Logan Municipal Council adopts 2024 wildfire code, OKs $10.8M in budget moves

The Logan Municipal Council adopted an updated wildland-urban interface (WUI) code on Oct. 20 and approved budget adjustments that include $10 million for the electric fund's share of a Public Works building purchase, according to the meeting agenda and draft minutes. ^[1][2]

Ordinance 26-18 moves the city from the 2006 Utah WUI code to the 2024 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code and ties the city's WUI map to the state Department of Natural Resources wildfire risk explorer. Fire Chief Nate Thompson told the council that a 2026 state law, House Bill 41, requires cities to upgrade to the 2024 code. State law directs cities to evaluate risk scores starting at 5; staff recommended keeping Logan's rating at 7. The council adopted the ordinance 3-0 on a roll call. Councilmember Dahle was excused and Councilmember Simmonds had not yet arrived. ^[2]

Chief Thompson's presentation also included a GIS map of city-owned property by risk tier, which he said would help the city focus mitigation on municipal land after recent fires including the Canyon Fire and Green Canyon Fire. Answering a resident's questions, he said the code would apply to future construction above the line marking the risk-7 area, and that almost no development exists inside that boundary apart from a few structures near First Dam in the state's high-risk area. One resident, Linda, asked whether the city was adopting the state's boundaries while using its own map internally; Thompson said the ordinance has two parts, the code change and the use of the state mapping tool. ^[2][3]

Vice Chair López asked whether the designations affect homeowners' insurance. Thompson said state officials and the Utah State Fire Chiefs Association have been meeting with insurers statewide, that he had not heard of premium increases or cancellations in Cache Valley, and that the state map focuses mainly on extreme-risk areas. ^[2]

In a separate vote, the council approved Resolution 26-36, revised Logan Light and Power rate schedules and fees, 3-0. Light and Power Director Mark Montgomery said the only change was to the electric vehicle charging schedule, needed because the previous management software became obsolete, and that the new structure stays revenue neutral. No one spoke at the public hearing. ^[2]

Councilmember Simmonds joined at 6:12 p.m., and Resolution 26-37 passed 4-0. The agenda describes it as FY 2026-2027 budget adjustments. They appropriate $50,000 in donated funds from Cache Valley Electric for Laub Plaza programming and carry forward $10 million from FY 2026 for the electric fund's purchase of the Public Works building. They also carry forward $750,000 for solar infrastructure at the new Public Works Campus. ^[1]

Finance Director Richard Anderson told the council the two larger items occurred at the end of the fiscal year in June and were overlooked. He said the $10 million represents the net difference between the building being bought and the building being sold back to the city. Staff is awaiting an independent appraisal, and preliminary figures put the gap closer to $11 million, though the city set the transaction figure at $10 million. No one spoke at the hearing. ^[2]

The minutes are marked draft and are subject to council approval. The vote counts above are from those minutes and match the roll calls in the OpenUtah transcript of the meeting recording. ^[2][3]