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Lundin family raises NRCS funding, access and livestock-liability concerns; council continues preservation documents
Summary
The Lundin family asked the council to address federal (NRCS) restrictions, access widths, building-envelope limits and liability for livestock before finalizing documents to preserve their property as open space; the council voted to continue the item and draft a new document to protect funding and the family’s agricultural operations.
City Attorney Corbin Gordon presented revised documents related to preserving the Lundin property at 900 West Bigler Lane and explained constraints on emergency-access easement width, removal of trail language from the conservation easement and proposed new language referencing the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Gordon said an 11-foot emergency-access width was being considered in places where a 20-foot width would require cutting into the hillside and vegetation. He also said the property was vested under Wasatch County Code and that the city had proposed indemnity language for the Lundins related to trail and access.
Lundin family member Nora Lundin told the council the family had worked for six years to preserve the property and listed several concerns: NRCS prohibits new roads on conserved open space and limits building envelopes to roughly 2% of the land area; the family understood $7.5 million in funding was needed for preservation and that Wasatch County would not allow a loan; Midway Irrigation Company easements complicate fence and trail placement; an access of only nine feet might be permitted without improvements; wildlife use and vegetation limitations constrain ranching operations; and the family feared liability if off-trail dogs harmed their livestock, citing a recent incident in which a resident’s four sheep were killed by a dog.
Council members and staff discussed whether a trail and emergency access should be abandoned if NRCS funding would be prohibited, whether the city could or should maintain trails, and how to balance taxpayer value with continuing farming operations. Mayor Craig Simons said Lundin concerns should be noted and addressed; Council Member JC Simonsen moved to continue the item and direct staff to prepare a new document that addressed both Lundin family concerns and the city’s objectives while protecting federal funding and allowing continued agricultural operations. Council Member Lisa Orme seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Why it matters The Lundin property preservation involves federal funding conditions (NRCS), easement design and landowner liability concerns; resolving those issues is necessary before the city finalizes conservation documents or an access/trail alignment that could affect funding eligibility or the family’s agricultural use.
What’s next City staff and the city attorney will work with the Lundin family to produce a revised document that clarifies permitted access, trail design, liability protections and the relationship to NRCS conditions and will return the item to the council for further action.
