Copperton council agrees to draft donation policy, discusses park transfer and parks master plan liaison

Copperton Town Council members on May 20, 2026, directed staff to develop a formal donations policy and discussed ongoing negotiations with Salt Lake County over a possible transfer of Copperton Park.

Council Member Tessa Stitzer described recurring community requests, including funding requests from volunteer Bingham Firefighters for the July 4 race, and advocated for an objective, documented process. Town Attorney Nathan Bracken summarized best-practice guidance from the State Auditors Office, noting reporting requirements for donations (highlighting a reporting threshold at $25,000) and recommended a written policy, an application form and a simple agreement to ensure equity and transparency. The council agreed staff should prepare the materials and said the July 4 request could be approved at the June meeting pending required documentation; Clerk Diana Baun will supply Council Member Stitzer with the form for follow-up.

On parks, Bracken reported preliminary county proposals for a park transfer that could include reversionary clauses requiring perpetual park use; he recommended discussing negotiation strategy in closed session. MSD planning staff Daniele Benigni and Matt Starley summarized the regional Parks Master Plan work, capital-planning approach and level-of-service analysis. The council expressed interest in public workshops and designated Council Member Kathleen Bailey as the primary liaison to MSD planning staff.

Council actions at the meeting included a unanimous vote to appoint Council Member Bailey as liaison to staff regarding parks. The council also instructed legal counsel to draft a formal agenda-creation policy to improve packet timelines and adopted a structured submission schedule.