[{"_1":2,"_95":-5,"_96":-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",[32,75,85],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6566773,"mediaKeyId","3202794-6748ab56c0f26d9e15369e68ed4f9434","parentId",3202794,"title","Commission reviews outcomes from UAC conference; TRT reform, circuit-breaker changes and wildland-urban interface law flagged for local follow-up","audioSeconds",1016,"startMs",2740000,"endMs",3756000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3202794-6748ab56c0f26d9e15369e68ed4f9434&start=2740&end=3756","thumbnailUrl","https://d352y6ypj4mjo3.cloudfront.net/AudioPlaceholder.png","articleUrl","/articles/6566773/Utah/Commission-reviews-outcomes-from-UAC-conference-TRT-reform-circuit-breaker-changes-and-wildland-urban-interface-law-flagged-for-local-follow-up","mediaUrl","author","Kane County Commission","date","2025-05-06T11:30:00Z","article","Commissioners used Tuesday's meeting to summarize takeaways from the recent Utah Association of Counties (UAC) conference and to identify state-level changes that will require local follow-up.

Circuit-breaker deferral: Commissioners said Senator Dan McKay proposed changing the state's circuit-breaker property-tax abatement to a deferral model (deferred payment with interest), citing SB 197 and noting that the governor vetoed that bill in this session. County officials and the treasurer raised concerns that deferral creates long-term bookkeeping and collection risk for counties because deferred amounts must be tracked, accrue interest and are not collected until properties change hands. County staff estimated deferred balances are manageable in Kane County now (a referenced figure of about $58,000 in one context), but commissioners said any state deferral model should include safeguards such as time limits and administrative protections so county tax rates and collection efforts are not adversely affected.

Transient Room Tax (TRT) reform and tourism levy: Commissioners reported a state-wide TRT reform that, for the county, will reallocate the statewide pool into 47% for establishment and promotion and 53% for mitigation and projects. The state also is increasing a tourism tax by 0.75%, and counties that want to access certain state grant pools will be asked to raise the local overnight tourism tax by 0.25% (the county would need to decide whether to implement that increase). Staff noted the reallocation and the near-term deadline for local adoption of the overnight tax increase (state guidance suggested doing so by July 1 in order to access related funds), and warned that additional reporting and stricter definitions of eligible uses likely will follow.

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) and mitigation funding: A recently passed WUI bill was discussed; commissioners said key program details are still being developed, including how counties will collect new assessments and whether the state will return a portion to counties for mitigation work. The implementation timeline begins in January for parts of the law, and staff recommended that property owners review guidance (for example, firewise.org) to start risk-reduction work and to improve insurability.

Data privacy and records: Commissioners noted new privacy legislation affecting county responsibilities for data retention and destruction. The law creates or clarifies a new role/ title for a records/data owner within local government. County officials said they will convene IT, records officers and elected office holders to develop a plan, update website notices, and review vendor contracts for payment services and other data-handling operations to ensure compliance.

State trust lands and local ranching concerns: Commissioners reported discussions with the State Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) and said county leaders will not support land trades or projects unless counties receive parity with municipalities on consultation and when ranching allotments and grazing priorities are protected. Commissioners emphasized ranching's local economic and generational importance and asked state trust lands staff to address tiering/prioritization concerns before the county engages further.

Ending: Commissioners asked staff to continue tracking legislative developments and to prepare recommendations and draft policy language where needed; they flagged the TRT/tourism-tax decision and WUI implementation as items requiring near-term public outreach and staff work.","mediaType","Audio","parentTitle","Commission Meeting - May 6, 2025 Commission Audio","oneSentenceSummary","Kane County commissioners on Tuesday summarized outcomes from the Utah Association of Counties conference and flagged several state actions that will require local follow-up, including proposed changes to circuit-breaker abatements, a state transient room tax (TRT) reform that reallocates funds, and a new wildland-urban interface law.","taxTitle","Kane County Commission, Kane County Boards and Commissions, Kane County, Utah","taxId",67578,"location","Utah","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":50,"_51":82,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":83,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":84,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6566778,"Commission directs staff to draft resolution updating county fee schedule, including variable election costs",519,1277000,1796000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3202794-6748ab56c0f26d9e15369e68ed4f9434&start=1277&end=1796","/articles/6566778/Utah/Commission-directs-staff-to-draft-resolution-updating-county-fee-schedule-including-variable-election-costs","The Kane County Commission asked county staff Tuesday to prepare a redlined update to the county schedule of fees that would list charges for services the county provides to outside entities, including special service districts (SSDs) and municipalities.

Taylor Glover, government affairs director for the county, told commissioners that the county generally charges municipalities and SSDs for the “actual costs” of services such as elections and legal review rather than a fixed labor charge. She noted that recent changes — including a new ballot printer vendor — are increasing some election-specific costs. Based on past municipal elections, staff estimated municipal election costs generally range from about $1,500 to $2,500 depending on whether a primary or general election is required and on ballot length and printing needs.

Commissioners and staff agreed the clerk's office and other departments will provide the specific fee language and that the county's attorney would draft a resolution to adopt the revised schedule of fees. The draft resolution would include model/variable language for fees subject to availability (for example, attorney time, equipment or vendor availability) so the county can charge actual costs when final amounts are known.

No formal vote was recorded on the fee schedule at Tuesday's meeting; commissioners directed staff to redline a proposed schedule and present it for consideration at a subsequent meeting, with a target to have a resolution ready for the May 27 meeting if schedules permit.

Ending: County staff will prepare and circulate a redlined fee schedule and a drafted resolution for commission review; departments that provide services to outside entities will supply the fee models and any disclaimers about availability or variability.","Kane County commissioners directed staff Tuesday to draft a resolution updating the county schedule of fees to cover services provided to outside entities, and to include language that fees are subject to availability and charged at actual cost.",{"_33":86,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":87,"_41":88,"_43":89,"_45":90,"_47":91,"_49":50,"_51":92,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":93,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":94,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6566783,"Kane County delays Church Wells SSD boundary expansion pending $50,000 countywide fire/EMS feasibility study",2481,217000,2698000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3202794-6748ab56c0f26d9e15369e68ed4f9434&start=217&end=2698","/articles/6566783/Utah/Kane-County-delays-Church-Wells-SSD-boundary-expansion-pending-50000-countywide-fireEMS-feasibility-study","The Kane County Commission heard a request Tuesday from Jeanette, chair of the Church Wells Special Service District (SSD), to expand the district’s fire protection coverage to Pine Springs, Clark Bench and Perea. Commissioners said they will not expand the SSD now and will wait for the results of a county-funded feasibility study to determine countywide fire and emergency medical services (EMS) options.

Jeanette told commissioners her SSD has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with BigWater to provide structural fire protection into the county but “there’s no financial payment set up to reimburse BigWater for that service.” She said the district had about $4,000 left in its current collections and did not want to use that money to subsidize expansion without more information about assessment values for the additional lots. Jeanette also said the SSD currently has five board members and is considering increasing to seven to add representation from the new areas.

Commissioners said they had already committed to commissioning a $50,000 feasibility study for countywide fire and EMS and would not take immediate action to expand the Church Wells SSD until that study produces options. The commission discussed using the RFP to ask firms for completion timelines and for price adjustments if faster delivery were required. County staff said the feasibility study should include EMS alongside fire to evaluate financial viability.

The commission and SSD members discussed several practical issues tied to expansion: whether new board members must attend all meetings (and how stipends would affect the SSD budget); whether representatives could participate by phone to avoid travel and stipend costs; and whether assessment rates could differ between existing SSD properties and newly added territory. Jeanette reported BigWater had provided an initial bill of roughly $15,000 for additional coverage but that she and staff were still calculating assessment valuations for the affected parcels.

Commissioners and staff outlined next steps and timing. Staff noted legal and election deadlines if the county later pursues a ballot measure: language for a ballot must be submitted about 65 days before the general election (placing a deadline near late August for a November ballot). Separately, county staff reported they are exploring grants and loans from the state Community Impact Board (CIB) for a permanent station; a parcel near the mouth of Johnson Canyon (a BLM parcel on Zion Way) has been discussed, but completing environmental reviews and securing land could take roughly 18 months before a shovel-ready project would qualify for CIB funds.

Commissioners suggested alternatives to adding full board members for the new territory, including forming a non-paid fire committee that would report to the SSD board and meet less frequently. County staff recommended packaging an assessment estimate to BigWater — i.e., presenting what the SSD could raise under the current assessment rate so the fire provider could confirm whether that amount would be acceptable in a contract.

No formal vote to expand the Church Wells SSD was taken at Tuesday’s meeting; the commission recorded direction to hold expansion pending the feasibility study and further cost and valuation information. Commissioners urged the SSD to finalize valuation estimates and to coordinate with BigWater, the city (Kanab) and county staff on a path forward.

The discussion continued as part of a wider commission agenda item on “fire and emergency response next steps,” which included cancelation of a contract with Canal City that the commission said took effect in January, drafting an RFP for the $50,000 feasibility study, and evaluating whether to pursue countywide models, special service district expansions, or a new tax mechanism.

Ending: County staff and the Church Wells SSD will continue work on parcel valuations and a proposed assessment package to present to BigWater; the commission will move forward with the $50,000 RFP for a countywide fire/EMS feasibility study and will revisit any SSD boundary or tax measures after the study’s results.","The Kane County Commission heard a request Tuesday from Jeanette, chair of the Church Wells Special Service District, to expand fire protection into Pine Springs, Clark Bench and Perea but agreed to wait for a county-funded $50,000 feasibility study of countywide fire and EMS options before taking action.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Commission reviews outcomes from UAC conference; TRT reform, circuit-breaker changes and wildland-urban interface law flagged for local follow-up

Commission directs staff to draft resolution updating county fee schedule, including variable election costs

Kane County delays Church Wells SSD boundary expansion pending $50,000 countywide fire/EMS feasibility study