Grand County Commission meeting report 2021-05-18

Packet is here: https://www.grandcountyutah.net/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05182021-1342

Youtube is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qemyACRTC7s

Notable agenda items include:

Purchasing policy workshop. Depending on the dollar amount of a purchase, Grand County’s purchasing policy might (or might not) require competitive bidding, full commission approval, etc. Small purchases use a more streamlined process and large purchases must go through a more cumbersome process. A recent audit found that Grand County’s dollar limits for the various purchasing categories were lower than is typical for other counties. In other words, we use cumbersome processes more frequently than other counties do. Associate Commission Administrator Mallory Nassau outlined various options for updating Grand County’s purchasing policy to make it more streamlined. Commissioners seemed generally supportive, but wanted to insure that there were still sufficient checks and balances in the system.

B. Presentation and discussion regarding proposed Moab Region Transit Service Alternatives. UDOT is funding various transit-related projects in the Moab area via their Hotspot program, and one of those is a pilot public transit program (some combination of fixed-route busses, Uber-like microtransit vans, and paratransit). Various alternatives were presented and discussed, at great length. If you have bright ideas regarding the forms public transit could take in the Moab area, now would be an excellent time to write to the County Commission or City Council about those ideas.

C. Adopting Resolution indicating support for the Moab and Spanish Valley 2050 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). In response to past resolutions from the County Commission and City Council, the bypass has been removed from the future projects list in this plan. The resolution supporting the RTP passed 7-0.

L. Approving letter to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regarding the Labyrinth Rims and Gemini Bridges Travel Plan. This was approved 7-0 after a small edit (proposed by Commissioner Trisha Hedin) to strengthen the language on wildlife habitat. The letter can be found on page 402 of the packet, and is worth a read if you are concerned about public lands in Grand County.

N. Approving Agreement for an Office Space Expansion Feasibility Study. Grand County is badly in need of additional office space, and this study is the next step towards meeting this need. Eventually Grand County will need to make hard decisions about how to fund additional office space.

Q. Discussion on Public Lands Bill. Commissioners discussed options for pursuing county public lands legislation, and how this might affect other county priorities such and a general plan update. The consensus was that the county should continue to explore the possibility of a public lands bill, but that we should be careful not to allow this to take resources away from other county planning efforts.