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State lawmakers preview session to Bountiful council; housing reforms and budget cuts top list
Summary
Representatives Ray Ward and Melissa Garth Ballard told the Bountiful City Council their caucus will focus on cost-of-living measures, public safety, housing reforms and constrained state budgets; Ward is proposing a streamlined permitting path for small 'starter homes' and both legislators invited local input at upcoming town halls.
Representatives Ray Ward and Melissa Garth Ballard briefed the Bountiful City Council during a work session ahead of the 45-day legislative session and asked for local feedback on bills that will affect cities.
Ward said the South Davis delegation will hold several town halls during the session and urged residents to attend and submit concise written concerns. He framed the session as a difficult budget year because of slow revenue growth and federal tax changes that "the net effect of that is an addition is a $300,000,000 tax cut to the state budget," a constraint that, he said, will require offsets or cuts for any new spending.
Ballard, representing parts of South Bountiful, North Salt Lake and Woods Cross, described caucus priorities that include lowering property costs, protecting children, public safety, and restoring the Great Salt Lake. On homelessness she said officials are discussing accountability models and treatment, adding, "We don't want a bus stop," describing opposition to out‑of‑state relocation strategies that rely on one-way transportation.
Ward previewed a housing bill intended to make small-lot and starter-home construction easier. Under his description, a prospective builder could notify the city of an intention to build a starter home (defined as sold to its first owner for less than the county-area mean home price) and, if the city does not act within a fixed period, the use could become a permitted use; starter homes would be deed‑restricted owner-occupied for two years. Ward said the approach is meant to lower land and entry costs while preserving cities' ultimate authority to deny projects.
Both lawmakers encouraged city staff and council members to provide targeted, suggested edits to bills rather than only objections. Ballard said she and Ward are open to specific language changes and that staff materials, including brief visuals, would be persuasive when discussing local impacts.
The council thanked the legislators and noted it will continue communicating through the League of Cities and Towns and its legislative policy committee.
