Summit County’s attorneys are devoting more and more time to fulfilling requests for public documents and records, according to Chief Civil Deputy Dave Thomas.
They’re called “GRAMA requests,” for the state Government Records Access and Management Act.
“We had as many GRAMA requests in July as we had all of last year,” Thomas said at the Nov. 12 Summit County Council meeting. “It's been doubling in size, and it's taking our staff ever more time.”
In 2026, County Manager Shayne Scott suggests hiring an employee to manage records requests.
“I will say that we have really been adamant about needing to make sure we charge folks the proper [amount] — how much time it takes, all the resources it takes,” Scott said at the same meeting.
Asked about the spike in July, Scott said the volume is “unprecedented” when compared to the past few years. He added that they’re usually about “high profile projects and developments. Some controversial in nature.”
July was when he signed a new development agreement with Dakota Pacific Real Estate. A 2025 state law rezoned the company’s land in Kimball Junction and circumvented the resident referendum that would have blocked it.
Another factor is the Kouri Richins murder case. Scott says high-profile legal cases draw GRAMA requests from around the country.
“Most of our requests are local,” he said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Oct. 14. “A lot of those come out of the sheriff's office. When they have an incident, there is usually some kind of discovery that goes on, and that includes a GRAMA request.”
Thomas says the employee hired to help would likely be a paralegal. The job description includes ensuring Summit County complies with recent changes to Utah privacy law.
That GRAMA coordinator is one of eight new positions included in the draft FY2026 budget.
The salaries and benefits of those eight proposed positions total to $765,000.
The county council meets weekly to discuss next year’s budget until it votes to make it final by the December deadline.
Summit County is a financial supporter of KPCW.
