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State officials tell Box Elder County participation cost in Cooperative Wildfire System rose to about $1.3M
Summary
A state forestry manager said a calculation error and CPI changes raised the county's 2025 participation-commitment estimate from roughly $750,000 to about $1,300,000; commissioners accepted the updated CWPP/CWS program.
Tracy Swenson, area manager for Bear River Area Forestry and State Lands, told the commission that changes to the Cooperative Wildfire System (CWS) calculation and inflation-related adjustments raised Box Elder County's estimated participation commitment for 2025 from about $750,000 to roughly $1,300,000.
Swenson said the program's previous calculations had inappropriately included federal acres; removing those acres reduced the divisor and raised the county's assessed share. She also cited CPI and other annual adjustments as contributors to the increase. Swenson acknowledged the jump is "significant" and noted the county is mid‑budget cycle; she said the state still wants to partner with Box Elder County and emphasized the program functions as a form of wildfire cost-sharing.
Commissioners pressed for the reason for the change; Swenson said the error was across the program and that the updated figure reflects corrected participation commitments. Commissioners voted to accept the current CWPP/CWS agreement. "Last year, the commitment was about $750,000 roughly. It's 1,300,000 for 2025," Swenson said during the presentation.
