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Utah Senate Consents to Governor’s Appointments, Confirms Joel Ferry as State Water Agent
Summary
The Utah State Senate consented to multiple appointments transmitted by Gov. Spencer J. Cox, including Joel Ferry as state water agent; the confirmation included a waiver of the usual 30‑day notice and passed by voice/roll call with the clerk announcing 24 ayes, 0 nays and 4 absent.
The Utah State Senate met in its tenth extraordinary session and consented to a package of gubernatorial appointments, including naming Joel Ferry as the state water agent, the body announced.
The appointments were transmitted to the Senate in letters from Gov. Spencer J. Cox under Utah Code §§ 67‑1‑1 and 67‑1‑2. Staff read letters naming Kenneth Fleck and Alyssa Richards for reappointment to the Utah Geological Survey; David Loden to the Youth Parole Authority; Mara Brown to the Utah Communications Authority Board; and Joel Ferry for the newly created state water agent position.
A confirmation committee report told the Senate the committee had met to vet Joel Ferry and "found Director Ferry to be very qualified for this role." The report said Ferry will continue to serve as executive director of the Department of Natural Resources and "will not receive any additional pay for taking on the obligation as the state water agent," and that additional staff will be hired to help stand up the state water agent office. The committee also stated the 30‑day notification requirement for Ferry’s appointment was waived and that Senate leadership raised no objection to proceeding with confirmation.
Senator Buxton opened the session’s procedural business by moving that the Senate adopt the same rules used in the prior special session; that motion was adopted. Later, Senator Bramble moved that "the Senate consent to the appointments as read by the staff," which the Senate considered and put to a roll‑call vote. After the clerk called the roll and members registered their votes, the presiding officer announced, "With a vote of 24 ayes, 0 nays, and 4 being absent, the Senate consents to the appointments as recommended by the governor."
Committee reports accompanying the nominations were entered into the record: the Judiciary confirmation committee recommended David Loden for the Youth Parole Authority (signed by Senator Michael S. Kennedy); the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment confirmation committee recommended Joel Ferry as state water agent (signed by Senator Scott DeSando); and the Retirement and Independent Entities confirmation committee recommended Mara Brown to the Utah Communications Authority Board (signed by Senator Todd Wyler, acting chair).
After the confirmations, the Senate appointed a committee to notify the governor’s representative that the Senate had completed its business in the extraordinary session; that notification was reported as made. The session concluded when Senator Milner moved to adjourn sine die and the motion carried.
The Senate record shows the committee vetting, the waiver of the 30‑day notice for Joel Ferry’s appointment, the committee’s statement that Ferry will receive no additional pay for the water‑agent role, and the roll‑call confirmation result as announced on the floor. The transcript contains an internal inconsistency in earlier roll‑call counts (a separate earlier entry recorded a different presence/absence total), so the article reports the confirmation result as announced in the final tally in the transcript.
