Greg Merrill and David Erickson ready for their new roles as chairman and vice chairman

On Wednesday, the county council elected Greg Merrill as its new chairman and David Erickson as its new vice chairman. They are both ready to tackle the responsibilities of their new positions. 

“It’s an opportunity to serve the citizens of Cache County,” Erickson said. “I didn’t ask for it, I didn’t seek it, but I’m glad to have this opportunity.”

Each council member is elected to a four-year term. The council chair and vice chair each serve one-year terms in those positions after election by the council. 

Merrill was re-elected to the Logan district three seat in 2012. Erickson just finished his first year on the council in 2015 following his appointment to fill the vacancy created when the serving northern district council member Craig Buttars was appointed as county executive. 

Both men have set goals for 2016. 

“I have a masters in communications, so I want to work to improve the dialogue between citizens and the council,” Merrill said. “We need to improve our customer service and make sure the citizens realize how much the county actually provides for them.” 

“One of my goals is to establish a water conservancy district, so we can maintain and control our own water in the valley,” Erickson said. “We need to properly manage the natural resources that we have here.” 

The 2016 Cache County budget was finalized at the Tuesday council meeting and both Merrill and Erickson expressed their concerns with this year’s budgetary process. They both have plans to improve the process for adoption of the county’s 2017 budget. 

“Every year that the budget grows, we end up having to raise taxes,” Merrill said. “Our biggest challenge with the budget is living within our means, instead of passing a tax hike every year or two. I want to work with Craig Buttars to make sure that we operate more efficiently.”

“I want to look for new non-tax revenues to help with the budget this year,” Erickson said. “We need to stop raising taxes on our citizens.”

Merrill said that he has full faith in Erickson and thought that the council made a great decision electing him as vice chairmen. Merrill has been impressed with how quickly Erickson has adapted to his new position on the council and he believes that Erickson will be a great help to him and the rest of the council. 

Erickson likewise expressed praise for the selection of Merrill as county chairman. 

“I have total confidence in him,” Erickson said. “He has good business savvy and common sense, and is focused on the big picture. He is not easily distracted from his goals.”