5355 West
Herriman Main Street
Herriman, UT 84096
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Government Affairs
Government Affairs
Herriman City's Government Affairs team is responsible for monitoring state and federal government activities, developing a program for the City Council's legislative priorities, and coordinating legislative activities with other public and private-sector entities. The City's staff works with state and federal lobbyists to track and respond to legislative issues related to local government, advocating in Herriman's best interest on various issues, including infrastructure, housing, water, economic development, public safety, appropriations, and more.
Key Legislative Principles
The City Council has established key principles to guide its support or opposition of bills. Additionally, specific priorities have been prepared for this year's session.
- Preserve local authority
- Maintain fiscal responsiblity
- Economic vibrancy
- Regional needs
2023 State Legislative Session
Focus Areas and Priorities
- Local interests
- Support for local government and retaining local decision-making for local needs
- Housing and land use
- Housing development and local land use policies that embrace local decision-making
- Funding for local jurisdictions to address the need for affordable housing
- Address housing supply and affordability while promoting smart growth and adequate transportation systems
- Retain cities’ oversight of short-term rentals and accessory dwelling units
- Economic vibrancy
- Funding for local businesses and creating opportunities that attract a variety of sectors
- Job creation/job centers/industry on the southwest end of the Salt Lake Valley
- Funding opportunities for open space, trail connectivity, arts and cultural amenities
- Smart city development with a focus on broadband
- Transportation
- Funding and support for alternative methods of transportation
- East/west connectivity across the valley
- U-111 realignment
- Funding for 7300 West project
- Water conservation
- Work with cities to understand conservation and what works in their areas, considering more of an incentivized approach rather than a “one size fits all” approach
- Support for examining water reuse and water recycling
Bills the City is Tracking
- House Bill 21 – Open and Public Meetings Act Amendments
Requires public bodies to allow public comment during any public meeting. There is an exception to this requirement for work meetings and planning commission meetings.Requires school boards to allow public comment at all public meetings.- Status: passed
- House Bill 136 – Safe School Route Evaluations
- Municipalities are required to provide walking routes for schools. This bill will allow schools to recommend safe school routes to cities for consideration.
- Status: not passed
- House Bill 263 – Apprenticeship on Public Works Requirements
- Would require a certain percentage of public works projects to be performed by an apprentice. While laudable to encourage more apprenticeships, this bill will likely lead to higher costs to cities for compliance. Additionally, it may limit the number of available bidders on city projects.
- Status: not passed
- House Bill 291 – Short-Term Rental Amendments
- This bill creates a volunteer city pilot program, which would allow cities to charge an increased 1.5% Transient Room Tax for rentals in exchange for giving amnesty to illegal short-term rentals in their boundaries.
- Status: not passed
- House Bill 294 – Governmental Entity Budget Transparency
- Requires cities to report/justify how its budget changed as a result of growth. The City feels this may create a limited view that a municipalities budget increase can only be justified if population increases.
- Status: not passed
- House Bill 301 – Transportation Tax Amendments
- Changes the gas tax with a short-term decrease but adds a tax to electric vehicle charging.
- Status: passed
- House Bill 364 – Housing Affordability Amendments
- This bill is on its sixth substitute version. The City has had concerns surrounding the updated MIHP requirements.
- Status: passed
- House Bill 374 – County Sheriff Amendments
- A bill designed to address the double taxation experienced by Salt Lake Valley cities who do not contract with the Unified Police Department (including Herriman)
- Status: passed
- House Bill 406 – Land Use, Development, and Management Act Modifications
- Impacts local land use authority, addresses when moratorium on development is allowed, and modifies annexations of unincorporated private property.
- The bill will also mandate that cities can only require developers to construct residential roadways to a maximum width of 32 feet.
- Status: passed
- House Bill 450 – Landscaping Requirements
- Adds and clarifies requirements for landscaping with the intent to conserve water.
- Status: passed
- House Bill 496 – Short-Term Rental Enforcement Revisions
- Requires cities that allow short-term rentals to adopt regulations. Requires owners to obtain a permit, have a local contact for the rental, prohibits multiple nightly rentals in the same home, and establishes safety requirements.
- Status: not passed
- Senate Bill 43 – Public Notice Requirements
- Bill will standardize public noticing requirements for all public noticing.
- Status: passed
- Senate Bill 58 – Background Check Amendments
- The bill addresses time frames for the expungement of criminal records. There are some concerns about the possible rate of expungement and the amount of impact this bill will have on courts and court clerks.
- Status: not passed
- Senate Bill 87 – Criminal Prosecution Modifications
Would open up crime victims and witnesses to pre-trial deposition by defense attorneys. The bill requires the Administration Office of the Courts to collect data regarding preliminary hearings. (City formerly opposed the bill but now supports the final amendments)- Status: passed
- Senate Bill 117 – Domestic Violence Amendments
- Requires statewide standardization of domestic violence lethality assessment protocols. (City supports the bill)
- Status: passed
- Senate Bill 136 – Legislative Offices Amendments
- Includes language that a legislative auditor can access any meeting, open or closed, as part of an audit.
- Status: passed
- Senate Bill 158 – Water Exactions Amendments
- Would require cities to base water charges for new development on dwelling types (single-family, studio apartment, one-bedroom apartment, etc.)
- Status: passed
- Senate Bill 174 – Local Land Use and Development Revisions
- Impacts local land use rules and regulations. Limits subdivisions to only one public hearing. Requires cities to process applications within 20 days. Allows internal accessory dwelling units (IADU) but removes the ability to require additional off-street parking for those IADUs.
- Status: passed
- Senate Bill 175 – Rural Transportation Infrastructure Fund
- Creates a new Rural Transportation Infrastructure Fund and requires some revenue from vehicle registration fee revenue to be transferred to it
- Status: passed
- Senate Bill 181 – Campaign Sign Amendments
- Authorizes a transportation authority to charge for reimbursement for removal of unauthorized campaign signs.
- Status: not passed
- Senate Bill 199 – Local Land Use Amendments
- Prohibits referendum to voters for land use laws that are passed by
2/3a unanimous vote of the legislative body. - Status: passed
- Senate Bill 231 – GRAMA Amendments
- Modifications for litigation situations, provides cities with relief against repeated requests.
- Status: passed
- Senate Bill 250 – Public Surveillance Amendments
Prohibits a government entity from operating or using a public surveillance footage network- Original bill substituted to instead allow law enforcement agencies to use license plate-reading technology from private entities in certain situations
- Status: passed
- Senate Bill 271 – Home Ownership Requirements
- Prohibits cities from enacting or enforcing regulations on co-owned homes differently that other residential units.
- Status: passed
- Senate Bill 295 - Dedicated Infrastructure District Act
- Creates possibility for Dedicated Infrastructure Districts, enabling financing mechanisms for infrastructure in a given area by levying property taxes within the area boundary. Cities are concerned that this bill may allow non-elected boards to levy a property tax.
- Status: not passed
Utah League of Cities and Towns
Herriman City participates in the Utah League of Cities and Towns, a statewide association to join voices in advocating in behalf of Utah's municipalities. The League works with legislators and coordinates with cities on legislative bills to ensure cities' best interests are heard by lawmakers. Herriman City typically will align with the ULCT in support or opposition of bills, but occasionally will hold a different stance. The League provides a website of all bills it is tracking and its current positions, voted on by its Legislative Policy Committee. The ULCT site includes most of the bills listed above that Herriman City is tracking.