The Davis County Commission met Oct. 21 in Farmington for a regular meeting that included public criticism of county spending, approval of homeless assistance for winter emergencies, and several health and public safety actions.
During public comment, Layton resident Drew Chamberlain urged the commission to cut spending and specifically criticized the county’s Ski Bus program, calling it an unnecessary expense. In response, Community and Economic Development Director Kent Andersen said the Ski Bus is funded through Prop One “fourth quarter” sales tax revenues and is a partnership with Snowbasin, Utah Transit Authority, Layton City and Morgan County. Andersen noted the proposed property tax increase under discussion in the county would not affect Ski Bus funding.
The commission approved a $10,000 agreement with Open Doors to provide hotel and motel vouchers for homeless families during Code Blue nights through the 2025–26 winter season. Commissioners also approved several Western Sports Park items, including a bantam league basketball agreement with Utah Jazz Basketball Investor LLC and a fee waiver allowing a nonprofit interfaith Christmas concert to use the facility while Layton High School is under construction.
In health-related actions, commissioners ratified a $1.8 million commercial real estate purchase for the Health Department and approved multiple state and federal public health funding agreements, including grants for maternal and child health services, the PREP program, and an increase to WIC funding. Health Director Brian Hatch told commissioners that most public health program funding comes from federal or state sources rather than property taxes, and noted uncertainty surrounding WIC operations if a federal shutdown disrupted funding.
The commission also approved three training agreements to support law enforcement officer certification for new hires in the Sheriff’s Office and passed several consent items involving county technology negotiations, event agreements, and donations.
The meeting adjourned at 10:13 a.m. All actions remain subject to final approval when the official minutes are adopted.