Commissioners strike several agenda items, set closed meetings and hear victims-assistance grant update

At the close of its regular agenda, the Utah County Commission approved a set of procedural motions and heard a work-session briefing on victim services.

During general business, commissioners moved to strike regular agenda items 4, 8 and 11 from the agenda; those motions carried with recorded voice votes. The commission also approved scheduling two closed meetings: a strategy session to discuss the sale of real property, water rights or water shares, and a separate closed session to discuss the character, professional competence or health of one or more individuals; both closed meetings were set to occur following the remainder of the day's public agenda and work session.

In the work session, Bree (Victim Services) reported on the Sheriff's Office Victims Assistance Program and the BOCA grant. Staff said the program served 911 victims last year, of whom 771 were new clients, and provided 6,507 services total. The largest categories were domestic violence (346 victims) and child-abuse cases (189 victims). Bree highlighted several long-running prosecutions where program staff supported victims through court processes and said the program trained law enforcement on a lethality-assessment protocol that is scheduled to begin April 1.

During general public comment, Katie Matheson (communications director, Alliance for a Better Utah) urged commissioners to hold Commissioner Greg Graves accountable after the release of harassment claims and said elected leaders and the county GOP had called for his resignation; Matheson criticized continuing to compensate an elected official facing such allegations.

The meeting then recessed to closed session as announced by the chair.