-day basis, are provided by the government that is closest to us, a city, town, or county. If our garbage is not picked up, the toilet doesn’t flush, or our water fails to appear via the tap, we turn to local government. Our voting power is much greater when we cast a vote for our local mayor and councilmember than when we vote for the president of the United States, yet too often we give little thought to those minor races that can so impact our quality of life.

We were surprised to find that while the schools have well-defined courses on Utah and the United States governments, we could find little, if any, reference to local government. As a result, we have created this material in hopes of filling that gap. We suggest that you get in touch with your own municipal officials. We think you will find them willing to speak to your class or to answer questions that you may have regarding the community. In addition, we will be pleased to provide you with additional resources. Our own staff is available to answer questions or to find resources that you may need such as additional speakers, general information on specific cities and towns, or explanations of the workings of local government. Please feel free to call on us at any time. We are especially interested to know if you have used this unit and your response to it.

Kenneth H. Bullock
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
UTAH LEAGUE OF CITIES AND TOWNS