Davis COG retains winter overflow task force after state law changes; appoints nonvoting COG designees

The Davis County Council of Governments voted to continue its winter overflow (code blue) task force and to appoint several nonvoting COG designees after staff reviewed recent state legislation that changed how counties must plan for winter shelters.

A county staff member summarized two bills passed in the most recent legislative session. House Bill 329 (referred to in the meeting as Clancy’s bill) created a shelter counties advisory board for counties with year‑round shelters, allowed homeless housing‑restricted accounts to pay transportation costs for individuals with support networks outside Utah, altered how task force members are selected and added shelter safety measures such as bag checks and searches of belongings. House Bill 505 (Eliason) further revised task force composition rules—reducing the number of required individuals with lived experience—and required more methodical, documented site‑selection processes that consider objective data like point‑in‑time counts, transit proximity and facility upgrades. A proposed code‑red bill (SSB 182) that would have created a summer heat advisory did not pass.

Staff said the statute now requires counties to document a plan by Aug. 1 and gives the local task force an advisory role to the homeless services board on winter shelter needs and sites. The meeting clarified that Davis County does not operate a year‑round shelter and that, if a local plan is rejected by the state, the state can become involved in site selection.

Council members debated the task force’s past effectiveness and agreed to keep the group in place for the upcoming season. The voting membership named in the meeting includes mayors and the county commissioner; staff read a recommended slate of nonvoting COG appointees: Curtis Koch (Davis County Controller), Nell Geddes (Davis County Chief Civil Attorney), Bridil/Bridal Hatch (Davis County Health Department director), Shail Flores (Davis County Economic Development director), Ryan Seungold (Davis County grant administrator) and Justin Lee (Utah League of Cities and Towns). The council approved the recommended nonvoting appointees; the motion carried after a roll call that included at least one opposed vote.

Staff said the task force will later appoint two representatives from the local homeless council, one individual with lived experience of homelessness and one public safety representative, as required by statute. The county’s winter planning will include newly mandated safety checks for shelters and a documented, objective approach to choosing winter shelter sites.

The COG asked staff to provide the current membership roster and to convene the task force to complete statutory appointments and any other outstanding implementation tasks.