Salt Lake County · Salt Lake & Tooele region

Cottonwood Heights

Local news, council decisions, projects and city spending, with links to the agendas, minutes and reporting behind each story.

City councilCouncil minutesCouncil meetings and work sessions, with the official minutes, agendas and video AuditCottonwood Heights: late deposits, Hillside Plaza bonds and taxesPublic-records reporting on city finances and decisions SpendingContracts and spendingContracts, bid awards, change orders and land deals recorded in council meetings

Next meetingNone postedCheck the city's notices

Latest recorded voteConditional use permit CUP-26-016: home child care for up…Approved with conditions 7-0 · Planning Commission, Wed, Oct 7

Open projects1awaiting a decision, active in the past year

Meeting records through Oct. 20, 20264 meetings use draft minutes1 agenda-based meeting has unresolved itemsCoverage and sources →

Latest decisions

Through Oct. 7, 2026, the latest meeting with recorded results.

Conditional use permit CUP-26-016: home child care for up to 12 children Approved with conditions · 7-0Planning Commission, Wed, Oct 7 · Planning Commission minutes, Oct. 7, 2026 (draft; commission approval not verified), in the Oct. 21 packet
Conditional use permit CUP-26-015: home massage practice Approved with conditions · 7-0Planning Commission, Wed, Oct 7 · Planning Commission minutes, Oct. 7, 2026 (draft; commission approval not verified), in the Oct. 21 packet
Residential Multi-Family zone: sections 19.34.050, 19.34.060 and 19.34.100 Approved · 5-0City Council, Tue, Jul 21 · Cottonwood Heights City Council minutes, July 21, 2026 (unsigned copy from the city website)
Consulting agreement with Wm. Shane Topham for city attorney transition services Approved · 5-0City Council, Tue, Jul 21 · Cottonwood Heights City Council minutes, July 21, 2026 (unsigned copy from the city website)
Kimley-Horn consulting agreement for a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (Safe Streets and Roads for All) Continued · 5-0City Council, Tue, Jul 21 · Cottonwood Heights City Council minutes, July 21, 2026 (unsigned copy from the city website)
General plan amendment for 1.08 acres on 6525 South: Rural Residential to Residential Low Density Approved · 5-0City Council, Tue, Jul 7 · Cottonwood Heights City Council minutes, July 7, 2026 (unsigned copy from the city website)

Meetings and decisions, item by item →

Projects and policy tracker →

Find projects near you on a map →

Of 1 development, road and policy items tracked, 1 is awaiting a decision and had a meeting or update in the past 12 months.

Old Mill demolition requestIn review The Old Mill (historic paper mill), Cottonwood Heights

Resident concerns and follow-up

Topics recorded in the most recent 5 collected meetings. Counts describe meeting mentions, not a survey of residents or a finding that an issue is resolved.

Preserving the Old Mill1 meeting mentions · latest Oct. 7, 2026Search Cottonwood Heights records for later action →
Future housing type at the Old Mill site1 meeting mentions · latest Oct. 7, 2026Search Cottonwood Heights records for later action →
Emergency access1 meeting mentions · latest Oct. 7, 2026Search Cottonwood Heights records for later action →
Drop-off traffic at a home child care1 meeting mentions · latest Oct. 7, 2026Search Cottonwood Heights records for later action →
Client parking1 meeting mentions · latest Oct. 7, 2026Search Cottonwood Heights records for later action →

Follow the money and what happened next

Trace the decisions and financial records linked to Cottonwood Heights's projects. A budget, bond ceiling, contract authorization and actual payment describe different things.

Old Mill demolition request

In review

Council action
In review according to the dated project source. Record → · Oct. 7, 2026
Money in the record
contract: amount not given — Structural analysis of the Old Mill and cost estimates, hired by the city in spring 2026 Record → · Oct. 7, 2026
Signed agreement and payments
Execution and project-level disbursements are not verified by this tracker. They require separate records; meeting approval alone does not establish either.
Work and operating costs
Check the linked records for completion and recurring operating costs; this tracker does not verify them. Record →

Open questions in our reporting

Canyon Centre plan swaps office space for housing and a hotel
Whether the interlocal amendment was signed and took effect.
Reporting status as of 2026-10-16
Cottonwood Heights moved to raise taxes after a $1.7 million reserve drop, then to cut it
Whether the council adopted Ordinance 2026-473 reducing the increase to 25%, and the final certified tax rate.
Reporting status as of 2026-10-16
Cottonwood Heights' Hillside Plaza bonds paid off 2023 debt, leaving $5.2 million unspent
How the $5,206,948 has been spent since June 30, 2025, and on which properties.
Reporting status as of 2026-10-16

Contracts and spending records →

Cottonwood Heights: late deposits, Hillside Plaza bonds and taxes →

Canyon Centre plan swaps office space for housing and a hotel
Cottonwood Heights' redevelopment agency adopted an amended Canyon Centre plan and budget on Feb. 18, 2025. The plan replaces office use with housing, a 125-room hotel and retail, and the budget projects $15,218,257 in lifetime tax increment, including $8,700,447 to repay a Salt Lake County parking structure loan.
Published October 16, 2026
Cottonwood Heights moved to raise taxes after a $1.7 million reserve drop, then to cut it
Cottonwood Heights' General Fund balance fell $1,695,491 in fiscal 2025, and a July 2026 staff memo cited that in proposing a $3.5 million property tax increase. An Aug. 18 agenda proposes cutting the increase from 42% to 25%. The final signed ordinances have not been reviewed.
Published October 16, 2026
Cottonwood Heights' Hillside Plaza bonds paid off 2023 debt, leaving $5.2 million unspent
In June 2025 Cottonwood Heights issued $20,075,000 of the $30 million in general obligation bonds voters authorized for Hillside Plaza. The city's audit says the proceeds retired the $13,157,000 sales tax bond used to buy much of the shopping center, with $5,206,948 still unspent at June 30, 2025.
Published October 16, 2026
Cottonwood Heights' 2025 audit found late cash deposits and a department over budget
The independent auditor's fiscal 2025 schedule of findings lists two instances of state-law noncompliance: cash held beyond the three-banking-day deposit deadline, and the Highways and Public Improvements department spending $313,319 more than its final budget. City management said both have been addressed.
Published October 16, 2026

City hall

Politics
Cottonwood Heights council pulls police training facility votes from agenda
The council removed a federal grant agreement and a contract to buy a police training facility near City Hall, with no new date set.
Published October 31, 2026 · From Cottonwood Heights City

Around town

Politics
Sen. Kathleen Riebe refuses to resign, weighs ethics complaint against Luz Escamilla
The Cottonwood Heights Democrat says she has not seen the investigation her caucus cited and disputes how her conduct has been described.
Published November 5, 2026 · From The Salt Lake Tribune

Cottonwood Heights City Council: who serves and how to follow it

Mayor Gay Lynn BennionTerm ends 2029
Matt HoltonDistrict 1 · Term ends 2027
Suzanne HylandDistrict 2 · Term ends 2027
Shawn NewellDistrict 3 · Term ends 2029
Ellen BirrellDistrict 4 · Term ends 2029

Work sessions and business meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays in the City Hall council chambers, and stream on the city YouTube channel. The mayor chairs the council.

Council agendas and minutes ↗

Roster from Cottonwood Heights: Elected Officials, read on October 29, 2026. Terms and schedules change; confirm with the city.

Search Cottonwood Heights

Street, project, official, vendor or ordinanceSearch in

Searches this city's collected meeting items, projects, reporting and officials. Coverage is not a complete official archive.

Resident services & official contacts

Council notices and meeting records ↗Cottonwood Heights posts joint work-session and business-meeting agendas, separate budget-hearing notices and cancellations. Identify the session and current meeting status before attending or reviewing records; discussion scheduled in a work session does not by itself establish a business-meeting decision.

City-specific service links checked Oct. 21, 2026. The linked agency provides current service details.

Choose a task for a short checklist and the official service page. Confirm service boundaries, current fees and registration requirements with the provider.

Official links checked October 27, 2026. Schedules and charges can change.

Find the appropriate outside utility

Open the outside-utility contact table on Public Works.
Identify the water, sewer or waste provider and confirm which service covers the property.
Contact the listed provider for its account or collection process; city Public Works handles different responsibilities.

Find the appropriate outside utility: official page ↗

Route a street or stormwater concern

Use the Public Works page for streets, stormwater and related city maintenance information.
Choose Report an Issue for a routine concern and provide its location.
Use the designated Public Works emergency contact if the situation needs urgent attention.

Route a street or stormwater concern: official page ↗

Reserve a Cottonwood Heights park pavilion

Pavilions at Mill Hollow, Mountview, Antczak, Bywater and Butler parks are rented through Cottonwood Heights Parks and Recreation. Reservations are online or in person at the Recreation Center front office, not by phone, because a contract must be signed.
Cottonwood Heights residents can request pavilions in person only from January 2 to March 31 so staff can verify residency. From April 1, the general public can book online or in person.
Book at least 48 hours ahead and sign the waiver. Rentals run April 15 to October 15; Butler Park's pavilion rents starting May 15.
Pavilion rentals do not include the athletic fields or nearby green space, and inflatable rides, glitter, confetti and water balloons are prohibited.

Reserve a Cottonwood Heights park pavilion: official page ↗

Local events and meetings Voting and county clerks Weather and roads

Business and bank profiles

Extra Space StorageReal estate & construction
Breeze AirwaysTransportation & logistics
SoFi Bank, National AssociationInsured-bank headquarters

Cottonwood Heights at a glance

Salt Lake County · Utah

Cottonwood Heights became a city on January 14, 2005, after voters approved incorporation in 2004; the city says the original settlement was called Butlerville. It runs a council-manager government with a mayor who chairs the council, four district council members and a hired city manager, and it operates its own police department, justice court, arts council and urban trail system. Ferguson Off-Leash Park is one of its city-run parks.

City Council work sessions and business meetings fall on the first and third Tuesdays at City Hall, and meetings stream on the city's YouTube channel. The city's big local project is The Heights, a town center, and its news page tracks progress on it and on Canyon Centre construction. City Hall is also a vote center on Election Day, November 3, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Municipal government ↗Events and meetings Regional news

Sales tax in Cottonwood Heights

The combined sales and use tax rate is 7.45%. Grocery food is taxed at 3.00%, restaurant meals at 8.45% and hotel stays (transient room) at 14.52%. Rates in effect as of Oct. 1, 2026. Source: Utah State Tax Commission: Sales and Use Tax Rates ↗

Who runs Cottonwood Heights

Gay Lynn BennionMayor · term ends 2029
Matt HoltonDistrict 1 · term ends 2027
Suzanne HylandDistrict 2 · term ends 2027
Shawn NewellDistrict 3 · term ends 2029
Ellen BirrellDistrict 4 · term ends 2029

Work sessions and business meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays in the City Hall council chambers, and stream on the city YouTube channel. The mayor chairs the council.

FY2026-27 budget. The city posts tentative and interim FY2026-27 budget materials; an adopted budget book is not yet listed. Budget document ↗

From the city this month

City Hall (Cullimore Community Room) is a vote center on Election Day, Nov. 3, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. ↗Posted Oct 22

Read from the city's own website on October 28, 2026. Official roster ↗ Meeting schedule ↗

Places and local character

Ferguson Off-Leash Park ↗In town · City dog park that closed temporarily this fall for a goat-grazing weed control program.
The Heights town center ↗In town · The city's town center project; its news page reports progress.

Resident essentials

Elected officials ↗Mayor and council members, with terms and contact information.
Budget and financial reporting ↗Tentative and interim FY2026-27 budget documents and property tax impact notices.

Check the city's agenda page for exact start times, because the schedule page lists dates without them; some dates are canceled.

Government and sources

Municipal directory · Utah municipal boundary data · Roster checked Oct. 19, 2026. Check the linked agency for current services and contacts.

Local guide sources

Local guide reviewed Oct 28, 2026. Operators provide current hours, fees, reservations and access information.