Mayor and staff reported that a federal bill has been prepared to support the Upper Price River Watershed Project and would transfer 124 acres of Bureau of Land Management land to the city of Price for public uses including water infrastructure and related improvements. The transfer, officials said, is intended to allow the city to complete construction of the Lower Price River Reservoir and to reroute Consumers Road around the site.

The mayor said Congressman Kennedy helped put the bill together and that the project has public statements of support from U.S. Sen. Mike Lee and Sen. Mike Curtis. The mayor summarized those remarks as endorsing years of planning and describing the project as a local, practical solution to secure water for homes, farms and businesses across the region.

Council members asked whether the reservoir would include recreational amenities. City staff responded that Miles and city staff, with 4 Hawks Engineering, had assembled a grant for about $3.2 million to $3.5 million toward the recreational side; staff also said the total recreational component is estimated at about $10 million. Staff indicated there will be a recreational component but did not provide a final design or construction schedule during the workshop.

City staff and the mayor described the transfer as limited to public purposes; they also said completing the reservoir will require rerouting the adjacent road. No formal vote or final agreement on the land transfer appeared on the workshop agenda or in the discussion recorded in the transcript. Staff invited additional counsel, questions and future council consideration as the city continues to coordinate with federal and state partners.

Planning and financing steps, and whether recreation will be open to the public under any conditions attached to the transfer, were discussed but not decided. Councilors asked practical follow-ups and received staff assurances that the recreation grant work is underway. The meeting did not record a formal council action to approve the land transfer or the recreational budget; staff described ongoing grant and legislative work to advance the project.