Appropriations subcommittee approves voting packet, directs water-committee recommendations and reserves $840,000 for Garfield County trail work

The Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environmental Quality Appropriations Subcommittee approved its voting packet and a set of intent-language amendments during a meeting of the Utah Legislature subcommittee.

Chair Barlow opened the meeting and the panel took a series of unanimous votes to approve the minutes, fees tied to Senate Bill 8, a federal funds request, committee motions and multiple budget lines and technical reallocations. “I move to approve the fees for the Natural Resources Agriculture and Environmental Appropriations Subcommittee as included in Senate Bill 8, state agency fees and internal service fund rate authorization and appropriations,” Senator Hinkins said when moving one of the recorded motions.

The nut of the meeting was a set of intent-language changes. Representative Albrecht moved an amendment that would preserve $840,000 provided through the Department of Natural Resources, Division of Outdoor Recreation, capital item 197, chapter 47, Laws of Utah 2024, and direct that the money “does not lapse at the close of fiscal year 2025” and be used by the division to provide a direct-award grant of $840,000 to Garfield County in fiscal year 2026 for trail development and other infrastructure improvements benefiting off-highway-vehicle users near the Butch Cassidy State Monument. “Under the provisions of Utah Code Annotated, the legislature intends that the Department of Natural Resources use these funds to provide a direct award grant of 840,000 to Garfield County in fiscal year 2026 for trail development and other infrastructure improvements benefiting off highway vehicles in proximity to the Butch Cassidy State Monument,” Representative Albrecht said as he read the proposed intent language.

Separately, the subcommittee approved language directing the agricultural water optimization committee to recommend investment levels for each irrigation method or project type for remaining unencumbered agricultural water optimization funds and to present those recommendations to the subcommittee by June 1, 2025. “The legislature intends that the agricultural water optimization committee recommend investment levels for each irrigation method or project type for all unencumbered funds designated the agricultural water observation projects and present the recommendations to this subcommittee, by June first of 2025,” Representative Albrecht said when moving that amendment.

The panel also voted to require the Division of State Parks to report to the subcommittee, by June 1, 2025, a detailed summary of the information required in the statutory fee-reporting provision referenced during debate. The motion as moved said the Division of State Parks should report “a detailed summary of the following of the information required in 63J‑1‑504(1)(b) for each fee charged at every state park.”

Other items tied to the voting packet were approved without discussion: technical changes and reallocations, requests from non‑general fund sources, one‑time internally funded items, new one‑time general fund requests, ongoing internally funded items and the priority list for ongoing general fund requests. Each motion was called, met with an “aye,” and was recorded by the chair as carried unanimously; the transcript records no roll‑call vote counts.

Most motions were procedural and passed with no recorded debate. The subcommittee set two reporting deadlines — both June 1, 2025 — that will require follow‑up by the agricultural water optimization committee and the Division of State Parks. The $840,000 direct‑award grant provision names Garfield County and the Butch Cassidy State Monument as the locus for trail and infrastructure work and is written as intent language rather than a lump‑sum appropriation taken immediately from the floor of the subcommittee.

The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn, which passed unanimously.