[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6294192,"mediaKeyId","2522068-7f727a45d9433802269e00541c6e7a75","parentId",2522068,"title","Rich County Commission approves radios, short-term rental occupancy adjustment and several routine actions; denials and adjustments made on tax appeals","audioSeconds",645,"startMs",4141000,"endMs",4786000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2522068-7f727a45d9433802269e00541c6e7a75&start=4141&end=4786","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2522068-7f727a45d9433802269e00541c6e7a75/thumbnail_4141000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6294192/Utah/Rich-County-Commission-approves-radios-short-term-rental-occupancy-adjustment-and-several-routine-actions-denials-and-adjustments-made-on-tax-appeals","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6294192-3f7299306a366da4399aa23fb20059da/orig.mp4?Expires=1775262506&Signature=FuOho0~6DBRwNPZ~a2bufS9~Vy90vcLO~A~r6tuIGOGw9mf27anrcfIIfiAPbtgsc3Q82xYgjJ8tyMaYoqrAyugn0WlrtTVsEAdOHxt-k8o52IhmDE8393yIKi5Y~mORAnREqLCPGe1GjWni6xPzhfFfOuEHdCIh61G7JMjA2RPglkLb7Vtf~qtNNA8jz4QBhaQ4Si5jt5QRqAV3Xyq8Fl8Ovgly77-BRSwLd3I97k1MZAs3O2HaACS97wYA6~BLKgp0A0QWGRTQ-JrGXw6w~qNkeOyf60fyOJ7Vt9OfOKpWlFSeGeta8xej-7LvobtkCuXPKhorTWH~IQcDLDqNJQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-03-06T07:19:09Z","article","The Rich County Commission handled a range of administrative and quasi-judicial items in a single meeting, approving several procurement and procedural items and deciding multiple assessment appeals.

Votes at a glance

- Short-term rental occupancy: The commission voted to allow an applicant, Joshua (Josh) Burt, to change the permitted occupancy on a short-term rental permit from 22 to 18; the motion carried after the county planner indicated the change was acceptable.

- Health West tax exemption: Commissioners approved a continued property tax exemption application for Health West (Bear Lake Community Health Center property) after the assessor presented the application.

- Appeal: Scott Sims (Lakota subdivision): The commission denied Sims’s 2023 appeal, finding the evidence submitted did not meet the burden of proof to lower the county’s assessed value.

- Appeal: Blaine Moon (2024 appeal): The commission adjusted an assessed value after review of sales in the same subdivision and voted to set the value at $825,000 for the appealed parcel (motion carried).

- Appeal: WorldMark/Tax Advisers (2023 appeal): The commission dismissed a 2023 appeal for lack of responsive documentation after providing required notice and receiving no substantive reply from the appellant’s representative.

- Personal property tax exemptions: The commission approved a batch of personal property exemption filings submitted online under the assessor’s new process.

- Ballot-printer purchase: The commission approved purchase of an on-demand ballot printer (vendor: No Ink) and associated secure cabinet; the board discussed the need for logs and seals to track printed ballots and integration with existing election procedures. Commissioners noted some purchase costs may be eligible for reimbursement and asked election staff to fold printing logs into current election accountability documents.

- First Responder mental-health agreement: Commissioners ratified an agreement authorizing first responders access to a specified mental-health service (referred to in the packet as First Responders First). The county attorney had recommended the agreement form.

- April meeting date: The commission rescheduled the April meeting from the first Wednesday to April 9 due to scheduling conflicts.

- Compactor repair: Commissioners authorized repair of the landfill compactor, approving the repair to proceed; the motion authorized a vendor range of repair options (motion language described a cost range and asked staff to proceed with the appropriate repair option consistent with budget constraints).

- Expenditures and minutes: The commission approved the monthly expenditures and the minutes from the February 12 meeting.

How the commission decided

Most items were routine or administrative and were approved by voice vote after a motion and a second. Several assessment appeals required discussion of supporting documentation; the board repeatedly noted that appraisals or verifiable sales data are required to change assessor valuations. On appeals where the owner supplied sales or appraisal evidence, commissioners either reduced values to match nearby sales (Blaine Moon) or denied relief where verifiable proof was absent (Scott Sims). One appeal (WorldMark) was dismissed after staff followed the state-mandated notice process and received no response from the appellant’s representative.

What this means

Approved exemptions and procedural changes will be reflected in the assessor’s records and the county’s tax roll where applicable. The ballot-printer purchase is intended to reduce reliance on outside vendors and give election staff more control over printing, but commissioners asked election staff to ensure tracking and security protocols are in place. The compactor repair authorization allows the landfill operator to proceed to avoid operational disruption.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Rich County Commission - March 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At its meeting, the Rich County Commission approved several procurement and administrative motions — including two radios for fire communications, a short-term rental occupancy change, a ballot-printer purchase, and a series of assessor-related decisions and exemptions — and took final votes on several tax appeals.","taxTitle","Rich County Commission, Rich County Boards and Commissions, Rich County, Utah","taxId",67593,"location","Utah","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6294199,"Rich County fire warden warns of aging equipment, proposes county engine and radios; commissioners approve two radios",1741,99000,1840000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2522068-7f727a45d9433802269e00541c6e7a75&start=99&end=1840","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2522068-7f727a45d9433802269e00541c6e7a75/thumbnail_99000.jpg","/articles/6294199/Utah/Rich-County-fire-warden-warns-of-aging-equipment-proposes-county-engine-and-radios-commissioners-approve-two-radios","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6294199-3f92f664afeab5ab6d39eb081f6db43e/orig.mp4?Expires=1775262506&Signature=hmn1GKMwJam2pa5hkdN3m3tdc8dNIsM4YeoLw9zAjO2s920V-mGit7yF5rGK0KOuC9fQ2sguJB9eAmJfK6jdhRNa8knJhtZENmP0xN94LjaJWJvJwhGq~uRfub7gU2GxIRlwkxJhr5TEIlnYVAwkWyPwVyWdlY9JN1DcubI37LaCFrJcVdmqeBK61CBvtNnOS70vPYYiQb6hsiqbxhoPofDpShzXy~xftpSse-gR7nCSozw3dMRdxiSKVvd~~d5ITttwd0csloYEfxqBYh5ahFV9bTrK8qIag8BSIXag6npi9X6Hu7Paqohj5f~SmKBKq-qCiWKaiD95EdJ1GkleIg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Travis Hobbs, Rich County fire warden, told the Rich County Commission that the county responded to 13 wildfire incidents last year and sought the commission’s backing for equipment and mitigation work, including buying a county engine and new radios.

Hobbs said the Dry Fork fire alone burned 1,341 acres — “924 of which was on BLM, 417 of private land” — and that “the cost on that fire is sitting at $1,093,064.” He also cited a separate solar-farm fire of 22.87 acres. The warden described aging vehicles across local volunteer districts and said some departments have had multiple breakdowns during responses.

Hobbs said recruitment and training are priorities. “I am happy to say we got 19, new, red card certified firefighters since June of last year,” he said, listing volunteers from Woodruff, Randolph, Laketown and Garden City. He told commissioners he plans more training and hopes to develop local engine-boss candidates so the county retains incident leadership capacity as older volunteers retire.

On mitigation, Hobbs described ongoing and planned fuel-break work, including projects in Swan Creek/Little Switzerland and fuel breaks above Garden City and Sweetwater. He noted maintenance funding is scarce: “We get a lot of times funding, but there’s no funding for maintenance,” and said the Forest Service may be asked to tie into county work.

Hobbs raised a policy and insurance concern tied to recent state legislation he identified as “House Bill 48.” He said the bill, as he understood it, would require an assessment-based tax on homes in wildland areas tied to a property’s wildfire readiness, and that the county would likely have to identify who falls in those zones. He warned that insurers already are dropping coverage in some subdivisions and said the bill’s details remain unclear.

As a financing option, Hobbs proposed the county purchase a brush truck or engine that could both improve local response and, when deployed to out-of-area assignments, generate revenue. He said the county could recover purchase costs through assignments and cited an example where a 14-day assignment brought $36,584. On the topic of wildland fire suppression funding he described the county’s CWS commitment and said a new engine could offset a large portion of the county’s first-year obligation under that program.

Hobbs also asked the commission to fund two programmable radios compatible with federal wildland channels and an in-truck mobile unit to enable interagency communications. He provided state-contract pricing and said the handheld units cost about $2,200 each and the mobile unit about $3,200; the total package he discussed was roughly $5,200. After discussion, commissioners moved, seconded and voted to authorize Hobbs to buy the two radios; the motion carried.

Hobbs described other near-term needs and logistics for vehicle procurement, including vehicle chassis availability, outfitting work from local vendors, and a desired timeline — mid-July — to have any county engine in place before peak fire season. He also requested about $5,000 in radios for additional units and noted the county’s existing FEPP (Federal Excess Personal Property) engine is aging and has required significant repairs.

The commission did not authorize purchase of an engine at the meeting; Hobbs asked the commissioners to “look at this truck situation” and indicated he would return with exact specifications and budgeting details.

The presentation included operational and personnel details — who would operate new equipment, how volunteer districts might host and use a county engine, and options for sending engines on out-of-area assignments to build experience and possibly net revenue for the county’s fire account.

Hobbs closed by confirming assistant warden Jaden Larson will remain in that role and by thanking commissioners and staff for support.

The commission later handled other agenda items; the radio authorization appears as a formal motion in the minutes.

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Rich County Commission approves radios, short-term rental occupancy adjustment and several routine actions; denials and adjustments made on tax appeals

Rich County fire warden warns of aging equipment, proposes county engine and radios; commissioners approve two radios