Eagle Mountain has launched an internal investigation into a member of the City Council for allegedly failing to disclose gifts from people doing business with the city.

The investigation of Councilman David Blackburn was announced by Councilman David Lifferth during Tuesday night's City Council meeting. The announcement was part of a protest against a motion to make Blackburn the city's mayor pro tempore, a position that would allow Blackburn to lead city meetings when the mayor is not available. In a 4-1 vote, Blackburn was later chosen as mayor pro tempore.

Blackburn said the gifts are a "nonissue" and denied any wrongdoing.

"Anyone under investigation for not disclosing gifts they received from those doing business in the city should not be mayor pro tem," said Lifferth. "Are we going to apply the law and remove someone from the City Council for accepting gifts and not disclosing them, or are we going to make a mockery of the lawfi I would like to have a mayor pro tem who is not under investigation."

Blackburn said he had done nothing wrong, and protested when Mayor Don Richardson suggested tabling the discussion until a later date.

"If this is tabled, it makes me look like I'm not capable of doing this job," Blackburn said. "The comments of my fellow council members make me seem dripping with guilt and money, and not able to do the job."

After the meeting, Blackburn said he had accepted a pheasant hunting trip from Epic Engineering, a contractor with the city, and had hunted elk on land owned by the owner of the company in 2004 and 2005. He said he also bought beef from the Walker family, which owns the engineering firm.

The trips are a "nonissue" and the investigation a "moot point" because the trips were offered to all clients of Epic Engineering. The entire City Council and city staff were invited, though only Blackburn and two city staffers went on the pheasant hunting trip, he said. He did not name the city staffers.

Other City Council members have accepted trips from the company, including cattle drives and horse riding trips, Blackburn said. He did not name specific council members.

"In no way has my vote or the integrity of my office ever been compromised," he said, noting he has voted against Epic receiving some city contracts.

Blackburn said it was unclear whether the city was investigating his acceptance of the gifts or his decision not to disclose them in public. He said he did not believe accepting the trips was wrong because they were offered not just to City Council members but to all clients of Epic. He also said he did not disclose the gifts in a public meeting because the City Council already knew about the trips because they had been invited.

Richardson said city attorney Jerry Kinghorn began an investigation into the matter in January, noting the city had not disclosed the investigation publicly because it was not complete. Richardson said repeatedly that judgment should not be made prematurely.

"If there was impropriety, we will take action," Richardson said. "We are close to getting a final summary of what has been done, and the research that has been done. ... I think it is very important that things are researched properly. No one is guilty until proven guilty."

Kinghorn said he recently had received "the searchable database" as part of the investigation, and he said it was unclear how soon the investigation would be complete. It was unclear where the database came from or what part it plays in the investigation.

"People know me as a watchdog," Lifferth said during the meeting, noting he had asked for an investigation into the matter many times over the past several months and was unhappy with the pace of the investigation. He accused council members of moving slowly on the matter in an attempt "to sweep things under the rug."

He then said he had run out of patience.

"Mayor, I demand that before our next council meeting this be addressed, because it is very important that the citizens know whether or not we have sold our vote," he said. If the investigation is not complete before the next council meeting in two weeks, "I will put documentation on my Web site that should have been there a long time ago," Lifferth said. It was unclear to which documents he was referring.

Speaking after the vote, during a portion of the meeting reserved for council member reports, Blackburn said he was innocent of wrongdoing.

"I have not done anything wrong," he said. "My vote has not been bought or purchased, nor have I done anything inappropriate."

Speaking immediately after Blackburn, Lifferth challenged the council.

"Residents and voters have every right to know if council members are receiving gifts," he said. "I call on every member of the City Council who may be hiding something to fully disclose their gifts and not sweep this under the rug."

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.