DVF SSD Work Meeting October 15, 2026 6:00 pm. This is an unapproved draft of the work meeting minutes. These minutes were generated by Plaud AI.
Roll call confirmed attendance: Olivia Anderson, Alan Burns, Kim Slight, Doug Markham, and Pat Johnson (attending via phone).
o The work meeting agenda was approved following a motion by Olivia Anderson and a second by Alan Burns
The board reviewed membership benefits and associated conference pricing for the Utah Association of Special Districts (UASD).
- Overview of UASD:
o UASD is an organization designed to support special service districts throughout the state of Utah and hosts upcoming training in Layton.
- Membership and conference fee structure:
o The standard conference attendee fee is $325, with reduced pricing available for members and first-time attendees.
o The annual fee to join UASD is a sliding scale, approximately 1% of revenue.
- Value proposition and district support:
o Board members emphasized that UASD provides access to resources, revenue-generating program guidance, and peer networking with other Utah Special Service Districts (SSDs).
o Further discussion on joining UASD is slated for the upcoming general meeting.
The board outlined the core framework, stakeholder involvement, and regional integration strategy for developing the district's strategic plan.
- Strategic plan core components:
o Mission Statement: Review and potential modification of the current mission statement.
o Core Values: Establishing operational principles (e.g., innovation, transparency, best practices).
o Vision Statement: Defining a multi-year outlook (3, 5, or 10 years), such as integrating emergency services across the Highway 18 corridor in cooperation with neighboring districts.
o Goals: Centered primarily on improving resident service delivery across the district and corridor.
o Objectives & Strategies: Actionable pathways to execute goals (e.g., implementation requirements for a fall prevention program) along with operational forecasting.
o Performance Measures: Tracking operational and service metrics to assess performance, including monthly fire and EMS call volumes, on-scene time, call-type distribution (e.g., percentage of fall-related calls), fall assessment visits, and chipper/brush removal hours.
- Stakeholder engagement:
o Fire Chiefs must be integrated into the process to provide direct input on facility, equipment, and personnel requirements.
o Community Fire Council representatives should be engaged to align mutual community objectives and identify shared resource needs.
- Regional cooperation:
o The board discussed exploring cooperative arrangements (e.g., Diamond Valley) leveraging county input and resources.
o Reference was made to Chief Reifer's 5-year plan to unify the Highway 18 corridor under a single umbrella, aligned with a county-commissioned Zion's Bank study conducted in 2021.
The board discussed consideration to align their vision statement with the Zion's Bank study roadmap and securing diversified revenue along Highway 18 done in 2021.
- The roadmap/study document is located on SharePoint.
- Chief Reefer plans to present to the county commissioners in February 2027, allowing the new commissioner time to onboard.
- The board intends to craft vision statements reflecting the roadmap while spearheading initiatives, as the county commissioners left implementation to individual districts.
- A primary objective is partnering with the county to secure stable, multi-source revenue along Highway 18 rather than relying on a single funding source.
The board reviewed inter-district coordination challenges and highlighted the necessity of Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) for regional fire operations.
- Historical planning efforts revealed significant disparities in equipment, training, and staffing across neighboring departments, leading to past disputes over leadership.
- The county theoretically oversees all districts, including equipment and facilities, making county guidance critical.
- MOUs (such as the existing agreement with Diamond Valley) establish trust, standardized training, and operational reliability on emergency scenes.
- Kim Slight noted operational concerns regarding under-resourced departments (e.g., Brookside reportedly operating with one person, and unverified training levels for personnel responding from Veyo and Gunlock in casual clothing).
The board discussed reviewing legacy board resolutions and establishing an annual review process within their policies and procedures.
- Existing resolutions found on SharePoint will be compiled to determine whether past board decisions remain relevant or should be formally retired.
- Key Decision: Place resolutions in a dedicated SharePoint repository or attach them as an addendum to policies and procedures, establishing an annual board review cycle to expire or remove outdated resolutions.
Guest Heather Anderson from UASD, (Utah Association of Special Districts) arrived and outlined the procedural requirements for repealing or expiring obsolete board resolutions.
- To expire or end a resolution, the board should place the specific resolution(s) on an open meeting agenda, discuss them for public record and meeting minutes, explain the rationale for retirement, and conduct a formal vote (individually or as a block motion).
- Heather Anderson offered to verify any specific repeal procedures with legal counsel.
[24:35-27:17] Heather Anderson explained the membership fee structure and legal counsel benefits provided by the Utah Association of Special Districts (UASD).
- Membership dues are based on self-reported district annual operating budgets and always amount to less than 1% of the annual budget (e.g., larger entities like St. George/San Quinto Water Conservancy District pay approximately $20,000 annually).
- UASD membership includes access to general legal counsel for nominal 15-20 minute consultations and specialized district statutory guidance to assist retained local attorneys.
The board sought guidance on handling a GRAMA public records request regarding board member emails from a closed session.
- A resident submitted a Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) request for emails associated with a prior vote of no confidence against a board member.
- Heather Anderson advised that while general district correspondence is public, emails addressing individual character and competence discussed in closed executive sessions may be classified as private or protected under state statute.
- Each email must be reviewed individually to assess releasability; consultation with UASD legal counsel or State Archives was recommended.
- Contact details for UASD General Counsel Mark Anderson:
The board planned attendance for the November UASD convention, addressing fee structures, member discounts, and late penalty waivers.
Logistics for registration information and fee code distribution are coordinated.
Status of required trainings: open and public meetings (annual) and auditor's training (every four years).
Mandatory data privacy/cybersecurity training requirement for political subdivisions.
- Heather Anderson states one statutorily required training will be Thursday afternoon from the Data Privacy Center on data privacy and cybersecurity.
o Only one individual from every political subdivision in the state needs to be trained, similar to records officer requirements.
o November 4, 2026; Thursday, November 5, 2026; and Friday, November 6, 2026.
Legislative engagement process and invitation to propose statutory adjustments.
Overview of fire special service districts prevalence and peer learning opportunities, including annexation experiences.
- Heather Anderson notes approximately 70% of the state receives firefighter services from special districts and special service districts; offers to connect the board or their chief with fire districts on UASD's board for specific questions.
- Example: North Davis Fire District has annexed neighboring municipalities seeking cost efficiency by joining the district rather than maintaining separate services.
- For districts considering growth or expansion due to neighboring communities wanting to join, Ms. Anderson recommends contacting Fire Chief Mark Bicraft (North Davis) because he has handled annexations before.
Provision of contact information for North Davis Fire District's chief and coordination for outreach.
Preferred communication pathways between chiefs and boards, and brief commentary on specialized professional languages.
The board distributed best practices materials and discussed governance training on nepotism, ethics, and UASD resources.
District leadership reviewed strategic plans and stakeholder coordination for a potential fire department consolidation or annexation.
- An earlier consolidation effort led by the county several years prior was unsuccessful, prompting a revised, cooperative approach.
- The department is developing a five-year plan to execute a friendly annexation or district integration.
- Coordination and communication with county commissioners and local stakeholders are critical, as the county retains substantial authority over special service districts.
UASD presented the Legislative Auditor General's governance framework, contrasting effective oversight with the risks of rubber-stamping and micromanagement.
- Trustees must balance governance responsibilities by avoiding two extremes:
o Rubber-stamping: Uncritically approving all management proposals without diligence.
o Micromanagement: Directly intervening in daily staff operations or issuing unilateral board member directives.
- Employment policies and strategic frameworks must be reviewed and placed on the board meeting agenda at least annually.
The board evaluated its governance authority and the importance of engaging stakeholders and county leadership.
- Board members emphasized actively communicating with stakeholders, external experts, and the public rather than defaulting to passive approvals.
- As a special service district, the Dammeron Valley Fire SSD board operates under delegated authority granted by the county commission.
UASD detailed compliance requirements for statutory policies, legislative tracking, and procurement rules.
- Special districts must adopt customized statutory policies; absent a local procurement policy, the state procurement code applies by default.
- UASD maintains templates for statutorily required policies and issues annual legislative summaries covering approximately 80 relevant bills affecting special districts and first responders.
- Boards are required to review, calibrate, and internally audit policy implementation to ensure statutory alignment and operational compliance.
The board reviewed procedures for financial audits and corrective action follow-through.
- The district undergoes an annual external financial audit managed by its financial officer.
- Boards are advised to scrutinize annual audit reports and ensure that recurring findings or auditor recommendations are remediated promptly.
UASD outlined available policy templates and statutory adoption mechanisms for district governance.
- UASD maintains 18 statutorily mandated and optional policy templates (including at-will employment policies).
- Boards can adopt UASD policy language structured to automatically update alongside annual legislative amendments while still undergoing board review.
UASD discussed emerging policy developments regarding artificial intelligence and offered ongoing support.
- UASD is developing an AI usage policy template to address operational boundaries, spreadsheet utilization, and the protection of confidential ambulance and emergency medical records.
The work meeting was formally adjourned at 7:07 PM.
o Motion moved by Kim Slight motion seconded by Alan Burns.
- The meeting concluded at 7:07 PM.
DVF SSD Work Meeting Agenda
15 October 2026, 6:00 PM
Call to order/Roll call. Kim Slight
2. Board Training-Best Practices. Heather Anderson
3. Discussion to join Utah Association of Special Districts Kim Slight
4. Discussion of Strategic Plan for DVF SSD. Kim Slight
5. Adjournment Kim Slight
Notice of Special Accommodations (ADA)
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals needing special accommodations during this hearing should notify the Dammeron Valley Fire Special Service District Chairman of the Board, Alan Burns, at least three days prior to the hearing.
Notice of Electronic or Telephone Participation
Policy: This shall be known as the Dammeron Valley Fire Special Service District Electronic Board Meeting Policy.
In compliance with Utah State Code 52-4-207
Title 52
Chapter 4
Section 207
Other Information
DVFD is located on the east side of Highway 18, about half way between Mile Markers 17 & 18, the second building after the mail box pods on the North side of the street.
Kim Slight- Board Chair
Pat Johnson- Treasurer
Olivia Anderson- Clerk
Doug Markham- Member
Alan Burns- Member