Wasatch County officials say the governor’s office confirmed state road funds will not be affected after Gov. Spencer Cox’s housing adviser warned those funds could be at risk over local development decisions. The dispute followed rejection of a 144-lot housing proposal.
At an Aug. 18 Heber City Council meeting, Steve Waldrip, Cox’s senior adviser for housing strategy, said the governor could stop state funding to counties he described as working against the state on growth issues. He tied the warning to Wasatch County’s development decisions and opposition to a state law. The county receives about $2.1 million annually in state B and C road funds. County Manager Dustin Grabau said the rejected proposal was a private, gated community that did not fit the county’s general plan; each proposed lot was five acres.
County leaders support addressing Utah’s housing shortage but want local communities to shape development. They are open to alternatives for the state-owned property, including a land swap for a location better suited to affordable housing. Separately, Philo Development has applied under 2024’s SB 258 to create Wasatch Highlands on roughly 3,500 acres of nearby private land. The law lets up to three landowners in certain rural areas apply to create a preliminary municipality; Wasatch County approved a resolution urging repeal, arguing the law could let developers bypass local land-use oversight. Residents seek an explanation for the funding warning.
