WFRC budget committee recommends release of draft FY27 goals, budget and UPWP for public comment

On March 19, 2026, the Wasatch Front Regional Council Budget Committee voted unanimously to recommend that the full council release the draft fiscal year 2027 goals, budget and unified planning work program for public comment.

Andrew Gruber, presenting the item for staff, told the committee the proposal is routine and contains no large or unusual changes: "there is nothing here in our view that is out of the ordinary or exciting," he said, adding the packet is intended for review and oversight before the council acts next Thursday and the committee returns in May for final action.

Marian Florence, who reviewed the budget documents, said the packet includes financial reports, bank statements and check registers "which is our practice," and stated that the materials show operations are on track. Staff emphasized the document is organized three ways — expenditures by category, by program and by revenue source — to make year-to-year comparisons clear.

Staff described the overall budget as stable while highlighting program-level shifts tied to concluded or scaled projects. According to the presentation, an adjustment in the contractual (project) line results in a decrease relative to last year's initial budget (from 12.2 to 10.6 in the same units used in the packet; the transcript did not specify units). Staff said the reduction mainly reflects winding down station-area planning, moving to year-by-year budgeting for a multi-year activity-based model project, and the completion of roadway safety audits. The consolidated planning grant (CPG), the council's core federal planning funding, was reported to grow about 3 percent.

On the revenue side, staff said federal sources account for roughly 75 percent of WFRC revenues and noted that the federal surface-transportation authorization expires Sept. 30, 2026. Gruber told the committee that current projections in Washington, D.C., suggested reauthorization may not be completed on time and that Congress could use a continuing resolution, while also stressing that year-to-year formula funding to metropolitan planning organizations has historically been stable.

Staff also summarized state and local partnerships and grants — including work with the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget, the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity and the Department of Commerce — and described the committee's established approach to county contributions, which uses a three-year CPI average; the presentation showed a calculated increase of 2.87 percent for next year.

After discussion and brief clarifying questions about budgeting and amendment timing, Commissioner Harvey moved to recommend that the council release the draft FY27 goals, budget and unified planning work program for public comment. Council Member Scott Wardle seconded the motion. The committee voted in favor and the motion passed unanimously. The committee noted the item will be presented as an abbreviated overview at the council meeting next Thursday, followed by the public comment period and a final council vote in May.

The committee received no public comments at the meeting and the executive director had no additional items. The chair adjourned the meeting.