Wasatch County Council candidates for seats A and C debated top issues during an Oct. 15 forum hosted by KPCW and the Heber Leadership Academy.
Republican Rachel Kahler, Democrat Robert McNeill and write-in candidate Shawn Taylor are competing for seat A. The at-large seat represents the entire county.
Kahler and Taylor agreed development should align with county and city general plans. McNeill, an actor and director, said nearby residents should decide whether development should be allowed.
Incumbent Councilmember Erik Rowland is facing write-in candidate Alex Folmer for seat C, representing northern Heber. Rowland said development should only happen within city limits to preserve the county’s rural character.
“If there is developer pressure that happens in the county, then we hold firm to our zoning laws,” he said. “They're there by design … to prevent and avoid — at all costs — any development incentives for them to build what they want to build.”
Folmer, a software design engineer, said nearby resorts should bear the cost of development, including adding affordable housing they say is needed.
“We should have development agreements that specify affordability deadlines and lasting protections,” she said. “We should have a defined percentage of those homes being immediately built with the start of the build, not at the end of the project.”
Rowland said the council is currently looking into supporting families who fall in the middle of the socioeconomic scale. But he said it has been difficult to find an affordable housing solution that doesn’t burden taxpayers.
McNeill said developers should subsidize affordable housing. Kahler, the executive director of the Community Alliance for Main Street and a former Heber City councilmember, agreed. She added the county should look into supporting Old Town Heber residents.
“That is where our middle-income housing is, and we need to look at programs that are going to assist people to purchase and get that interest rate down, or get assistance with mortgage payment plans,” she said.
Small business owner Taylor said “affordable housing is kind of a myth,” but he would “probably” support accessory dwelling units.
All the candidates favored preserving the North Fields and advocated for a new Heber Valley bypass route.
The group also agreed councilmembers should push back on the Military Installation Development Authority, or MIDA. The state entity is driving development across Utah, including Deer Valley Resort’s East Village and a controversial data center in Box Elder County.
Kahler added that the council should work with MIDA leaders to gain a community benefit.
“It may not come in tax dollars, but it can come in foundational grants. It can come in supporting our youth athletics programs. It can come in recreational facilities, parks, trails,” she said.
All the candidates also said they would find ways to avoid increasing taxes for Wasatch County residents.
Jami Hewlett is also a write-in candidate for seat A. She did not attend the forum, but left over 40 comments on the Facebook livestream.
Council seat F candidates — Republican interim councilmember Mike Murphy and Democratic challenger Joe Tugaw — could not attend the forum. Seat F covers Hideout, Timber Lakes and rural eastern Wasatch County.
Election day is Nov. 3.
