Santaquin approves wildland-fire cooperative agreement, staff says city will meet 2026 commitment mostly with in-kind services

Santaquin’s City Council on Feb. 17 approved a five‑year cooperative agreement with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands that designates the city as an initial response partner for wildland fires and outlines prevention, mitigation and preparedness duties.

Chris (speaker 8) described the agreement as a renewal of a prior arrangement that had expired and explained the state assesses a fee to participating municipalities based on acreage and other factors. He told the council the city’s assessed participation had been reduced from roughly $15,000 in an earlier year to a lower amount and said the city’s 2026 portion can be met through in‑kind services. At one point in the discussion staff stated the 2026 assessment as $85.58.

Council members raised concerns about Wildland‑Urban Interface (WUI) response and whether county or federal authorities have previously delayed or stopped city firefighting efforts on incidents outside municipal boundaries. Multiple council members asked staff for a report on those interagency response issues; Chris said he would raise the concerns with Chief Lind.

The council moved and seconded approval of City Resolution 02022026 (the cooperative agreement) and a related participation commitment, and the motions passed.

Council members thanked the fire chief and staff for negotiating a lower assessed amount and asked staff to continue seeking efficiencies and clarifications regarding response roles with county and federal partners.