By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News
The Emery County Board of Commissioners gathered on Tuesday, March 4, for their biweekly meeting. Highlights of the agenda this go-around included the acceptance of a long-awaited land donation, the purchase of new patrol cars for the Sheriff’s Office, and a resolution opposing solar technology being placed on state and federal Lands in Emery County.
First on the docket was an agreement between the towns of Emery County and the County to administer the 2025 municipal elections. Clerk/Auditor Brenda Tuttle explained that this agreement left the individual cities responsible for monitoring public notices, candidate applications and other such items but that the county would take the lead on counting ballots. This saves the cities money while also streamlining the election process. The motion was made to approve the agreement, which passed unanimously.
Next on the agenda was the approval of the Utah Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness grant, which the Emery County Sheriff’s Office applied for. “This is the grant we’ve applied for the last 15 years,” explained Sheriff Tyson Huntington. The total award, I think, is $3200, and it’s an 80/20 split.”
This grant is used to purchase supplies to help with emergency planning. When put to a vote, the Commissioners voted in favor of the grant’s acceptance 3-0.
Following this, the Commissioners looked to accept a 116-acre land donation near Woodside. Although the deal had been completed, Commissioner Keven Jensen expressed concern about the handling of the transfer and the work it created for the county:” Taking a farm and splitting it up in lot sizes, it’s pretty disconcerting, kind of troubling, to be honest, and I know it’s a game. But it’s real, and it made a lot of work for the county.”
The Commissioners stated that the donation process should work directly with County Treasurer Josie Stilson in order to ease her workload in the process. Ultimately, the donation was finalized in a unanimous vote.
Next, the Commissioners tackled an agreement between the Emery County Travel Bureau and Kevin Butler of Kolossal Media for event marketing and media. This item is part of the county’s ongoing effort to encourage tourism within the county. This contract is being paid for in part by a marketing grant; if the grant ends or is not accepted by the county, the contract would likely end as well. After a brief discussion, the contract was approved.
The grant talk continued into the next agenda item, the application for the 2026 and 2027 Museum Operations Grant. In previous years, the grant has been $7,500 and is used for day-to-day museum operations such as staffing and hospitality. Again, the application was approved in a 3-0 decision.
The final grant-related item was the acceptance of the Accessible Small and Rural Communities Grant from the American Library Association. “This is a $20,000 grant,” explained Jensen.” This one is for the Castle Dale Library to help make it more accessible for people with mobility disabilities through renovations of the front entrance.” Facing no opposition, the grant was accepted.
Moving to the Sheriff’s Department, the ECSO looked to purchase squad vehicles from the Pleasant Grove Police Department. Each vehicle had an average of 35,000 miles but would come outfitted with the necessary police equipment, such as lights and a cage – something Sheriff Huntington stated would normally cost $20,000 to equip in a new vehicle.
The department would be tapping into unused COVID-19 funds to make this purchase. This acquisition would bring eight trucks to the department and one unmarked administrator vehicle. After a brief discussion, the department was approved to purchase up to nine vehicles from Pleasant Grove PD.
The Sheriff’s Department also looked to remodel the old workout room in the office and turn it into a secure room for the Emery County Search and Rescue team. This remodel would entail new walls, flooring, and cabinets to store SAR equipment. Again, this would be paid for using COVID funds up to $10,000. A motion was made to approve this remodel, which passed unanimously.
The final regular item of the meeting was the reading and approval of a memorandum opposing solar fields being placed on state and federal lands within the county. “Be it resolved by the board of Emery County Commissioners, that the State of Utah and Federal Government are prohibited from converting sunlight into electricity of Federal or SITLA lands in Emery County,” reads the resolution. All three commissioners found themselves in concurrence regarding the matter and signed the resolution.
The meeting was then adjourned.
The next meeting of the Emery County Board of Commissioners will be held on Tuesday, March 18, at 3 p.m. in the Emery County Administration Building.