Granite County commission study panel approves tentative report, schedules April 29 public hearing with expert

The Granite County Local Government Study Commission voted unanimously to approve a tentative report for public posting and scheduled a public hearing for April 29 at which election-law adviser Dan Clark will join by Zoom to answer public and commission questions.

The draft report would place a primary question on the ballot asking whether voters want to adopt the commission form of government. If adopted, the ballot could include sub-options such as reducing county commissioner terms from six years to four and, possibly, whether commissioner elections should be partisan or nonpartisan. "We would have one main ballot item simply asking should the county adopt the commission form of government, and then there could be one or two sub-options below that," Secretary Luke Kulitowski said while presenting the draft.

Kulitowski said the survey of 304 respondents showed a clear preference for shorter commissioner terms: 194 supported lowering terms, 98 opposed and 12 did not vote on that question. Responses on nonpartisan elections were nearly split: 141 favored nonpartisan contests, 152 opposed and 11 did not vote. "With something that close, one is, you know, put in a tough spot whether to put it on the ballot now or later," he said.

Commissioners debated whether to recommend adding the partisan-versus-nonpartisan question to the same ballot. Some members argued a second question could "muddy the waters" for voters already deciding whether to change the form of government; others said presenting both could increase public engagement. The commission ultimately moved to table the partisan/nonpartisan recommendation until the April 29 hearing so members could hear Dan Clark’s guidance and public comment.

Public visitor Christie Mainwaring, who identified herself as a long-time county resident and chair of the Granite County Hospital District Board, told the commission the study-commission process had been confusing and hampered participation. "The process has been confusing for many people, which has led to a lack of public participation," she said, urging clearer outreach.

Commissioners also discussed how much procedural detail to include in the tentative report. Some urged inserting specific meeting dates and outreach steps to demonstrate the commission’s public engagement; others said lengthy chronologies would make the report unwieldy and preferred concise text with references to minutes and appendices. Chair Brian Sun apologized for a missed newspaper notice of a previous meeting and pledged to improve public notices for the next hearing.

The commission voted to post the tentative report on the Granite County website to allow the public to review and file comments before the April 29 hearing. The panel confirmed that the April 29 session is a required public hearing; Dan Clark will attend by Zoom and offer comment, but no formal decisions will be made at that hearing. Commissioners said they will consider any public input and Clark’s guidance before finalizing the report and any recommended ballot language.

Motions recorded during the meeting included approval of prior minutes (February 11 minutes carried 2–1; March minutes approved) and the unanimous vote to post the tentative report for public comment. The commission noted the filing deadline for the final report is August 10.

The commission set its next meeting and public hearing for 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, and adjourned.