Link to article from the Salt Lake Tribune:
From the article:
“Canyons
School District likely broke the law last year when it mailed out postcards
— paid for with taxpayer money — about a $283 million bond proposal to renovate
its schools that seemed to encourage residents to vote in favor, according to a
state audit released quietly this week.
The new report from the Office of the State Auditor found that the
district appears to have “improperly used public resources” to advocate for a
position. Utah law prohibits using any public dollars to campaign for or
against candidates or initiatives.”
And
“The district spent $39,000 on the flyers and ads considered to be in
violation.
The auditors recommend that the district try to recover the misused money and
refer the indiscretion to the Salt Lake County district attorney for possible
penalties (the office already declined to move forward with a case about Canyons' mailers last year).”
It should be common sense that tax dollars (public funds) cannot be
used to advocate for ballot initiatives or candidates.
