Hey everyone! Welcome back to another week of news here on Summit in Six! We’ve got the latest from the week’s county council meeting, as well as a heads up about grant fund availability and the Weed of the Month!

Alright, let’s get into the news!

TOPIC 1: County Council Repeals Ordinance 987, Reviews Redistricting Map

At Wednesday’s county council meeting, councilmembers voted to repeal Ordinance 987 — the original approval granted by the council to Dakota Pacific for its development proposal in Kimball Junction. The council’s vote to repeal was made in order to remove an “orphan ordinance” or in other words a local law that no longer has effect.

The repeal was first considered by council members two weeks ago, but council members opted to wait until a district judge ruled on a legal case involving Ordinance 987, a resident’s petition opposing the ordinance, and the related legislation passed by the state through Senate Bill 26. Judge Richard Mrazik ultimately ruled the legal case for the petition moot as S.B. 26 supersedes the ordinance and lays out an entirely different approval process for developments.

Council members expressed that they hoped the judge’s ruling would address the referendum process more specifically and provide answers to all the parties involved in litigation related to the petition. However, since that was not addressed, the council members chose to proceed with the repeal and take Ordinance 987 off the books.

Earlier in the same meeting, council members also heard from Malena Stevens, the chair for the redistricting commission charged with drawing boundary lines for county council elections moving forward. Stevens presented a map approved by the commission that divides the county into 5 regions roughly equal in population.

The final map has only a 3.6% standard deviation between the populations of each district: which is narrower than the requirement outlined by the statute. However, some council members took issue with the division of some communities along boundary lines: particularly the shift of one Pinebrook neighborhood away from its neighbors.
However, Dave Thomas, the county’s chief civil deputy, clarified that the redistricting commission members are bound by the requirements set out in the bill — but as long as their map fits those requirements the county council is obliged to approve the map.

The presentation of the final map kicks off a 30-day window where the county must hold a public hearing and then vote to approve the map or send it back for revisions. The public hearing will be held before October 3, but a specific date has not been selected yet.

TOPIC 2: UDOT Makes Its Choice For the Future of Kimball Junction

Also on Wednesday, the Utah Department of Transportation published its final environmental impact statement for road improvements at the I-80/SR-224 interchange in Kimball Junction. UDOT issued a record of decision selecting “Alternative C” as its preferred plan moving forward.

“Alternative C,” one of two finalists from an initial field of 30 plans, was chosen as the “winner,” because, according to UDOT, Alternative C offers:

• The greatest reduction in travel delay and faster travel speeds in the study area during AM & PM peak periods.
• All intersections in the study area would operate at acceptable levels of service.
• The shortest I-80 off-ramp vehicle queue lengths.
• A more reasonable expenditure of funds for the anticipated benefits.

The final design focuses on spot improvements to select intersections and adding turn lanes in critical locations. The plan also proposes an underpass beneath SR-224 for pedestrian use and new bike lanes and trail connections for active transportation.

It is projected to cost $48.5 million in 2026 dollars, though it will likely be several years before all the proposed improvements are complete. The next step involves UDOT obtaining all necessary permits and approvals to proceed with construction. If you’d like to stay in the know or get all the finer details for UDOT’s evaluation and decision making, visit kimballjunctioneis.udot.utah.gov.

TOPIC 3: Rural County Grant Program

Do you own or manage a business in Summit County? You may want to look into the Rural County Grant Program, which supports the economic development of Utah’s rural areas.

Some of the needs the rural county grant program is intended to support include:

• Business recruitment, development and expansion
• Workforce training and development
• And infrastructure or capital facilities improvements

The rural county grant program is a reimbursement grant and requires a 40% match. Job creation and retention is a required element for the use of these grant funds. These funding opportunities are limited, so get your applications in ASAP (before September 30, 2025) if you think your business or organization would be a good match.

Learn more at: summitcounty.info/ruralgrant.

TOPIC 4: Weed of the Month — Spotted Knapweed

Up next is a segment we like to call Weeds of the Month! In studio with us today is Summit County Weed Enforcement Officer, Dan Pena, to talk about Spotted Knapweed. So, Dan, why is it important to talk about Spotted Knapweed right now?

So on most years this is the time you’d treat for Spotted Knapweed. It’s in full flower. It’s a perennial plant, so when I say it’s the best time, you’re trying to get down into those roots.

And what is the best way to get down into those roots?

A herbicide offers some of the best results on Spotted Knapweed. There are other methods you can use like hand pulling, you just need to make sure you get most of the root. If not, they come back with a vengeance.

We certainly don’t want that, so it sounds like herbicide might be the best way to control this plant. Is there a way people can get the herbicide?

We sell all the herbicide at our county building at cost, so it’s probably the cheapest you can find around. We also have loaner equipment available for the public to use for up to two weeks and then we’ll start harassing you to get our equipment back.

And, that’s for free right?

Yes, free of charge. Two weeks.

Awesome. All the information you’ll need on the rental equipment can be found at bit.ly/sprayrentals. So, Dan, where can our listeners go if they want even more information on Spotted Knapweed?

Go to summitcounty.info/idweeds. There’s really good pictures and descriptions of the plant. You can also look at our Summit County Weed Books. We offer those out to the public. You can get one when you come pick up a piece of equipment or if you see us out in the community ask us for a book and we’ll usually have a few on hand!

That’s awesome. I definitely lean on that summitcounty.info/idweeds page a lot. Dan and his team have done a really great job at making that robust resource for our community. Dan, anything else you want to add?

Like I said, we’re always ready to talk to our community and help you find the best solution for your property – wether thats herbicide, hand pulling or tillage, or more creative solutions like biocontrol, grazing, and so much more. Please reach out anytime or stop by the shop.

I can speak from first hand experience this team is a GREAT resource for you to take advantage of if you have noxious weeds on your property. They’ve taught me so much!

We are really focused on education and helping our community. In fact, twice a year, we host a Community Noxious Weeds Tour, visiting sites around Summit County to show how to identify and control specific weeds. Partners like Swaner, Basin Rec, USU Extension, and Utah’s biocontrol expert, Amber Mendenhall, join us. It’s a great event for residents to join because noxious weeds are a community challenge, and we’re tackling them together.

The Community Noxious Weeds Tour is my favorite event of the year! Our next one is TOMORROW, Saturday, September 6. If our listeners want more information on that tour, visit summitcounty.info/weedstour25. Alright, I think that’s it for now. Thanks for being here today, Dan, and for sharing all your knowledge on noxious weeds.