Hey everyone! Welcome back to another week of news here on Summit in Six! If you’ve ever wondered how things like fighting fire and community water supply are managed at the county level, then do we have the episode for you! We also announce a great new way to weigh in on local issues and an opportunity to do a bit of water conservation in your own backyard.

Alright, let’s get into the news!

TOPIC 1: FIRE AND WATER SPECIAL DISTRICT DEEPDIVE

The public portion of Wednesday’s county council meeting kicked things off with a request from the Park City Fire District to approve a contract for their new fire chief. Council members, in their role as the Governing Board of the fire district, heard from the chair of the fire district’s administrative board and the outgoing fire chief.

Okay, hold on Ammon. That’s a lot of organizations and titles you just mentioned. Can we take a step back and explain how the county council and the fire district are connected?

First, it’s important to understand the difference between a fire department and a fire district. A fire department typically serves the needs of an individual city or a collection of cities, but their operations are restricted essentially to the city limits.

A fire district typically serves a large area encompassing several communities and/or unincorporated land between communities. Fire departments get their funding through taxes collected by the city, whereas fire districts are funded through property taxes within their boundaries (typically overseen at the county level).

So Park City Fire District serves more than just the city?

Exactly. In addition to Park City proper, the fire district serves Jeremy Ranch, Pinebrook, Snyderville, Summit Park, Silver Summit, Promontory, and more. It protects more than 110 square miles and helps with more than just fires.

So, back to the council meeting, what did they need from the county councilors?

Members of the Summit County Council also serve as the governing board of the Park City Fire District. Since they disburse funds to the district, they also approve major hires — in this case, a new fire chief.

After a thorough interview process, the administrative board (made up of community residents) made a recommendation to promote the current deputy chief, Peter Emery. Emery has been with the Park City Fire District for over 16 years, and received a strong recommendation from outgoing Chief Bob Zanetti.

The council members approved the employment contract for Emery, and thanked Zanetti for his 36 years of service with the Park City Fire District. Emery will take the helm as fire chief on May 1, 2025.

There were a couple more employment-related topics raised at the council meeting. Following the fire folks, the council heard from Peter Andrew Garland, General Manager for the Mountain Regional Water Special Service District.

As a reminder, the water district serves the needs of thousands of county residents in unincorporated communities — similar to the fire district. The Mountain Regional Water District employs over 30 people and manages:

• 
  
• 130 miles of water lines
  
• 19 groundwater wells
  
• 140 pumps to move water across steep terrain
  

The county council oversees the budget and hiring for the water district’s chief official. The councilors thanked Garland for his 3 years of service with the county and unanimously brought him back for another 3 years by approving his new contract.

TOPIC 2: FLASHVOTE MAKES CIVIC ENGAGEMENT A CINCH

Do you have about a minute a month to help make Summit County better?

We’re teaming up with FlashVote to share resident priorities with elected officials. You can make your voice heard by signing up to receive 1-minute surveys by email, text, or phone call: civic participation has never been easier! Once you sign up, you’ll receive a notification whenever there is a new survey. After 48 hours, the survey is closed and all participants will receive a summary of the results and be able to see how your responses compare to the group.

If you’re worried about privacy: we’ve got good news! Your responses are anonymous: FlashVote will not share any personal or demographic information with the county.

You can sign up now at: flashvote.com/summitcounty or call 775-235-2240 to participate by phone or text only. Some county residents may also receive a text from FlashVote directly with an invitation to sign up. If you would like to share your thoughts, we encourage you to participate.

The first survey is coming soon, so sign up now!

TOPIC 3: REDUCED COST RAIN BARRELS AVAILABLE WHILE SUPPLIES LAST

April’s showers may have all been snow so far, but with temperatures expected to rise in the next week we could see rain with the next storm system. If you want to keep your “May flowers” watered and prepare for the dry months of June, July, and beyond, you may want to consider a rain barrel!

The Utah Rivers Council is partnering with Summit County to offer a limited number of heavily discounted rain barrels as part of the RainHarvest program. Through the program, Utah residents can play a direct role in water conservation by storing runoff from their gutters in rain barrels, then watering their gardens and landscaping with the stored water during dry spells.

Participating in the RainHarvest program also helps protect Utah’s waterways from polluted runoff during storm events and reduces demand on local water systems. That means more clean water in our aquifers, reservoirs, and rivers. 

You can go to summitcounty.info/rainbarrel25 to order a barrel at a reduced-cost of $57 while supplies last. Once the subsidized barrels run out, $85 rain barrels are available for purchase by any member of the public. 

After purchase, barrels will be distributed at a one-day in-person event in early May. Rain barrels will not be shipped to residents.