Hi everyone and welcome back to another week of Summit County news here on Summit in Six. This week we’ll cover local results from the 2024 General Election, a quick update on last night’s Dakota Pacific Public Hearing, and more. Let’s get into the news!

General Election Results 

The 2024 General Election is over and, while results will not be certified until November 19, we have unofficial results updated as of November 7.

Three council seats were up for election this year, including Summit County Council Seat A where incumbent Roger Armstrong leads with 8,378 votes over Tory Welch, who currently has 6,670 votes.

Tonja Blonquist Hanson ran unopposed for Summit County Council Seat B.

Summit County Council Seat C, currently held by Malena Stevens, who did not run for reelection, has Megan McKenna in the lead at 8,028 votes and Ari Ionnides with 7,002 votes.

The County Assessor, Recorder, Sheriff, and Treasurer were also up for reelection. All incumbents in those offices ran unopposed for another term.

Other ballot initiatives, included Proposition 18, the “Emergency Services Sales Tax” currently with 10,885 votes for and 3,914 votes against.

The North Summit School Bond currently has 803 votes for and 1,057 votes against.

Just under 53% of registered voters in Summit County cast a ballot in this year’s election.

If you would like to see Summit County’s national, state and school district-level results, visit summitcountyutah.gov/elections. 

Results from the 2024 General Election are scheduled to be certified on Tuesday, November 19 at 4 p.m. during County Council. You can attend in-person at the Courthouse or watch online on Zoom or Facebook

Dakota Pacific Public Hearing 

Last night (November 7) the County Council held a public hearing on a proposed update to the Dakota Pacific development agreement which includes a potential public-private partnership between the County and the developer. Representatives from Dakota Pacific recapped the current proposal before members of the public shared their thoughts and input.

Now that Council has received feedback from the public, they will continue to meet with Dakota Pacific in council meetings to further discuss the proposal. Council Chair Malena Stevens explained that Council may vote to approve the development application as it stands, vote to approve it with changes or vote to deny it.

Ongoing discussions are currently scheduled for council meetings on November 13, November 20, and December 4. No date has been scheduled for Council to vote on the application at this time.

General Plan Updates  

There is still time to participate and provide input on the Snyderville Basin and Eastern Summit County General Plan updates. Last year, the community identified 5 objectives to guide future planning and decision-making across Summit County. Now these surveys will be used to determine when, where, and how these objectives should be implemented. 

Visit https://summitcounty.info/gpupdates to get started. Surveys are open for both the Snyderville Basin and Eastern Summit County now through December 2.

Be a Dark Sky Steward

Pollution of our natural environment is not limited to daytime hours only. Light pollution hinders access to viewing the starry night sky, and has negative impacts on our area’s beloved wildlife, human health and more. This is why your local leaders at both the city and county level have committed to encouraging dark sky-friendly lighting practices!

According to area development codes: by the end of this year, on December 31, 2024, all outdoor light bulbs in Park City and unincorporated Summit County must be 3,000 degrees Kelvin or less, and all outdoor lighting fixtures must be fully shielded and down-directed. If you have any questions about this ordinance, visit summitcounty.info/darkskies.

And if you want to dive even deeper on this topic, attend Recycle Utah’s next “Green Drinks” event on November 12 from 6-8pm at Park City Mountain’s Legacy Lodge. Attendees will hear from Axel Pearson of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory who will address the intersection of outdoor lighting and human health, energy efficiency opportunities and emerging research. Register for this event at recycleutah.org.