Granite County study commission sets outreach plan, timeline for public hearings

Granite County Study Commission convened March 20 at the Granite County Courthouse and approved the Jan. 16 minutes before spending the meeting on a public-outreach plan for the commission’s local-government review.

The commission agreed to use printed questionnaire cards, physical drop boxes at county locations and online materials on the county website to gather input from residents, county employees and elected officials; to ask the county clerk and recorder to handle formal meeting notices; and to schedule a public information session by the Institute trainers (Dan Clark or Ashley) followed by a public hearing set for June 19.

Why it matters: The commission is charged with researching local forms of government and presenting options to voters. The outreach choices set at this meeting — where to place questionnaires and how to post recordings and notices — determine how widely residents and municipal or county staff will see the materials and therefore influence participation in the two‑year study process.

Most important decisions and next steps

- Meeting schedule and public hearing: The commission set its next regular meeting for April 17 at 7 p.m. and agreed a public hearing would be held June 19. Committee members instructed staff to publish a timetable in the local paper on April 3 and April 10; the paper deadline for that publication is March 27. For the June hearing, publication dates were set for June 5 and June 12, with materials due to the paper by May 29.

- Outreach tools: Commissioners approved distributing a short, printed questionnaire to the public and to government employees/elected officials, and placing anonymous drop boxes at county locations (for example, the courthouse) and at partner locations in towns that participate in the county study. The commission will compile returned cards, compute simple percentages of responses, and bring results back for discussion at future meetings.

- Website and recordings: The group clarified roles for making material publicly accessible. Miranda (county staff) will post agendas and, where feasible, recordings on the county website; Sarah Graham, clerk and recorder, is the point for formal legal notices and for keeping official records. The commission agreed to ask Miranda to host meeting audio on the Granite County site until the commission’s own site is fully operational.

- Public education and outside trainer: Commissioners agreed to invite Dan Clark (institute trainer who previously led the commission’s training) to present a public information session for residents and municipal partners, timed for May or June depending on his availability. Members discussed structuring the event to limit lecture length and reserve time for questions, and noted the trainer’s fee referenced in the meeting materials (about $105) should be covered from the study commission’s training budget.

Legal/process clarifications and follow-up

Commissioners discussed open‑meetings requirements and the commission’s relationship with county officials. The group read aloud guidance from their training materials advising that meeting scheduling and notices be coordinated through the clerk and recorder; members resolved to route legal or formal questions through the chair so they can be forwarded to the county attorney for formal legal advice.

What was discussion and what was decided

Discussion: Members debated whether to delay the first public hearing until after outreach materials and the educational session are available, whether questionnaires for the public should be identical to those sent to elected officials and employees, and how to coordinate scheduling and costs with the town of Phillipsburg.

Direction/assignments: The commission directed staff to prepare the questionnaire cards for review at the April meeting, to place drop boxes between April and May, to contact Dan Clark about availability and cost, to ask Miranda to post meeting audio on the county site, and to submit the April 3/10 notice to the local paper by March 27.

Formal actions: The body approved the Jan. 16 meeting minutes by voice vote (ayes recorded; names not recorded in the transcript) and later approved a motion to adjourn; both were carried by voice votes.

Local context and logistics

Commissioners emphasized nonthreatening, anonymous collection methods to encourage county employees and residents to respond. They discussed having boxes or cards available at municipal sites (Phillipsburg was discussed as a partner), and agreed the questionnaire card should be short and include space for optional comments. County staff will compile returns and report summarized results to the commission.

What remains unresolved

- Exact wording of the questionnaire cards (to be finalized at the April meeting). - Trainer scheduling: Dan Clark’s availability will determine whether the public education session occurs in May or June. - Posting and publication logistics: The clerk and recorder (Sarah Graham), the website lead (Miranda) and the newspaper contact (Julie List for advertising) will finalize processes; commission members will confirm deadlines and costs with county finance staff before publication.

The commission adjourned after setting the April 17 meeting and the outreach timetable. The body will compile questionnaire responses and return to the question of the public hearing date and trainer briefing at its April meeting.