At a Nov. 18 Santaquin City Council work session, city staff laid out next steps tied to House Bill 48, the state's Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) legislation, and urged the council to prepare to adopt a local WUI code and WUI boundary map before the end of the year.

City managers and fire staff told the council the bill has three components: a state-led rulemaking that will identify high-risk structures and establish a state fee; a state-derived high-risk map that the state will use to assess that fee; and a city-level requirement to adopt a WUI boundary and a local WUI code. "We're being forced as a city'and all cities'to adopt a WUI code and a WUI map by December 31," the city manager said, adding that the rulemaking remains unfinished and that staff have received conflicting information from state representatives.

The staff presentation highlighted two practical concerns: the state intends to assess an annual fee on structures it designates as high risk (staff said early estimates discussed in briefings ranged from about $20 to $100 in 2026 and could scale by structure size in 2027), and the state may not release the high-risk map to cities until Jan. 1 or Jan. 2. "They won't show us that map until January," a fire official said; staff warned there appears to be limited appeal process for properties once the state designation is published.

Staff recommended the council adopt the 2006 WUI code, the version currently adopted at the state level, rather than newer model codes (2021 or 2024) until the Legislature and state agencies finalize rulemaking. The fire staff explained the 2006 code focuses on "home hardening" measures'roof and siding materials, enclosure of eaves and other construction details'while noting later codes include additional measures such as required sprinklers.

Officials described the Participation Commitment (PC) statement, the document cities use to record mitigation work that the state uses for reimbursement and liability calculations. Staff said Santaquin's PC work and appeals experience has been inconsistent: the city once appealed a PC rating (the city referenced a PC value near $16,000 in prior work) and received little formal guidance from the division. Staff warned that failing to adopt a local code and map could expose the city to liability and risk losing the state's cost-sharing for large wildfire response.

The meeting produced no final vote. Instead, staff said they will return with two action items for council consideration on either Dec. 2 or Dec. 16: (1) adopt a local WUI code (staff recommended the 2006 WUI code) and (2) adopt a city-defined WUI boundary map. "It's a lose-lose," the city manager said of the bill as written, while adding that staff will continue to press state officials and the Home Builders Association for changes. The council asked staff to continue refining the draft map and to provide more clarity on appeals, fee calculations, and which state map will be used.

The next procedural step is for staff to circulate the code text and a finer-grained draft boundary map in advance of the Dec. 2 or Dec. 16 meeting where the council will consider formal adoption.