Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Planning General Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Duchesne County selects Sunrise Engineering to lead general-plan overhaul after debate over local knowledge
Summary
Planning staff reviewed three proposals and recommended Logan Simpson for planning expertise, but commissioners raised concerns about a cookie‑cutter approach and chose Sunrise Engineering instead, citing local familiarity with the Uinta Basin.
The Duchesne County Commission voted Oct. 28 to hire Sunrise Engineering to lead an overhaul of the county general plan after reviewing three proposals from Sunrise Engineering, Logan Simpson Design and Jones & DeMille.
Planning staff initially recommended Logan Simpson for its planning expertise, noting planners’ familiarity with statewide best practices. Mike Godfrey, a planning staff member, said the proposals were compared with a rubric and Logan Simpson "came to the top" in staff scoring. But commissioners and others raised concerns that one proposal relied on examples from other Utah counties and did not sufficiently address Duchesne County’s unique Uinta Basin circumstances.
Commissioner Killian questioned whether Logan Simpson’s materials spoke to Duchesne specifically, saying staff observed "they didn't talk about Duchesne County" and that the proposal "got into some oldness and everything." Commissioner Miles warned against a generic approach, saying he feared "just changing the name on the plan and then submitting it back to us" if the county chose an outside firm without local connections.
Supporters of a local firm argued that Sunrise and Jones & DeMille bring more in-region knowledge: planners noted Sunrise had recently hired a planner from Vernal and that both local firms have invested in planning capacity. After discussion, Commissioner Miles moved to accept Sunrise Engineering’s proposal; the motion passed unanimously.
Staff said the general-plan project will include public outreach, population projections, and required state plan elements such as land use and housing. The commission emphasized engagement with local stakeholders, planners and the planning commission during the update. The county’s engineer of record, Jones & DeMille, will remain a partner and is expected to provide input on transportation and road-impact elements.
