UC3 presents to Sunset City Council on preserving local decision-making

Sarah Davenport-Smith, managing director of the Utah Coalition of Cities and Counties (UC3), briefed the Sunset City Council on June 2 about UC3’s mission and services designed to help local governments respond to changes in state policy and shifts in local authority.

Davenport-Smith described UC3 as an association that combines constitutional and authority analysis with practical implementation support, offering legal consultation hours, policy analysis, webinars and in-person training. She said UC3 had held three webinars earlier in the year and planned a fourth in August, with additional in-person training slated for 2027.

Davenport-Smith drew the Council’s attention to distributed materials: a legislative wrap-up focusing on housing, transportation and water, a policy brief concerning the Davis Data Center and information on authority districts and data center development. She said UC3’s methodology is grounded in the U.S. and Utah constitutions and case law and emphasized helping local leaders preserve decision-making authority where permitted.

Mayor Scott Wiggill confirmed the City has a MIDA (authority district) board representative and noted the material about authority districts would be relevant as the City’s involvement evolves. When asked about cost, Davenport-Smith said the presentation itself was free but membership typically uses a formula tied to a city’s general fund and that an estimated legal services package was about $1,400; she invited the Council to follow up with questions.

Council members thanked Davenport-Smith for the presentation and said they would review the packet.