Rush Valley council adopts Wildland-Urban Interface code required by House Bill 48

The Rush Valley Town Council voted Nov. 12 to adopt an ordinance implementing the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) code, a step council members said is required in part by House Bill 48 to access county and state wildfire-mitigation funding.

Council President (Speaker 1) stated at the start of the motion that “there's been a motion to adopt the ordinance adopting the wild land urban interface or WUI code” before calling the vote. Speaker 3 had moved to adopt the WUI code and the motion was seconded. During discussion, Speaker 5 explained that the model WUI code is split into zones based on fire danger and that “part of House Bill 48 requires each, town to adopt the Louisville” (verbatim from transcript). Council members said the ordinance must be in place before the start of the next year so the town can qualify for related funding and mapping updates.

After debate, Speaker 1 called for a vote. The motion passed on a roll call; Council member Albrecht voted yes, Councilman Gardner voted yes, Council member Harding voted yes, and Council member Lacey Burrows was recorded as excused/absent. Council members noted the adoption will be followed by adjustments to local map layers and implementation steps coordinated with county emergency management.

The ordinance adoption was described by council members as a prerequisite for financial stability tied to emergency management and to align the town with the state’s rollout of WUI requirements. The meeting record shows the council intends to refine map layers and other details in upcoming staff work sessions.

The council did not provide a formal ordinance number in the meeting minutes; follow-up materials from the town clerk or attorney are likely to show the ordinance text and effective date.