This week we’ll talk about: 

• Important information for the 2022 Primary Election
  
• The fire outlook through August 2022 
  
• Updates on the Pinebrook Townhomes Project
  
• Restaurant Tax 2022 grant recipients
  

ELECTION INFO. 

Alright! First up we want to take a moment to talk about the upcoming Primary Election, which is happening in just two and a half weeks (on June 28)!  

Ballots were mailed out to Summit County voters earlier this week (on June 7) and should be arriving in mailboxes this weekend or early next week!  

As a reminder: There will be a Republican Primary for one of the U.S. Senate Seats, U.S. House Districts 1 and 3, and State House District 4. There will also be a Nonpartisan Primary for South Summit School Board Seat No. 5 and Park City School Board Seat No. 4.  

Check back next week for a rundown on deadlines for returning completed ballots in the mail or via drop box, as well as in-person voting locations and hours!  

In the meantime you can find a complete guide to the 2022 Primary Election at bit.ly/SCprimary22.  

FIRE OUTLOOK

Moving onto some fire-related news. Summit County’s Fire Warden, Bryce Boyer, and Emergency Manager, Kathryn McMullin, were in front of the Council this week to talk about the fire outlook through August 2022 for Summit County. Here’s what they shared…

We had a wetter spring, which has led to more fine fuels, like grasses for example, than we saw last year. The increase in fine fuels creates a much higher chance for a fire to start and travel.  

In addition, despite a wetter spring, temperatures are expected to move above normal, the rain is expected to drop off to below normal level, and winds are expected to be increasing in the coming summer months. This combination will quickly dry out and cure the fuels and may lead to a higher than normal fire danger and growth as we move into late June and July. 

Bryce also mentioned that he will be monitoring whether or not the monsoon season comes in dry or wet. Because there is normally a fair amount of lighting associated with monsoon season, if it comes in dry that would heighten the likelihood of a fire to start and increase the fire’s spread potential.  

Finally, you may notice reservoirs are full right now but as the temperature does continue to rise their levels will drop quickly. A reminder that we are still in a drought and the demand for water downstream, lowers the reservoirs in this higher area.  

With this fire outlook, elected officials are continuously watching fire conditions and monitoring where they are headed so they can best be prepared for what fire restrictions are appropriate to put in place and when it is appropriate to put them in place.  

You can sign up to receive alerts about when fire restrictions are put in place here in the County at summitcounty.org/notifyme. Scroll to Alert Center and select “fire restrictions” to receive email or text alerts. UTAHFIREINFO.gov is a good statewide resource.  

PINEBROOK TOWNHOMES PROJECT 

Up next, the Council also received a briefing from staff and the applicant on a rezone and conditional use permit proposal for a Pinebrook Townhomes project – a 22-unit affordable housing project on Pinebrook Road. 

This was not scheduled for a public hearing yet, so Council did not make any formal decision on the proposal.  The Council discussed their initial impressions of the project to give the applicant and staff direction as to next steps. Ultimately, some expressed a desire to finalize the Moderate Income Housing Plan due at the beginning of October (as required by House Bill 462) before making decisions on any affordable housing projects. 

The individual Council members did provide feedback to the applicant on what could make this project more applicable to the provisions for zoning changes in the general plan. The Council also noted the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission’s negative recommendation on the proposal. 

The developer does reserve the right to get on Council’s agenda to hold a public hearing in the future, but can also modify the project before it is brought back for feedback. Before the Council makes any decision on this rezone request, there will be a public hearing scheduled so stay tuned for more information on this project.

 RESTAURANT TAX GRANTS

And, finally, The Restaurant Tax Advisory Committee presented their 2022 grant recommendations to the Council at this week’s meeting. 

For some context, there were $4m in grant requests from 40 applicants, and just short of $3m was available to award. The committee came to their recommendations after a process that involved six meetings and interviews with each of the 40 applicants.  

Council approved the Committee’s recommendations. To view a full list of funding allocations, visit summitcounty.org and find the news spotlight right there on the homepage!