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Deputy mayor briefs council on state bills of interest — housing, WUI, water and transportation fees among items tracked
Summary
Deputy Mayor Kim Bell briefed the Sandy City Council Feb. 4 on state legislation the city is tracking, including bills on short‑term rental zoning (HB 256), wildland‑urban interface modifications (HB 48), water conservation measures (HB 274) and transportation utility fees.
Sandy — Deputy Mayor Kim Bell provided the council a legislative update Feb. 4 summarizing bills under consideration that could affect the city this session.
Bell noted a range of bills the city is tracking. On housing and zoning she mentioned HB 198 (billboard relocation along the I‑15 corridor) and HB 256 (short‑term rental municipal zoning amendments by Rep. Walter) — the latter was described as a potential positive change that would give cities more authority to regulate STRs and rely on listing platforms as evidence that a use is permitted. Bell said the city’s position on HB 256 was supportive.
She identified HB 368 (local land use amendments) and said staff was reviewing language and coordinating with neighboring cities for potential amendments. On water bills she mentioned HB 274 (water amendments on tiered water rates and conservation) and said Sandy will monitor revenue‑use language to make sure enterprise fund practices are not constrained. Bell also noted HB 48 (wildland‑urban interface/WUI modifications) as a bill under discussion with fire chiefs; the bill would allow counties to assess fees to fund interface prevention and mitigation, and staff was working with fire leadership on Sandy’s position.
Bell said the city was watching transportation utility fee proposals (one by Senator Brammer that would exempt nonprofits and another by Rep. Peterson that would not), and that SB 154 (legislative auditing) had language under review to ensure it did not conflict with attorney‑client privilege. Bell said many bills were still pending positions and that the pace of committee and floor activity had increased.
Why it matters: The described bills touch on local regulation authority (STRs, land use), revenue and conservation policy (water, transportation fees) and wildland fire mitigation — matters that could affect city planning, budgets and local authority.
Next steps: Staff will continue to monitor and, where needed, seek sponsor amendments and coordination with other cities; Bell said the city may issue calls to action for timely items.
