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Davis County commissioners say they have not authorized funding for proposed SwitchPoint shelter amid public confusion
Summary
Public commentators pressed the commission over statements by Utah homeless coordinator Wayne Niederhauser that the county was "driving" a shelter purchase. Commissioners said SwitchPoint made the offer, the state asked the county to review the site, and no county funds have been authorized.
Commissioners of the Davis County Commission told residents on Sept. 3 that the commission has not authorized county funding for a proposed SwitchPoint homeless shelter and clarified the county’s limited role after public concern that the commission was driving the purchase.
"We have not authorized any money, to go towards this," an unidentified commissioner said, adding that the county has approximately $1,000,000 in ARPA funds that could be available but that using those funds would require county ownership of a facility and would not mean the county would operate it.
During the public-comment period, Seth Bracken of North Salt Lake asked why Wayne Niederhauser, the state homeless coordinator, had said the purchase "is being driven and supported by the Davis County Commission." Bracken asked whether commissioners had met with Niederhauser or otherwise signaled formal support. The commissioner responded that SwitchPoint put down earnest money and approached the state, the state invited county staff to view the building and asked whether the county would want to participate financially; the county has not voted to fund the project.
Wilson Mulder, also of North Salt Lake, asked whether Davis County could be in noncompliance with a referenced statute (spoken as "Utah 35-a-16-502") and pressed for clarity about SwitchPoint’s actions and whether the agency had independently attempted to buy a $4.5 million property. The commission replied that SwitchPoint made the offer and put $100,000 in earnest money for the purchase, that the state subsequently contacted the county, and that any suggestion the commission had already committed funds is incorrect.
Commission staff and a commissioner also said the county’s task force had submitted a year-round plan that the state rejected; once that plan was rejected, authority shifts back to the state. Staff distributed a handout summarizing the 2023 law and 2024 clarifications to help answer legal questions brought up during public comment.
The commission emphasized they had not placed any funding authorization on the agenda and encouraged residents to attend a North Salt Lake City Council meeting scheduled that evening. Commissioners said the state will consider the matter next Thursday and that county officials would continue to engage as requested by the state or local partners.
