When the Summit County Council approved the Basin Open Space Advisory Committee’s (BOSAC) criteria for recommending property for acquisition, the elected officials also approved their right to participate in price negotiations.
Traditionally, conservation groups like Utah Open Lands and the Summit Land Conservancy work with interested sellers and then suggest properties to the BOSAC members. After reviewing whether the land meets their criteria, the members may recommend the purchase to the County Council.
Summit County Manager Bob Jasper expressed a desire to keep those duties separate at the County Council’s meeting last week. He drew an analogy to real estate agents. It makes more sense to allow the trusts to do the negotiating because they’re professionals, he said.
He also expressed a fear that the public may believe BOSAC members, who represent the county, were making special deals with land owners.
But BOSAC members often have the same level of expertise in negotiations as the trusts, said committee chairman and local Realtor Max Greenhalgh. In the past, BOSAC chairs have had great success in helping the county get a good deal.
The County Council agreed that as long as it was the committee chairs who were involved, it was appropriate for them to participate in negotiations. The County Council also asked to be kept informed periodically on the list of properties under consideration.
“I think it would be a shame if we were just a rubber stamp,” said County Commissioner Chris Robinson.
The County Council should approve negotiations before they take place, he added.