Weber County staff propose scoring, clarity changes to CRA and PID policies

County staff presented a set of proposed amendments to Weber County’s Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) and Public Infrastructure District (PID) policies at the commission’s Sept. 15 work session, saying the changes add scoring metrics and clarify that participation is at the commission’s discretion.

The changes, prepared with the county’s economic development finance committee, include a quantitative scoring system that weighs job creation, private capital investment, affordable housing components, infrastructure improvements and community benefits. “We take them through a process,” staff member Stephanie said as she described the new metric sheets the committee would use to evaluate petitions before forwarding recommendations to the commission.

County staff said the amendments tighten application requirements for cities requesting county participation in a CRA and for the county to create its own CRA. The policy drafts also add language that makes it clear the commission retains sole discretion to participate. “That there's this is not a guarantee,” Stephanie said, noting petitions should understand participation is discretionary.

Supporters on the commission said the scoring and standardized format will make reviews more objective and streamline consideration. “It levels the playing field,” one commissioner said, adding that the approach gives petitioners a clear “rule book” and helps avoid bringing under-vetted proposals before the commission.

Staff said the economic development finance committee will score projects and make a percentage recommendation for participation; the commission would then receive the committee’s notes, scoring sheets and staff reports before any public hearing. The CRA scoring rubric, staff said, includes infrastructure categories described as “regional infrastructure” and lists examples such as regional water, sewer and stormwater systems, broadband backbone, energy grids and freight facilities.

Other procedural changes in the drafts are modest: PID policy edits aim to streamline application steps and add clarity, while both drafts explicitly state the commission’s participation is discretionary. Staff also proposed that amendments to existing CRAs follow the same policy path so changes to active agreements are reviewed consistently.

Staff said the draft policies will be circulated to commissioners and can be revised further before being scheduled for a public agenda. Commissioners suggested publishing the policies on the county website and sharing them with major local taxing entities, such as Weber Basin and local school and sewer districts, after final approval.

If commissioners direct staff to proceed, the next step would be distribution of the full draft to commissioners, additional review by the economic development finance committee if requested, and a public hearing on the final ordinance change.