Commissioner urges county to explain conditional‑use process as data‑center debate grows

At the Duchesne County Commission’s March 4 meeting, a commissioner urged the county to hire a public relations firm to help explain how conditional‑use permits and the appeals process work after public confusion and heated comment about a proposed data center project.

The commissioner told colleagues the public had been “so disrespectful” and said professional outreach could clarify what permits require and why particular conditions might be imposed. “I would suggest that maybe the county considered that we hire a public relation firm to be able to explain to the community what conditional use permits and plan is some way,” the commissioner said.

County staff said the developer’s team — which staff identified in the meeting as including a person named Jake — intends to hire its own public relations support. “I spoke with one person, Jake, from the data center on Friday morning, and he says that he and the team plan to hire a public relations department somebody,” a county staff member said, adding that the developer would also present information on water, energy and land use.

Commissioners and staff debated the proper role for county‑funded outreach. One commissioner cautioned against the county appearing to coordinate with the project’s PR effort and advised staying insulated from developer messaging while still providing neutral, factual education about the permitting process. A county official suggested producing a factual snapshot explaining the conditional‑use process and required approvals for residents.

The discussion noted that residents have appealed previous planning decisions and that confusion about what can be appealed fuels tensions. A commissioner argued residents need a clearer explanation of what conditions and appeals mean in practice, saying many people do not understand “what's required for a conditional use grant” and what later steps can change.

The commission did not take a formal vote to retain a firm or to alter the county’s communication policy at the meeting. Staff and commissioners discussed scheduling an informational session; staff referenced May 11 as a date for outreach and the agenda included a future public hearing on a temporary easement item. The meeting record shows no land‑use approvals or denials of the underlying data‑center proposal during this session.

Why it matters: The proposed data center project raised repeated questions about water, energy and land use across a large area; county outreach could shape public understanding of what local government can and cannot do about siting and appeals. Next steps recorded in the meeting included staff follow‑up on public education materials and a scheduled outreach/check‑in on May 11.

The commission proceeded to routine business after the discussion and did not take final action on the data‑center conditional‑use matter at this session.