As the two largest counties in the state, Salt Lake and Utah are also the largest financial supporters of the Utah Association of Counties, created to provide a unified voice for the state’s 29 counties.
But long-simmering frustrations with the way it is run have led to those two counties refusing to go along with a sharp increase in dues and contributed to the ouster Tuesday of the organization’s chief executive officer, Adam Trupp, who is walking away with a healthy severance package.
Salt Lake County has already paid more than $260,000 in dues to UAC, but is withholding more than $60,000 — a sharp increase over the prior year’s assessment — while county officials decide if they have enough sway over the group’s policy decisions.