The Emery County Commissioners met in the Emery County Administration Building on Tuesday, Sept. 3 for the regularly scheduled County Commission Meeting. On the agenda, this go around were items including a presentation from the Southeast Utah Health Department regarding the Onbox and Harm Reduction Program and the start of an annexation process into the Castle Valley Special Service District for parts of the county that were unincorporated.
Getting things started on the agenda, the Commissioners were set to vote on the ratification of the fiscal year 2025 Rural County Grant Application. This grant is awarded through the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, with Commissioner Jordan Leonard explaining that the purpose of this grant is to help bolster economic development in the county. Commissioner Leonard also explained that $115,000 had been allocated into a business matching grant, which would have allocations including $55,000 for potential economic development contracts or developers to help the county and $10,000 going toward the junior entrepreneur program. Following this explanation, the Commissioners approved this item unanimously.
Next was Jacob Sharp, the district manager of the Castle Valley Special Service District, presenting to the commissioners about beginning the annexation process for several unincorporated parts of towns throughout the county. Sharp explained that there were several properties throughout the county that fell within city limits and were paying city taxes, but not the district tax. The proposed annexation would bring these properties into the service district.
This process would not take place immediately, before anything could happen the county would have to hold public hearings. Following the public comment period, the Commissioners would be able to vote to either approve or deny the annexation. After listening to the comments from Sharp, the Commissioners voted to begin the annexation process.
Following this, Taylor Cook and Michelle Ward from the Southeastern Utah Health Department presented to the Commissioners the ONEbox Program and Harm Reduction Program that is being implemented across the county. Cook explained that she describes harm reduction as,” to be any effort to minimize harm during any particular activity. So Using a car seat for a child in a car is considered harm reduction.” The specific harm reduction the SEUHD is trying to implement aims to reduce the harms of drug use. This includes hygiene kits for patients, food, clothing and needle disposal.
The ONEbox Program comes into the equation by being placed in high foot traffic areas such as schools, recreational complexes and potentially administration buildings. These boxes contain Naloxone, as well as instructions on how to properly use it. Cook and Ward demonstrated the box and showed the written instructions and the feature that sets the box apart which is a recording in both English and Spanish which walks the user through how to properly use the medication.
Emery County Sheriff Tyson Huntington also spoke out in support of the program,” We’ve spent some time together and talked about Harm reduction in our County. And I must say that I think these gals would do anything that helps with harm reduction.” He continued,” I will always have my concern of people using naloxone as a designated driver to get as messed up as they can, knowing that naloxone will bring it back, but that’s my world. This is not their world. Their world is to help whoever it is, no matter what.”
Next on the agenda was an agreement between the Emery County Business Chamber and Emery County regarding a deal for the Business Chamber to take over the old Weed and Mosquito Department building to be used as a small business incubator. The goal behind this would be to provide businesses with a place to start up, and if the business is successful it would have the opportunity to either move to its own building or pay rent to stay in its current location. Patsy Stoddard from the Business Chamber explained that rent would be specific to the business that came in, but the building’s previous tenants were paying $1,000 a month. After this, the Commissioners approved the agreement in a 3-0 vote.
Following this on the Agenda was a memorandum of understanding between the Emery County Sheriff’s Office and the Utah Attorney General’s Office for the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) program. Sheriff Huntington explained that this would give the county their own ICAC task force instead of having to rely on other counties for assistance. “There is no cost from the county to participate in this,” explained Huntington,” In fact, the Attorney General’s office will offer money for training and provide training for those that become a part of this task force.” The Commissioners moved to vote and the memorandum was approved unopposed.
After this the Commissioners voted on several grants, the first being the acceptance of the Emergency Management Performance Grant for $44,000 and the application for the JAG-Local Law Enforcement Block Grant for $4,500.00. Both were approved by the Commissioners.
Next was the potential approval of the Fiscal Year 2025 Utah Victim Services Program Certified Assurances documentation regarding funding for Victims Advocate Services in Emery County. Vanessa Justesen spoke to the commission and explained that this funding was necessary in applying for other grants to help further the victim’s advocate services within the county. After the explanation, the item was approved.
The last agenda item was to establish the disbursement of state payment in lieu of taxes funds to the special service district. The main changes were explained by Commissioner Keven Jensen, with Commissioner Leonards’s district needing more funding going from $45,000 to $60,000. EMS lost some money which was originally supposed to go to hiring a full-time coordinator, but the service was doing fine with a part-time coordinator so that funding went from $110,000 to 75,000. All three Commissioners voted to ratify this disbursement. Following this the meeting was adjourned.
The Emery County Commission meets biweekly, with their next meeting being scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 3 p.m. in the Emery County Administration building.