Box Elder withdraws interest in state prison RFI after community feedback

City staff told the Box Elder City Council on July 1 that the city has formally rescinded its response to a state "prison reset" request for information (RFI).

Sean Overrinder, economic and community development director, said the city submitted a response to the RFI but received substantial community feedback after the submittal. He said city staff and council had considered the project as a potential driver for jobs and regional economic activity but that public input raised concerns about alignment with community priorities and the local workforce’s ability to support projected job numbers. "It's become clear that pursuing a prison is not aligned with what the community wants," Overrinder said, and staff rescinded the response on June 27 at 11:27 a.m., "and pulled our interest in exploring it further."

Overrinder said the city had been working on a short timeline to meet RFI deadlines and had intended to present a decision to the council by July 8 if interest continued. After the rescission, no formal vote was recorded on the topic; the announcement was presented as an informational update.

Council members and staff did not record an alternative proposal; the matter was withdrawn from further city pursuit at this time.