Laketown adopts Wildland-Urban Interface code and signs five-year fire-preparedness agreement

Laketown’s Town Council unanimously adopted Ordinance 2026-01 on May 6, 2026, enacting a local Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) code and approved a five-year cooperative agreement with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (FFSL) to coordinate wildfire prevention and response.

The move follows a presentation by Fire Warden Travis Hobbs, who described the Community Fire Preparedness Plan as a living document that the town may update as conditions change. “This is a living document and can be changed as needed,” Hobbs said, urging the council to adopt both the plan and the cooperative agreement to formalize mutual aid and prevention work.

The council also amended the town’s WUI map to remove Last Chance Subdivision and the area around the cemetery from the highest-risk (red) zone, after Planning & Zoning held a public hearing with no public comments. Mayor Brandon Willis asked the town attorney to ensure public-utility easements and rights of way remain protected where the map was adjusted.

Council members voted without objection to adopt Ordinance 2026-01 and to allow the mayor to sign the FFSL cooperative agreement. Council Member Denise Johnson made the motion to approve the ordinance; Council Member Kirsten Gash seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.

Why it matters: the WUI code and cooperative agreement formalize Laketown’s role in regional wildfire preparedness and create a framework for joint planning, fuels mitigation and shared response actions with state forestry resources. Travis Hobbs will update and deliver the revised WUI map to the town clerk for recordkeeping.

Next steps: the town will file the signed cooperative agreement and the amended map with municipal records; P&Z and the fire warden will continue to refine plan details as the “living document” is updated.