The Summit County Council adopted bylaws for the newly established Housing Authority on Wednesday, ending months of discussion regarding the role and scope of the fledgling agency.
Economic Development and Housing Director Jeff Jones proposed a seven-person commission to govern the Housing Authority in February with two members from the County Council; one resident living in deed-restricted affordable housing; one at-large member; and three members living within the jurisdictional boundaries of the county’s three school districts — one for Park City School District, one for North Summit and one for South Summit.
The County Council immediately raised concerns about the lack of oversight, and councilors in March ultimately asked Jones for a revised resolution lowering the number of commission seats to five.
They also requested an increase in seats for county councilors, term limits and a provision stating any future amendments to the bylaws would need to be approved by the County Council.
In a new resolution Jones presented on Wednesday, the Housing Authority commission is made up of three county councilors and two at-large representatives. Each commissioner also has a three-term limit with each term lasting four years, similar to the terms on the county’s two planning commissions.
“I like giving the council a little shorter rein on this Housing Authority in its initial stages of birth and existence, so I like the changes,” said County Councilor Chris Robinson.
Additionally, the County Council is collaborating with Jones and the Planning Department to create a strategic housing plan for Housing Authority commissioners to implement.
“I know in the last meeting you were very frustrated, and I apologize for that, but I think that we need to eat the elephant one bite at a time, and sometimes that means we have to step back to move forward,” County Council Chair Tonja Hanson told Jones. “I appreciate all of your work on this, and I think it’s paid off for us. I appreciate the changes.”
The County Council unanimously voted in favor of the resolution.
The Housing Authority’s goal is to provide medium- to low-income residents with resources to find housing within their price range in addition to tracking housing trends throughout the country and incentivizing moderate-income housing, particularly on the East Side.
The County Council and the Park City Council explored the creation of a joint housing authority in 2023 and allocated $500,000 for the project. Those efforts stalled, however, and the County Courthouse decided to pursue its own housing authority with a smaller $250,000 budget.
The deadline to apply for the Housing Authority’s new commission was Friday. The County Council will decide who to appoint to the board in a future meeting, as well as which councilors will hold the three designated County Council seats.