Hey everyone! Welcome back to another week of news here on Summit in Six. Today, we dive into another legislative update, highlight adoptable animals at the Summit County Animal Shelter, and share some exciting volunteer-related news items. Alright, let’s get into the news! 

TOPIC 1: Legislative Update 

We are wrapping up week 5 of the Utah Legislature’s 2025 General Session. Deputy County Manager, Janna Young, was back in front of the County Council this week to discuss key bills Summit County is monitoring. We’ll discuss one of those bills here today, but if you want to listen to Janna’s full recap, please visit summitcounty.info/councilrecording. 

The main discussion regarding the Legislative Session at this week’s County Council meeting was about House Bill 356 which requires Counties with a Council-Manager form of government, like Cache County and Summit County, to have at least 65% of Council Members each representing a single district rather than be elected at-large. In Summit County, all of our County Council Members are elected at-large. 

As Summit County understands the bill language at this time, HB356 would mean that all five current county council member’s terms would end on December 31, 2026, and five newly elected council members would begin their terms on January 1, 2027. 

As we understand it, this bill intends to bring a stronger voice to rural parts of counties. However, the council pointed out that with at-large seats it is more likely to have broader representation. 

We’ll keep our listeners updated on this bill as it continues to move through the session. 

As a reminder, the General Session runs until March 7 which is one week away! Every week of the session, we’ll remind our listeners that you can watch the 2025 legislative session in real time through the online tool at le.utah.gov. Click on the “calendar” button then the desired meeting and the committee webpage will have links to materials and the audio/video recording. 

You can also follow individual bills and receive email alerts whenever action is taken on the measure. To sign up for alerts, visit le.utah.gov and click on the “Bills” tab at the top of the page to perform a bill request or keyword search. Once you’ve located the desired bill, click “Track this” or “Email notification.” The website for each bill also provides the bill text, status information, audio/video of any committee hearings or floor debates, and details on the bill sponsor.

TOPIC 2: Adoptable Pets

Summit County Animal Control would like to invite you to their shelter to visit with some of their current residents! These pups are all super sweet and would love to find their fur-ever homes. Come on by the shelter at 1745 S Hoytsville Road and meet any one (or all!) of these sweet animals that could be your new best friend. No appointment is necessary! Our shelter hours are Monday – Saturday: 10:30am-4:30pm. Questions? Call (435) 615-3985 or visit summitcountyutah.gov/animalcontrol. 

TOPIC 3: Volunteer Spotlight

We wanted to take a moment to share a VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT from our Senior Citizens Department! Meet Kate and Gale Pace! This husband and wife duo are the ultimate volunteers. Two times a week they pick up a Summit County resident at 5:30 am to drive them to their medical appointment. They wait five hours while the individual completes their appointment, then they take them home. In 2023 they made 87 trips for seniors in need of transportation to a medical appointment, and in 2024 they made 148 trips! Isn’t that amazing?!

That is just one of the many examples of Kate and Gale’s service to others. Thank you for supporting our community! If you are a Summit County resident and need a ride to a medical appointment, please reach out to our Senior Citizen Services department to inquire about the availability of volunteer drivers. We are always looking for MORE volunteer drivers to apply! For info about both our driving resources and volunteering, call: 435-336-3014 or visit summitcountyutah.gov/seniors. 

TOPIC 4: Volunteer Opportunities – Eastern Summit County Planning Commission

The Summit County Council is seeking two individuals to serve on the Eastern Summit County Planning Commission. The Commission meets on the first and third Thursday of each month.

 Interested citizens must be residents of the Eastern Summit County planning district for at least one year before appointment. The Commission’s role is to hear land use proposals and adhere to the Eastern Summit County Development Code.

A vacancy is published after a current member’s term expires. If eligible, the member can reapply. All term-expired members are eligible to reapply.

Interested applicants must submit their online application at: summitcounty.info/volunteer. For further information contact: Peter Barnes at 435-336-3129. The deadline for applications is 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, 2025.