LEGISLATIVE STUDY ISSUES

The Legislative Management Committee met in the last few weeks and adopted the list of study items for the 2023 Interim.  Here are ones related to planning and land use issues.

Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee

  • Review the impact of legislation passed over the last few years related to housing affordability, including a presentation from the Office of the Legislative Auditor General on the performance audit of housing affordability.

Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee

  • Study water issues, including: • Methods for taking conserved water (from secondary metering, agriculture optimization, turf removal, etc.) and shepherding it to the Great Salt Lake • The concept of “saved water” and how it should be treated in statute • The balance between the needs of an irrigation company and the needs of a shareholder seeking to file a change application • Revisions to the Watersheds Council Act • The Office of the Legislative Auditor General’s audit report on Utah’s water usage
  • Study agritourism, including challenges facing agritourism farms in or near urban areas, and how to protect agritourism farms

Political Subdivisions Committee

  • Study the creation of limited-use infrastructure districts as a political subdivision of the state. The committee will consider whether limited-use infrastructure districts (if created) should issue assessment bonds and energy assessment bonds, enter into interlocal agreements, impose fees and levy property taxes, and acquire improvements
  • Examine metro townships, including the taxing authority of metro townships as it relates to law enforcement services and the long-term viability of metro townships. Currently, metro townships have very limited taxing authority and have to contract with special service districts to provide revenue sufficient to provide necessary services. Additionally, the committee will consider more broadly the long-term plan for metro townships, including whether metro townships should continue as-is, incorporate, or be annexed into existing municipalities.
  • The Utah Supreme Court recently ruled in Larsen v. Pleasant Grove City that cities may impose a transportation utility fee. The committee will study and consider whether the state should allow for municipalities to impose a transportation utility fee and, if a transportation utility fee is imposed, whether the state should impose direction for how those fees will be managed, whether the fees should be limited in use and scope, and any requirements the Legislature may decide to impose upon the purpose and imposition of those fees.
  • Review the governance structure, powers, and oversight of state land authorities, including Military Installation Development Authorities, the Point of the Mountain State Land Authority, and the Inland Port Authority.
  • Station Area Plans (SAPs), when implemented, govern land use decisions for areas within ½ mile of Trax or Frontrunner stations and ¼ mile of bus stops. The committee will review SAPs use in Utah, including how many have been implemented and where they have been implemented, why SAPs are denied or approved, and what lessons have been learned regarding the impact of and implementation of SAPs.

Transportation Committee

  • Study several items related to public transit, including: • An overview of Utah Transit Authority (UTA) including current transit projects, ridership, and cost per riders • Distribution of UTA services compared to the receipt of tax funds • Ski bus service solutions • Long-term plans for Front Runner including how UTA is using its funding • Housing & Transit Reinvestment Zones • An update on paratransit service coordination
  • With the creation of the Active Transportation Investment Fund (ATIF), the committee will review the implementation of the Utah Trails Network, including the Utah Department of Transportation’s (UDOT) plan to prioritize funding, enable canal corridors, etc.
  • Study several transportation funding items, including: • Outcomes and uses of the State Infrastructure Bank • An update on funding in the Transit Transportation Investment Fund (TTIF) • A UDOT prioritization update on long-term planning as it relates to corridor preservation, right-of-way planning, the grid system, and the future growth of Utah
  • Study utility relocation as it relates to 2023 General Session S.B. 185 and transit right-of-way. The committee will also review transportation utility fees and the recent Utah Supreme Court ruling in Larson v. Pleasant Grove

There’s no shortage of planning related issues on this list!  Also, the former Commission on Housing Affordability (now a subcommittee of the Unified Equal Opportunity Commission) meets today and may discuss issues to work on this coming year.