Division receives 34 FY26 OHV grant applications totaling roughly $2.6M; staff flags several large or unusual requests for review

The Division of Outdoor Recreation reported to the OHV Advisory Council on Aug. 6 that 34 applications were submitted for the FY26 cycle, requesting a combined total of about $2.6 million; staff assigned reviewers and asked council members to notify staff of conflicts.

Why it matters: A handful of applications either require legal eligibility checks or exceed flat-rate thresholds and thus will be reviewed in more detail and may require applicant presentations to justify higher costs.

Rachel Toker said the division received 34 applications totaling roughly $2,600,000 and that staff had assigned reviewers based on background and geography. She asked council members to report conflicts and to request reassignment if they wished to review a different application.

Staff highlighted specific items: Duck Creek Village Legacy — staff said they were checking eligibility and were working with county officials and the attorney general's office because the applicant's eligibility may depend on whether a county will take the project on; Toker said that could change the application's eligibility status. She asked reviewers to note that determination.

Toker also called attention to three OHV tourism applications that appear virtually identical and likely come from the same contractor offering website and marketing work to multiple counties; she flagged those as a potential trend to monitor.

Search-and-rescue (SAR) requests drew attention. Staff said applications include requests for drones that may exceed the division's flat-rate allowance. Toker said any application with costs above the flat rate will be asked to present and may be asked for a short justification. Toker also noted an increase in e-bike requests and said staff interpret an e-bike as a motorized machine if it exceeds 750 watts.

Large trailwork requests also made the list: one Wayne County trail project exceeds the $50,000 flat rate and will likely require a short presentation; Salt Lake County submitted a SAR application that would also exceed usual flat-rate drone allowances. Council members suggested that all council members review large proposals and that staff circulate full application folders to the council for deeper review.

Toker reiterated the timeline: reviewers' comments are due Aug. 18, the packet will be sent Aug. 19, and the advisory council meeting to finalize recommendations is planned in late August (staff proposed a full-day meeting at Utah Lake State Park). After council recommendations, staff will forward recommendations to division and department directors and, on approval, contracts generally go out within one to two weeks.

No formal actions were taken on applications at the meeting; staff said some applicants may be invited to present if discretionary items exceed flat-rate limits.