Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sitla Promise Rock topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County officials outline proposed state bill to allow local designation of historic sites after Promise Rock sale
Summary
Commissioners said they are working with state representatives and SITLA on legislation that would let each county and city designate up to two historic sites (up to 300 acres each) to protect places such as Promise Rock; bill would sunset after two years, county said.
Garfield County commissioners described legislative work with state Representative Carl Albrecht and SITLA (School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration) aimed at giving counties and cities a mechanism to protect locally important historic sites following the recent listing of Promise Rock for sale.
Commissioners said the draft language being discussed would allow each county and each city, in cooperation with counties, to identify up to two locations per county for designation as historic sites. The proposal discussed in the meeting would allow up to 300 acres per site and would include a two-year sunset clause. Commissioners said the designation would require proof of cultural, customary or heritage ties for each site. The county’s discussion said the legislative language would not, according to SITLA representatives, remove the monetary value of the land under the Utah constitution; land could still be monetized by exchange or sale as required by state law.
Commissioners said SITLA agreed to work with counties when the bill is introduced and that local officials had pressed SITLA to consult communities before listing properties for sale. Commissioner comments at the meeting suggested the Promise Rock buyer had offered an easement of roughly 120 acres for a buffer around the rock, but commissioners said the final outcome remained to be determined.
Why it matters: The proposal would create a short-term, county-level pathway to recognize and protect local historic places that counties say were overlooked when SITLA placed certain properties on the market. It seeks to balance historic protection with constitutional limits on state trust lands.
What was not decided: Commissioners said the bill had not yet been introduced and that whether Promise Rock would be permanently protected remained uncertain.
Ending: County officials said they will continue working with state legislators and SITLA on final bill language and will keep local officials and residents informed.
