Committee plans mailing to gateway landowners; council review and legal check requested

The committee continued a multi‑month discussion about identifying gateway parcels and notifying landowners about the county’s conservation program. Staff presented a narrowed mailing list focused on visible gateway parcels from Sardine Canyon and several valley‑edge properties between Hiram and Nibley.

Why it matters: the outreach would notify property owners about voluntary conservation options that could protect scenic views and link open space, but some county council members have previously raised concerns about perceived favoritism if outreach appeared to target particular owners. Committee members requested a legal review of the proposed letter and indicated they would present the outreach plan to the county council before mailing.

Nut graf: Staff recommended a targeted mailing to about nine or ten property owners visible from the gateway corridor; the committee agreed to circulate a letter draft to county legal staff and to coordinate with the new council liaison, Councilman Keegan Garrity, before sending mailings.

Details

Staff said the mailing list was created from parcel- and viewshed-mapping and includes both large and small holdings; the presenter noted that a few parcels that produce the valley view are on the county’s map even though they fall outside the immediate gateway proximity metric and recommended including those in outreach. One staff member noted duplicates in the dataset that would reduce the final mail count.

Council relations and legal review

Committee members discussed recent council interest in the gateway program and said several council members want to review outreach language prior to distribution. Staff advised sending the draft letter to county legal and requested direction on timing for a council presentation; the committee said it expected to seek placement on a county council agenda and to refine the letter in response to legal and council feedback.

Quotes

Presenter (staff): “So with these, I would suggest that we would include these in a mailing, to make them aware of the program.”

Committee chair/staff: “...there's a transition from Councilwoman Pews to the new council member. Keegan. Keegan. Thank you. Garrity. So Councilman Garrity is going to be our liaison to the council.”

Ending

Staff will circulate a draft letter to legal and the committee for review and will coordinate with the county director’s office to request a council agenda slot; the committee agreed outreach should emphasize that the program is open to any landowner and not a promise of funding.