Lobbyist Frank Pignanelli says his team spent its time “mostly playing defense” on behalf of Summit County at the Utah Capitol this year.
One concerning piece of legislation was House Bill 184, sponsored by Davis County Republican Rep. Raymond Ward. It would’ve allowed property owners to sidestep public hearings when rezoning their property for starter homes.
“There is a lot of support for this from the development community and from others, and we had to push back,” Pignanelli said during a 2026 General Session recap meeting with the Summit County Council April 22.
The issue: the bill defined starter homes as those sold for the average price in a given county. It only affected counties as or more populous than Summit County.
HB184 failed in a committee hearing, which the lobbyists from Foxley & Pignanelli tout as a success. The Utah League of Cities and Towns was also against the bill.
Summit County Councilmember Megan McKenna said it was unlikely that homes HB184 proposed would actually be affordable locally. In Summit and Wasatch counties, some properties sell for more than $50 million and skew the average.
“This idea that one size fits all across the state is challenging when we talk about affordability, and especially here in Summit County, where our [area median income] is so much greater than in other communities,” McKenna said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” April 23.
But Summit County leaders expect a similar housing initiative to return. In 2023, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox proclaimed a statewide goal of building 35,000 new starter homes by 2028.
Deputy Summit County Manager Janna Young said the county’s goal every legislative session is to build relationships.
Summit County leaders have in recent years had to fight what they think is an unfair reputation for being “NIMBY” or anti-housing. Other pro-development land use bills have singled out Summit County in particular.
“We want to understand the Legislature and their goals and priorities, and we want them to understand us,” Young said. “And in order to be effective, it also takes coalition-building.”
A full list of the bills Summit County government leaders were keeping an eye on is available online.
Summit County is a financial supporter of KPCW.
