Wasatch County moved one step closer to receiving the state’s blessing to disregard House Bill 356, the new law shaking up county council districts, after an interim session at the Capitol Aug. 20.
Bill sponsor Republican Rep. Jordan Teuscher told the Political Subdivisions Interim Committee one goal of the revisions is to carve out an exemption for Wasatch County, while leaving Summit County to create new districts.
“Because of the quick-moving nature of that [bill], there were some questions around, okay, what does that really affect?” he told the committee. “The bill scope was just third- through sixth-class counties. To the effect of what the change from 65% to 100% districted did, it really only had an impact in Wasatch County.”
HB356 passed just a few minutes before the clock ran out on Utah’s 2025 legislative session in March. It originally required councils in small and mid-size counties to get rid of any at-large seats and instead draw up a map with geographic districts.
The law takes aim at Summit County specifically, with its entirely at-large council — but Wasatch County was swept up in the changes too, since only five of its seven councilmembers represent districts.
Teuscher, of South Jordan, said lawmakers now believe counties of all sizes should use districts for all their council seats.
“It no longer has the limited scope of just saying third through sixth class counties, but extends it to really all counties, and says that when you have a county council form of government, it should be 100% of the county council seats that are districted,” he said.
One hundred percent, that is, except for two special cases.
Teuscher asked that Salt Lake and Wasatch counties be “grandfathered in.”
Summit County, however, will have no option to try a mix of districted and at-large seats.
Republican Rep. James Dunnigan, of Taylorsville, was skeptical about applying the rules to some counties but not others. He asked why Wasatch County should be rewarded after ignoring the law for months.
“That bill also impacted Wasatch County, right?” he said. “Did they comply with the law?”
“They did not,” Teuscher said.
“Why are they getting a pass now, if they didn’t comply with the law?” Dunnigan asked.
Teuscher said the governor and other state leaders assured Wasatch County it need not redistrict, but Dunnigan was not quite ready to let Wasatch County off the hook.
“The law’s the law,” he said. “Isn’t it?”
Summit County’s districting commission recommended a map with five new voter districts earlier this month.
Wasatch County Manager Dustin Grabau spoke up during Wednesday’s interim session to advocate for Teuscher’s plan.
“Every election, every voter gets to vote for one or two of our councilmembers, and not only a single councilmember every other election,” he said. “I think this has a lot of benefits to our community.”
Rep. Mike Kohler represents both Summit and Wasatch counties. The Midway Republican told KPCW he agrees that having one or two at-large seats benefits voters.
“With Summit County, I think the die is cast that they’re going to end up with five [districts],” he said. “But it’d be my position, if I had my choice, to let them have one at-large.”
Ari Ioannides is the chair of the Summit County Republican Party. He took a different view of the matter, telling lawmakers his county demonstrates the “unintended consequences” of allowing at-large council seats.
“In our case, it’s led to a political apartheid, where people are unrepresented in the vast majority — geographically — of the county,” he said. “We’re thankful that this is happening.”
Forward Party Sen. Daniel Thatcher, from West Valley City, said he opposed HB356 during the 2025 session because “local control does not mean control all the locals.” But he reluctantly supported Teuscher’s revisions.
“I do believe that this bill makes it less bad, and so I am prepared to make a motion, if that’s an order, that we do recommend this bill,” he said.
He and 13 others voted to support adding the bill to the agenda for a special session in September.
Democratic Sen. Nate Blouin, of Salt Lake City, was the sole “no” vote.
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