Wasatch Front Regional Council endorses staff positions, urges members to engage in 2026 session

The Wasatch Front Regional Council on Jan. 22 endorsed staff‑recommended positions in its bill tracker as the Utah Legislature entered its 2026 general session, and heard short previews of the session from Sen. Wayne Harper and Rep. Ariel DeFe.

Mayor Dawn Ramsey opened the meeting and turned to state lawmakers who were joining online. Sen. Wayne Harper, who chairs the Senate transportation committee, said the session was moving quickly and that lawmakers would prioritize transit funding and road maintenance while managing the state budget impacts from recent federal tax changes. "Our budget is healthy," Harper said, "but...there's a big impact to the state revenues" following recent federal tax actions, and he encouraged members to "stay involved."

Rep. Ariel DeFe said cost of living and property-tax measures were at the top of the House’s agenda and flagged a wave of bills on public infrastructure districts (PIDs), economic development and housing. "We are looking at some bills on how the state can partner with cities to increase infrastructure to unlock more housing," DeFe said.

Miranda Jones Cox, WFRC’s government affairs director, summarized staff priorities and technical support for lawmakers. She listed topics of interest to the region including housing‑program reorganization (consolidating some state housing programs at the governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity), proposals to support regional infrastructure to unlock housing, renewed discussion of a transportation utility fee (TUF), and efforts to restore Local Administrative Adviser (LAA) program funding that provides technical assistance to smaller municipalities. Jones Cox also noted the legislature’s exercise of a 5% across‑the‑board budget reduction and said many WFRC positions remain "TBD" because the session had just begun.

After the briefing, the council moved to ratify WFRC staff’s recommended positions in the bill tracker. The motion (made by Mayor Zolpanski, seconded by Mayor Tammy Tran) passed by voice vote.

WFRC invited members to weekly legislative meetings at the Capitol on Thursdays at 8 a.m. during session and pointed members to the organization’s bill tracker and weekly updates for staff‑recommended positions and further analysis.

The council’s next regular meeting is March 26, 2026; WFRC staff said it will continue to brief members as bills develop.