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Fairfield adopts updated landscape ordinance; council discusses hiring town planner and fee updates
Summary
The Town Council unanimously adopted Ordinance 2026-04 updating landscape requirements, reviewed plans to hire a contract town planner to clarify conditional use permit procedures, and continued review of a revised fee schedule ahead of June 24 consideration.
Fairfield’s Town Council on May 13 adopted changes to the municipal landscape code and discussed steps to modernize land-use procedures and town fees.
Ordinance 2026-04 (Title 10.19), which updates landscape definitions and standards, was presented by Attorney Brad Christopherson after extensive Planning Commission review and public hearings. Christopherson recommended consolidating enforcement language into a general enforcement section of the Town Code so landscape enforcement is consistent with other code requirements. Mayor Hollie McKinney emphasized the ordinance is prospective and will not impose new requirements on existing homes or businesses. The ordinance passed unanimously.
The council also considered hiring a contract town planner. Attorney Christopherson introduced Jim Spung, a candidate with previous experience as a senior planner in Taylorsville and as a municipal consultant. Spung described a scope-driven approach to code updates and said his work typically includes review of existing regulations, reorganization of confusing procedures, and drafting clear application processes and decision standards. He proposed prioritizing Title 10 and conditional use permit procedures — the Town has a temporary moratorium on conditional use permits pending clearer standards — and gave sample rates of $250 per hour for complex code consulting and $165 per hour for standard contract planner services. Council members supported moving forward with professional planning assistance and asked that project scopes and budgets be provided before assignments begin.
Separately, Recorder Stephanie Shelley and Treasurer Codi Butterfield reviewed proposed revisions to the Town’s fee schedule, including updated business licensing and building permit fees (many permit-review charges are pass-through payments to outside engineering firms), new certificates-of-occupancy and tenant improvement fees, proposed road-use/traffic control fees for detours, and park rental and nonresident use considerations. Council members discussed whether to restrict or charge higher fees for nonresident organized sports use to avoid overuse of local fields. The fee schedule review will continue ahead of the June 24 council meeting.
Mayor McKinney also reported that American Legal is preparing a consolidated Town Code to incorporate recent ordinances into a single updated code book expected within about two weeks; she urged council members to review it once distributed.
The meeting included public comments thanking the Council for community events and offering faith-leader outreach, and a Sheriff’s Department update that noted a recent bomb threat (investigated and determined unfounded) at the QTS Data Center. The council recessed for a closed session to discuss litigation strategy and adjourned after returning to open session.
The council plans continued review of the fee schedule and finalization of planning contract scopes before the June 24 meeting, which is scheduled to facilitate budget adoption and other outstanding items.
