City attorney outlines election rules for candidates and employees; council hears public questions about campaign pledge and signage

Lynn Pace, Sandy City Attorney, briefed the council on April 1 about applicable rules on municipal elections and employee political activity ahead of the upcoming local campaign season. The presentation summarized state law, recent legislative changes, and internal practices staff should follow when candidates or employees request city information or use city resources.

Key legal guidance Pace gave the council and staff

- City property and equipment: State law forbids using city property, city‑provided phones, computers, email or office space for campaign purposes. Pace advised candidates and city employees not to conduct campaign business on city equipment or on city time.

- City time and employee participation: City employees may not use city time to participate in campaigns; statute permits employees to use their lunch hour off the premises for political activity. Elected officials should clearly separate city duties from campaign activity and avoid mixing the two at public events.

- Public materials and recent state law (House Bill 551): Pace described a new state law enacted in the last legislative session that restricts certain mass communications in the 60 days before a primary or general election. The bill prohibits billboards and mailed mass communications within that 60‑day window that prominently feature a candidate’s photo or name (or use a font size larger than other content). A “mass communication” is defined as printed material mailed to more than 500 recipients in a calendar year (cumulative). Pace noted the law applies to mailed materials; posting the same content online is not covered by the bill’s printed‑mail threshold.

- Use of staff and requests for information: City departments should treat candidate requests for information consistently. If a request is campaign‑related, staff should decline to perform campaign research on city time and may instead provide the information through formal public‑records procedures.

- Endorsements and uniforms: Employees and officials retain personal political rights but should avoid implying city endorsement. Pace warned that city employees should not appear in official uniforms in campaign photos, and candidates should not use city staff or resources to promote a campaign.

- Ballot names and affidavit requirement: A recently enacted law requires that a candidate’s name appear on the ballot as the legal name unless the candidate files an affidavit and signatures showing they are commonly known by a different name.

Council members and staff asked clarifying operational questions; Pace recommended staff consult the written FAQ he circulated. He also advised departments to ask requesters whether materials are for campaign or city purposes and to use that answer to guide compliance.

Public comments

During public comment, resident Craig Ulrich asked about language on the city’s election website stating “candidates may begin campaigning unofficially now” and raised concerns about signs already placed that he said belonged to Mayor Monica Zoltanski. Ulrich referenced Resolution 23‑05c (Sandy City pledge for fair campaign practices) and asked how voluntary pledges and signage should be handled in practice. Patricia Jones, another public commenter, addressed trade and tariffs in the broader public‑comment period and expressed support for national trade policies; her remarks were outside the attorney briefing but part of the same public comment period.

No enforcement actions were taken at the meeting; Pace instructed staff and council on how to avoid violations and to follow the statute and recent legislative changes when city resources or mass mailings are involved.