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RDA board approves amended grant terms for Big O Tires and Lock It Up Storage, sets June 2027 deadline
Summary
The North Ogden Redevelopment Agency approved staff-recommended amendments giving two prior RDA awardees — Big O Tires and Lock It Up Storage — flexibility to repurpose funds; the board attached a completion deadline of June 30, 2027 and approved the change 3–2 after extended public comment from the Big O owner.
The North Ogden Redevelopment Agency on June 8 approved amendments to prior grant awards for Big O Tires and Lock It Up Storage, attaching a June 30, 2027 completion deadline intended to give the businesses flexibility to use previously allocated money for alternate site improvements.
Staff presented the amendments as a way to ensure awarded RDA money is spent on projects that will deliver visible improvements while avoiding funds sitting unused on the city’s books. Scott Heser, the city’s community and economic development director, described the proposed changes as a staff recommendation and said they would allow each business to pivot to other eligible work if the original projects could not proceed as planned.
Why it matters: The awards are funded through RDA tax-increment financing, which staff said must be prudently managed after the RDA formally sunset at the end of 2024. Finance staff warned the board that state-auditor review and statutorily prescribed timeframes make it risky to leave substantial RDA balances uncommitted.
Owner’s plea: Jason Westbrook, owner of Big O Tires, told the board he had been attempting to complete a parking-lot expansion since 2024 and described a sequence of permitting delays, UDOT requirements and water-rights issues that made meeting a June 30 spending deadline impossible. "I've been trying for two and a half years to get this passed," Westbrook said, describing the project as critical to his business and employees. He urged the board to allow more time to finish the original project rather than requiring an immediate pivot.
Board debate and vote: Board members weighed two objectives — preserving the original economic-development intent of the grants (Big O’s parking-lot expansion scored highly in the original rubric) while avoiding funds remaining on the books indefinitely. Some members argued approving the staff amendments would let projects proceed and reduce administrative risk; others wanted to preserve the original project scopes. After extended discussion, the board approved the staff-recommended amendments with an explicit completion date of June 30, 2027. The roll-call vote recorded Board member Watson — No; Board member Dalpaz — Yes; Board member Pulver — Yes; Board member Neighbor — No; Board member Carney — Yes. The motion passed 3–2.
Next steps: Staff will administer the amended grants and work with the awardees on milestone timelines and required permits (including Army Corps/DNR encroachment or stocking permits for stream-adjacent work). The RDA board and staff cautioned that while they set a municipal deadline, ultimate allowances could be influenced by state‑auditor determinations and by permit outcomes.
Sources: Staff presentation and board discussion at the June 8 meeting; testimony from Jason Westbrook. The RDA board’s action is recorded as a motion approving staff’s proposed grant amendments with the stated June 30, 2027 completion date.
