Hi everyone, welcome back to another episode of Summit in Six. With the first full week of summer almost behind us, let’s get into the latest news. We’ve got fire outlook information, construction updates, a resolution against the sale of public lands, and more!
— Support of Utah Public Lands County Council Resolution
Utah Senator Mike Lee’s proposal to sell public lands has made waves around the state and country. This week, the topic came to County Council.
Council unanimously adopted a resolution in “strong support for the continued federal management and stewardship of public lands within Summit County.”
Summit County is home to a significant portion of public lands, which make up almost 40% of our county’s total area. The public lands are integral to the county’s economy, environment, and quality of life and provide essential resources, including grazing lands for agricultural operations, habitats for wildlife, and opportunities for outdoor recreation.
As an example, the Mirror Lake Highway, a world-renowned destination in Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, sees two million visitors each year.
Across the state, the 2023 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis found that outdoor recreation in Utah contributed $9.5 billion to the state’s GDP, supported nearly 72,000 jobs, and generated $4.3 billion in wages.
Megan McKenna, the County Council member who brought the petition for the Council’s consideration said the following: “Not only are we telling the residents of Summit County that we represent them and their values but hopefully it will inspire other counties and municipalities to do the same,”
While council members pointed out that the initial language regarding the sale of public lands was pulled from the budget bill, it is anticipated this proposal will resurface in some format in the coming days.
— Referendum Petition Results
On Monday, June 23, Summit County Clerk Eve Furse provided a final update and certification of the Ordinance 987 referendum petition, declaring the numbers insufficient to add it to the November 2025 ballot.
This petition was an effort to put the Dakota Pacific development agreement decision for its “tech park” in Kimball Junction on the ballot for Summit County voters. The development agreement was previously approved 4-1 in a vote by Summit County Council.
After extensive review, the Summit County Clerk’s Office verified 3,214 signatures for the Ordinance 987 referendum petition.The total number of verified signatures required was 4,554.
The petition also did not meet the required number of signatures for three of the four Voter Participation Areas, falling short in all four.
As announced in February, the Clerk’s Office was unable to verify a number of packets because they had not been bound as a unit throughout the petition process in alignment with state statute. Signatures that were unreadable, duplicative, undated, and not matching, along with signers who were not registered voters, had a different address than their voter records, or lived outside of Summit County could not be counted.
In the time since Ordinance 987 was passed, Dakota Pacific Real Estate (DPRE) applied for an Administrative Development Agreement to implement modified zoning provided by Senate Bill 26. Passed during the 2025 General Session of the Utah State Legislature, Senate Bill 26 allowed DPRE to obtain a change of zoning, a change of approval process, and an additional funding source for the development, which could render Ordinance 987 irrelevant.
— Old Ranch Road Construction Closures
Due to increasing safety concerns—particularly as construction activity intensifies in the coming months—crews have made the difficult decision to close Old Ranch Road to all recreational bicycling and pedestrian traffic. This closure is effective immediately and will remain in effect for the duration of the project (estimated September 15, 2025).
This also includes the dirt path on Quarry Mountain Road that is also part of this project. For more information & details on this project, please visit summitcounty.info/oldranch25.
— Statewide Fire Restrictions & Summit County Fire Danger moves to “High”
With hotter weather returning and vegetation drying out, Summit County’s Fire Danger Level has moved from Moderate to High.
Due to increasing fire activity and rising fire danger, Stage 1 Fire Restrictions have expanded to include all state and unincorporated lands across Utah beginning June 28, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. There are currently no restrictions for the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest as of Friday, June 27.
In addition to state and unincorporated lands, Park City, Coaville, and Henefer have enacted or will soon be enacting fire restrictions within city limits. At this time, we are not aware of any restrictions pending or in place with Oakley, Kamas, or Francis.
You can learn more about what is included in Stage 1 Fire Restrictions by clicking the alert bar for Fire Restrictions at our website, summitcountyutah.gov.
As the Fourth of July holiday approaches and fire conditions remain dangerous, remember to practice Fire Sense. Anything that makes a spark can start a fire! Only build campfires in established rings and never leave a fire unattended if coals are too hot to touch.
And don’t forget, you can text SCFIRE to 91896 for updates on Summit County’s fire outlook, Red Flag Warnings, fire conditions, prescribed burns & more.
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