Finished Letter

My name is Anthony Goormn, and I am a senior at Judge Memorial Catholic High School in our district. I am writing to you about HB 196, surrounding highway designation amendments. This issue directly affects the communities in Salt Lake City and across the state of Utah. In particular, I am contacting you, concerned about the bill's removal of municipal authority over local city streets and the proposed plan to rename 900 South as Charlie Kirk Boulevard. I urge you to oppose HB 196 becuase it weakens local control and diminishes any community input.   

This issue is important to me becuase it alters the balance of power between the state government and local groups. HB 196 enacts that the Utah Legislature has control over renaming Class C city roads, even if the district objects. This would have a direct effect on residences, businesses, and local governments that have traditionally been in charge of their own streets. Becuase local control has already caught a lot of traction and sparked debates in Utah, this issue matters now becuase it sets a new standard for the state to overrule city choices.   

As Someone who was born and raised in Utah and values the tradition of local control and limited government intervention, I believe the choices about city street names are best made by the communities that are being affected the most. By preserving local aithory it helps with government overreach while pleasing residents and businesses. Following this approach aligns with the idea that decisions should be as close to the people as possible.

One of the biggest problems related to this issue is the obvious opposition from the citizens who are being affected. According to a repost from The Salt Lake Tribune, over 140 property owners and many businesses along 900 South signed a petition against renaming the road. An additional 3,000 people also supported this concern statewide. This is important because these local owners would bear the economic and practical ramifications of the change. 

On top of this, Salt Lake City nominated Harvey Milk Boulevard in 2016 as a movement to honor civil rights leaders locally.  These decisions historically have been made by municipalities themselves. By allowing the Legislature to impose HB 196, the state would weaken local control over city streets, creating an imbalance by overriding city decisions. 

I respectfully urge you to oppose Hb 196, Highway Designation Amendments, because it separates the municipal authority and ignores the voices of the affected community members. Thank you for your time and service to our community. I appreciate your consideration of this issue and hope you will continue working toward just polices that represent local voices. 

Respectfully,

Anthony Goorman

Judge Memorial Catholic High School

Salt Lake City, Utah