Wasatch County staff outline public-engagement plan and timeline for general plan rewrite

Wasatch County planning staff on Jan. 9 told the Planning Commission they are moving from data gathering toward broad public engagement for a countywide general plan rewrite, with drafting planned for spring 2026.

The countys communications director, Joan Gould, said the outreach strategy will pair education about what a general plan is with efforts to reach residents who do not normally participate. "The reason why we're going to do any type of messaging strategy is because we want the community to participate in the general plan," Gould said, urging use of staffed tables at libraries and senior centers, social media, on-site signage with QR codes and email collection to keep participants informed.

Austin (planning staff) told commissioners the team has completed an initial data phase and showed population and housing snapshots the county will use to frame public discussion. He cited 2022 Census estimates putting county population just under 37,000 and said projections now show the county will reach roughly 81,000 residents by mid-century. He also said net in-migration, not natural increase, has driven much of recent growth and that about 40% of county housing is secondary (seasonal) homes.

Staff proposed two rounds of engagement: an open-ended, imagination-driven first survey (for example, asking respondents to choose a 2050 "postcard" vision) followed by a deeper second survey addressing specific code-driven topics. Gould and Austin said the second survey would ask tradeoff questions on affordability, open space, density and traffic so respondents understand that choices on one issue affect others.

The presenters said they will seek direction from the County Council about scope and also asked the Planning Commission to review a draft survey in February. Austin noted some outreach funds may be available to contract survey specialists and commissioners urged staff to consider professional survey design to avoid leading questions. "Crafting the right questions and then deciding if you can put numbers to things so you can quantify data rather than ask people to write an essay," one commissioner said.

Staff emphasized timeline and limits: the draft plan will not be pre-formed, and staff said they are not drafting policy now but gathering data and public input first. The presenters proposed that a regional open house and at least two survey rounds be combined with existing commission meetings and targeted outreach to underrepresented groups.

Commissioners asked for clarification on who would be included. Gould said residents of incorporated cities can participate and submit surveys; staff said the countys general plan work will focus on unincorporated areas but that city residents are affected by county decisions and therefore will be included in outreach. Commissioners also recommended staff email commission members the draft materials for written feedback.

Staff said they will return with a draft survey for commission review in February and will continue refining outreach tactics and partnering with local organizations such as the Wasatch Community Foundation.