On February 27, 2025, Kane County Officials held a town hall meeting to hear feedback from the public on the current proposal for a fire protection district east of Kanab. In the introduction of the meeting, the Commissioners confirmed the current draft made the district specific to the area east of Kanab and put forth having the Commission function as the district board until an election could be held according to state code in late 2026. Some concerns brought forth in the initial public comment period included the desire for a countywide fire district, issues with the potential inclusion of BLM or SITLA lands and the upcoming July 1 deadline imposed by the interim fire protection agreement with Kanab City, after which the County would pay a $150,000 fee to continue fire service.
The majority of voices were in support of the plan as it was presented at this meeting, with multiple citizens stating they had protested previous plans but were in support of this draft after the changes by the current commission. The citizens in opposition were generally looking for a more comprehensive countywide solution; the general consensus was that countywide fire was a more ideal solution in the long-term, with crowd division along the line of whether it was practical in the short term, especially with the city contract deadline approaching.
There was further discussion on how exactly a fee would be assessed, between a flat fee versus a taxable property value assessment, with no final decision made at this meeting; the Commission, acting as the SSD board, will make that decision upon the forming of the board.
In the closing minutes of the meeting, Commissioner Celeste Meyeres renewed her plea with the citizenry of the area to accept an SSD with an appointed board outside of the Commission, as well as to consider the possibility of a wider border than just the Johnson Canyon area, stating, “that would bring more operating funds to the district.” In response, some citizens reasserted a desire for the Commission to function as the board, stating greater accountability from elected officials opposed to an appointed board.
With the conclusion of this meeting, the 60-day protest period begins for citizens to protest the current draft of a plan, after which the proposal will go to the Lieutenant Governor’s Office - with that office’s approval, the County can begin the resolution to put the Special Service District on the books. According to County Attorney Jeff Stott, this means in ideal circumstances the SSD could begin operation in May. With the current protest threshold, the proposal would be denied if 132 qualified protests were filed.
