Hey everyone! Welcome back to another week of news here on Summit in Six! Today, we recap this week’s County Council meeting, discuss the latest with House Bill 356, a bill that changes the way Summit County elects our council members, and finally, highlight some exciting events happening in the county in the next few weeks. Alright, let’s get into the news.
– TOPIC 1: Council Recap
Let’s kick things off with some highlights from this week’s County Council meeting.
National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week: First, the County Council approved a proclamation recognizing the second week of April each year as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. Summit County’s Public Safety Telecommunicators (or 911 Dispatchers) are the first, often unseen, heroes who answer 9-1-1 calls, provide life-saving instructions, dispatch emergency responders, and maintain constant communication during crises. We want to send a massive thank you to the men and women who serve as dispatchers here in Summit County. These folks work tirelessly behind the scenes to protect our community, so from everyone here at the Summit in Six team, thank you!
Weber River Watershed: Next, the council took an important step forward regarding the Weber River Watershed Resilience partnership. For some context, the partnership launched back in 2020 and is a collaborative, multi-jurisdictional effort focused on increasing the resilience of the headwaters of the Weber River to natural and human-caused disasters, such as catastrophic wildfire. In fiscal Year 2023, Congressman Blake Moore secured $1 million in federal funding for the partnership. Before Summit County can access this funding, we had to complete four key steps, including creating a work plan, submitting a budget narrative, and undergoing an environmental assessment, all of which we have already done. Finally, the county had to define a procurement policy that complies with federal standards. This week, the council approved that procurement policy. This approval is the final step needed before we can submit our full documentation to the EPA and unlock the $1 million in funding for this vital watershed resilience work.
Housing Authority Update: After that, the council approved bylaws for the Summit County Housing Authority. To rewind, the purpose of the Housing Authority is to manage and provide affordable housing, especially for low- and middle-income families, located within the jurisdiction of the Authority. The Housing Authority boundaries are the unincorporated area of Summit County (no towns or cities are included in those boundaries). The newly approved bylaws state that the Housing Authority Commission will be composed of 5 people – 3 members from the elected Summit County Council and 2 members at large. The council appointed council members Tonja Hanson, Megan McKenna, and Canice Harte to sit on the Commission as representatives of the council. Once the Commission is fully staffed and the new Executive Director is in place, the Summit County Housing Authority will begin meeting monthly. One of the first items of business will be to develop a management and operations plan. There are also several budgeted tasks that the authority will be working on. These include:
-
- A utility study for deed restricted housing (water, sewer, power, and gas)
- The creation of an online housing dashboard
- A financial incentive program to support deed restricted housing in Eastern Summit County
- Facilitate the creation of an Employer Assisted Housing Programs
This is all really exciting progress for affordable housing in Summit County. Stay tuned for more on the Authority and the work it’ll do in the future!
Temporary Zoning Ordinance: Finally, staff asked council to approve a temporary zoning ordinance that amends Summit County’s code to establish an administrative development agreement process within the Snyderville Basin planning district consistent with the requirements of Utah State code. The purpose of the ordinance is to bring the Snyderville Basin Development Code into compliance with the changes made to State Code by Senate Bill 26. SB26 effectively rezoned property within the unincorporated area of Summit County around the Kimball Junction Transit Center, which is a longer way of saying the land Dakota Pacific Real Estate owns. SB26 also requires that the County implement that rezone through an administrative land use permit process. Council approved the temporary ordinance which means it will be in effect for 6 months. This will allow adequate time for the consideration of an administrative development agreement for the State Imposed Rezone. To be clear, the approval of this TZO, in itself, does not mean any specific part of Dakota Pacific’s design for their land in the Kimball Junction area is under consideration. The ordinance just created a process for the county to review the application if and when a land use permit application from DPRE under SB26 comes.
– TOPIC 2: HB356 Public Comment Opportunities
Alright, let’s talk about House Bill 356. A bill that changes the way Summit County elects its Council Members.
During the 2025 Utah Legislative Session, the Utah State Legislature passed House Bill 356, a new law that mandates Summit County transition from at-large to district-based representation. District representation divides the county into a set number of geographic districts, and the voters in that district elect one person who lives in that district to represent them.
This legislation will significantly change how your County Council is elected—and how you are represented. You will no longer be able to vote for all 5 members of the County Council.
The bill was signed into law on March 27, 2025. However, Governor Spencer Cox acknowledged problems with the legislation and committed to a special legislative session in May to address its “unintended consequences.”
Ahead of the special legislative session you have the opportunity to hear more about this issue and give your feedback at two upcoming public input sessions:
—————————–
Tuesday, April 15 | 6 PM
Council of Governments Meeting
Summit County Courthouse
60 N. Main St, Coalville
—–
Wednesday, April 23 | 6 PM
County Council Meeting
Richins Building
1885 W. Ute Blvd, Kimball Jct.
—————————–
Ahead of public input, you can learn more about this issue at summitcounty.info/hb356.
– TOPIC 3: Other Upcoming Community Events
Let’s wrap things up with some other engagement opportunities coming up!
County planners are holding two open houses in late April to collect resident feedback and create future land use maps as part of the Eastern Summit County General Plan Update process. These land use maps are important because they will take community input to incorporate into plans for future zoning, open space conservation, and other development priorities.
The first event will be held on Thursday, April 24, from 5–7 pm at the Kamas Library. The second open house will be on Tuesday, April 29, from 5–7 pm at the Ledges Event Center in Coalville.
Both open houses will have the same information and activities. For more information, visit summitcountyutah.gov/generalplans.
Finally, Recycle Utah’s Household Hazardous Waste Day will be April 26th from 9 AM – 1 PM. PLEASE NOTE: Hazmat Day will be in the Silver King Lot (1498 Lowell Ave, Park City). Summit County residents can bring hazardous waste for FREE! No business waste will be accepted. For a full list of what materials are accepted, visit recycleutah.org, navigate to the Events tab, and scroll to find Household Hazardous Waste Day!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download