Emily Means

The House Natural Resources Committee voted 6-4 to advance House Bill 320 Monday. Spanish Fork Republican Rep. Mike McKell first presented the Container Regulation Act last Friday, but the committee ran out of time for discussion, and it was held for a later hearing.

Park City Mayor Andy Beerman and City Attorney Mark Harrington will recommend a new hire for the legal department at Thursday’s City Council meeting, to fill a void left by former Assistant City Attorney Polly Samuels McLean and so Harrington can focus his attention on land-use decisions. What land-use decisions are on the horizon?

Park City Mayor Andy Beerman announced that he and City Attorney Mark Harrington will be recommending that the city council approve a new hire to the city’s legal department. 

District 53 Rep. Logan Wilde, who represents a portion of Summit County, has come under fire for a perceived conflict of interest related to a bill he’s sponsoring this legislative session. 

A controversial bill sponsored by Summit County Rep. Logan Wilde crossed its first legislative hurdle Friday. 

A bill at the Utah Legislature prohibiting local governments from banning plastic bags and other containers was held for further discussion Friday, as there was little time left in the hearing for questions from the committee and to accommodate all the members of the public who planned to testify. 

The legislative committee for education appropriations recommended a 4% increase to the weighted pupil unit for this year’s budget. What does that mean for Park City schools? 

Park City School District Business Administrator Todd Hauber says that 4% increase in per-pupil spending—which shakes out to $128 million statewide—will bring about $600,000 into the Park City School District.  

A legislative attempt to prevent Utah cities and counties from banning the use of plastic bags made national TV yesterday, with a Republican state legislator’s appearance on Fox News. 

Utah consistently ranks last in per-pupil spending, as it struggles to keep up with more students enrolling in school. So, what did the Legislature prioritize in its education budget this year? 

The Legislature’s Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee forwarded its final budget recommendations to the Executive Appropriations Committee for approval Tuesday, with more than $300 million allocated for ongoing funding and $104 million for one-time funding.

In winter’s favorite town, the more snow, the better for business. How has this winter’s weather affected skiing and hotel stays in Park City? 

So far this ski season, Park City resorts have received 275 inches of snow. That’s 75 inches more than the entire 2017-18 season, and there are still six weeks left until closing day.

The Park City Council approved an ordinance for the Kings Crown Workforce Housing project, which will provide seven units of affordable and eight units of attainable housing on Lowell Avenue. The 15 units will contribute to the city’s larger goal of 800 units by 2026, which the council discussed at length during its annual retreat last week. 

At the retreat, Councilmember Becca Gerber said she felt strongly that the city should prioritize building housing projects within city limits, to help foster community engagement among residents in Park City proper.

Beer drinkers could find more options in their grocery stores after this legislative session, thanks to a new bill that some Utah brewers and the LDS Church oppose. 

Right now, the only beer you can buy in a Utah grocery store or convenience store is 3.2 beer, meaning the beer contains 3.2 percent alcohol content by weight. For a long time, four other states also limited sales to 3.2, but three of those–Oklahoma, Colorado and Kansas—recently voted to do away with the restriction, leaving Utah and Minnesota as the only states that require it.

Senate Bill 96, the bill that replaced full Medicaid expansion as outlined in Prop 3, was signed into law this week. Where does the lawmaker who ran the bill come down after its two-week sprint through the Utah Legislature? 

After failing in the final days of the 2018 legislative session, a state lawmaker is bringing new life to an attempt to prevent cities from banning plastic bags. 

The two-and-a-half-hour discussion around housing policy at last week’s Park City Council retreat featured in-depth conversations about rental units and exploring building housing outside of city boundaries. But questions remain about what the role of major employers in the city is when it comes to housing their workforce.

Councilmember Lynn Ware Peek brought up the obligation of the resorts in providing housing for their employees, and at the time, Mayor Andy Beerman said it wasn’t the right forum for a larger discussion on the issue.