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Kane County Commission creates Vermillion Cliff Special Service District for fire response
Summary
The Kane County Commission unanimously adopted Resolution 2025-12 to form the Vermillion Cliff Special Service District to provide fire response east of Kanab; the commission will serve as the initial governing board until elections in 2026.
The Kane County Commission unanimously adopted Resolution 2025-12 on April 29, 2025, creating the Vermillion Cliff Special Service District to provide fire-response services for an area east of Kanab.
The resolution establishes the commission as the district's interim governing board until district elections can be held in 2026 and instructs county officials to take “all necessary actions” to form the district. The district is intended to cover the area also referred to in the hearing as Willow Reserve Estates (Knapp 600) and related properties.
Commission members noted the vote followed a public hearing on Feb. 27, 2025, and a town-hall outreach. County staff reported on formal protests against forming the district. The county received 38 registered-voter protests; the protest met the acreage threshold (7,736.913 acres protested versus a required 6,173.348 acres) but did not meet the property-value threshold. County staff reported the protested parcels had a combined assessed value of $50,305,122, compared with the $57,858,965.55 value threshold required to sustain the protest — a shortfall of $7,553,843.55.
Commissioners said they remain undecided on a final fee structure for the district and described public feedback favoring a variable assessment (for example, based on taxable assessed value) rather than a flat-per-parcel fee such as a $300 flat charge. Commissioners said they expect to involve ranchers and other residents in further discussions to reach a fair and equitable funding mechanism.
Speakers at the meeting emphasized that the district's services include wildland initial attack as well as structural fire response and that many of the initial responses in unincorporated areas are provided by districts or departments rather than the county directly. The Commission called the $50,000 feasibility study (considered separately on the agenda) a complementary step toward countywide planning.
The motion to adopt Resolution 2025-12 passed unanimously. The county will complete state filings to finalize the district.
