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LA VERKIN, Utah (AP) — The City Council has voted to sell $10 honorary citizenship certificates to defray costs from its anti-United Nations campaign. 

The largest bills related to the U.N.-free zone ordinance total about $4,700, and do not include telephone calls, employees’ time and faxes, said City Manager Douglas Wilson. 

The City Council was presented with the two largest bills at its council meeting last Wednesday. Attorney fees totaled $3,600 and fees for city spokeswoman Tracie Sullivan amounted to $1,100. 

The expenses were incurred from July 4, when the council first adopted its ordinance declaring the community to be United Nations-free, through the end of August. The city’s postage was also approximately $500 above normal during that period. 

Wilson said that after the ordinance was passed, for about four weeks he was busy fielding telephone calls and answering e-mails, taking a majority of his time. 

Councilmember Al Snow suggested selling certificates declaring the purchaser to be an honorary citizen of La Verkin. 

“This man called me last week from Maryland and inquired about annexing three acres of land he had in Maryland into the city of La Verkin,” Snow said. “I told him that wasn’t possible but told him maybe we could make him an honorary citizen.” 

The council agreed with Snow, and voted to sell the certificates for $10 each. 

Snow has no idea how many certificates the city may sell, but he said he has more than 400 people who have requested forms from across the country. 

“Quite a few people in La Verkin have requested to be an honorary citizen to show their support for the ordinance,” Snow said. “I don’t know how much money we will get, but I hope it is enough to pay the expenses. I really don’t know what the potential is.” 

City Council members, blaming the United Nations for environmentalism and other perceived dangers, watered down their anti-U.N. ordinance in late July to avoid being sued. 

The changes were made after Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and City Attorney Lowry Snow advised them that their original law violated residents’ constitutional rights of speech, assembly and equal protection. 

The revised ordinance no longer requires residents and businesses working for the United Nations or its supporters to post signs on their property and file reports with the city. 

A clause barring the city from contracting or investing with companies with U.N. ties also was deleted. 

Instead of banning U.N. flags and symbols from city property, the city now only forbids flying the U.N. flag from the flagpole at City Hall. 

The council left intact provisions declaring La Verkin a U.N.-free zone and banning that organization from taxing the city or stationing troops there unless authorized by the state or federal government.