Last year in a Utah city likely not far from you, a large developer wanted to purchase an enormous tract of land next to city limits and cover it with dense housing. The public outcry to this project was immediate: No. Nearby residents felt the sizeable development would overwhelm a rapidly-growing area already burdened by traffic and overcrowded schools.
Local officials were not keen to approve such a large project. Like many of their residents, they felt current city infrastructure was insufficient. Their rationale was clear: current residents don’t want this, and our roads can’t support it.
Enter state leadership. In private meetings with state officials, local leaders were told that while they could negotiate terms, they must rezone and approve this development.
That “must” came with threats: if city leaders tried to block the developer, the state legislature would run a bill approving this rezone and vesting it at an even higher density—without any concessions from the developer. State leaders even insinuated that the state may start withholding needed state funds from the area unless this development was approved, and quickly.
As you may expect, the development passed.1
Unchecked power
This type of deal is happening all over. We anonymized this incident on purpose, because top-down pressure from state leaders has become commonplace. You hear about it in private when talking to local officials at the school board, municipal, and county levels from all over the state.
Just a few weeks ago, one state official made a similar public threat to Heber County—a threat to pull all state funding from the county unless it approved a very large development. So much for local control.
State pressure is happening in Salt Lake and Summit counties, Democratic-leaning areas accustomed to the ire of Republican state officials. But it’s not limited to urban or liberal areas. State pressure is also rampant in GOP strongholds across Utah, from Davis to Utah to Weber to Tooele and Washington counties.
Utahns are starting to catch on these backroom machinations. Take the recent data center controversy in Box Elder County. Citizens of all political stripes witnessed for themselves what state pressure looks like, noticing fast-tracked timelines and intense pressure from state leaders to pass a massive proposal with little public input.2 Across the political spectrum, residents weren’t happy with it.
Regrettably, this is now the way Utah operates.
Utah hasn’t always been like this
We realize that politics is rarely “polite.” Compromise is inherently messy. But Utah’s current top-down mandates from state leaders seem unusually coercive. Relatively unchecked state pressure comes, at least in part, because of concentrated power—a supermajority of elected officials from one party who no longer have to slow down or compromise to pass their bills.
Folks who’ve worked with Utah’s legislature across decades reliably note that never before has Utah’s legislative leadership wielded so much power. Lobbyists and local leaders alike see consolidated political power used by state leaders in new ways, including bypassing local control.
Such pressure is not limited to your city and county officials. State-level representatives in Utah’s House and Senate are under tremendous pressure to bow to leadership’s priorities. If not, they face very real threats of having their bills held in committee and having funding withheld from future campaigns3.
The result? Legislators who might have proposed amendments to a bill a decade ago now simply vote “yes.” Bills pass at record-breaking rates, often without compromise.
In our opinion, this is not good governance.
What changed?
Over the past decade or so, Utah’s legislative leadership has started amassing more power—for example, impinging on the executive branch by giving the legislature the power to call itself into special session. State laws have also curtailed what local leaders can decide for their towns, cities, and counties, including taking away powers formerly granted those elected officials.
Utah’s judiciary has in recent years served as one of the more effective checks on state power. It has since become the focal point of legislative reform. In just the past year:
Utah’s state Supreme Court was expanded.
Multiple Utah judges were personally attacked by prominent political leaders.
Several judges whose rulings GOP leaders didn’t like were pressured to retire or resign.
The appointment of the court’s chief justice has become more political.
The remaining check on the power of state leaders is the people. Ordinary citizens provide such a “check” via Utah’s ballot initiative process. As such, Utah’s ballot initiative has become a target.
In 2024, Utah’s House and Senate leaders pushed Amendment D, which would have given the legislature the ability to substantially change voter-approved ballot initiatives—diminishing the power of ordinary citizens. Amendment D was found to have violated proper procedures (as well as use misleading language), and was struck from the ballot in 2024. Earlier this year, a legislative-backed referendum to repeal Utah’s Prop 4 redistricting laws failed to garner adequate signatures.
But Utah’s leaders aren’t backing down. A different, but related legislative initiative will appear on ballots this fall. Amendment B (formerly SJR2) would raise the threshold to pass citizen-led ballot initiatives. If passed, ballot initiatives with tax implications—arguably all of them—must get at least 60% of votes rather than a simple majority to pass. We worry that Amendment B is just one more way to concentrate power.
An unchecked legislature
When checks and balances are weakened, the balance of laws can tip to favor those making them. In our case, Utah laws often benefit developers. A significant portion of legislators in our House, Senate, and governor’s office (including senior leaders) work in real estate as their day job. Consequently, many legislators feel pressure to favor development no matter the tradeoffs, even when their communities have little to gain. Like when new development overwhelms existing schools, water, public safety, and other infrastructure. (Hello giant data centers).
Prioritizing development comes at a cost. Some state lawmakers have personally benefitted from state projects to the tune of millions of taxpayer dollars. Some projects divert water from the Great Salt Lake, which is desperately low already. Sometimes it’s not so obvious.
Take the 2019 legislation that created Public Infrastructure Districts (PIDs). “Public infrastructure” sounds good. However, PIDs are essentially area-limited bonds that transfers development costs from developers to future residents.
Utah’s state auditor is concerned. So are many new homeowners. PIDs are now burdening homeowners all over the state with unexpected—and significant—increased taxes. One example we saw showed that PID financing added thousands of dollars a year of property tax. Over time, PIDs essentially add 30–50% to residents’ total property tax bill, an amount that can increase over time.
PIDs and self-dealing just two small examples of developer-friendly regulation. They’re also a microcosm of what happens with one-party rule. You can find the effects in nearly every sector, from unfunded mandates that hurt public schools and local government to bills that undermine voting systems and public health measures.
We truly believe Utah deserves better.
What you can do
Good news! We as ordinary citizens and moderates voters can do something right now about changing the state. It’s election season. Your vote still matters.
Show up in numbers. Check your voter registration. Watch for your ballot in early October. Fill it out and return it early, in a dropbox if necessary (mail ballots must be in before 8pm on Election Day to be counted).
Help others do the same. Host a voting party or help your neighbors check their registration and vote. Text 5 friends to remind them to turn in their ballot. (You’re welcome to share this post and our upcoming candidate guides).
Prioritize people who represent their constituents. Voting straight-ticket can mean voting for the status quo. We know from experience that supermajorities result in concentrated power with few real checks. To counteract this, look for people who aim to represent their constituents over ideology or party interests. Please consider new candidates, including independent candidates and those from parties you may not have voted for in the past, to find these types of leaders.
Get involved with a local campaign. When you find good candidates running for office, know that they likely need your help. Many campaigns are running on fumes; winning campaigns (unfortunately) can cost a pretty penny. Please contribute what you can: time, skills, money, or lawn space for a sign.
More good news: Utah still has many principled leaders and candidates who want to do the right thing. Watch for our candidate guides (to be posted in coming weeks) to help you find the best candidates for your area—stay tuned.
Together, we can help make Utah politics more responsive to the values and needs of ordinary citizens. Let’s make it happen!
Arguably, with real threats from state-level officials, city officials made the best of two less-than-ideal options for their residents. We feel it’s a shame the state stopped in to make the alternate outcome—delayed building for infrastructure—untenable.
Box Elder county commissioners themselves publicly “express[ed] their frustration with how the proposal was brought to the County… they were disappointed to learn that discussions involving state officials, property owners, and other stakeholders had been occurring for months before the County Commission was provided even a basic introduction to the project.” (Fox 13 News)
We have not personally talked to these officials, but our educated guess from talking to dozens of other local elected officials across Utah is that Box Elder county commissioners were probably told something along the lines of “negotiate and pass this or we’ll pass it our way and pull funding from your area.” It’s that common.
We offer as evidence the significant attrition and premature retirements from the state legislature from legislators in recent years—a minimum of 20% of Utah’s State Legislature will be new in 2026. We are hopeful many of these new legislators better represent the needs and interests of their constituents.
Would love to talk with you about an initiative launching in Utah today called Thriving America/Thriving Communities. We would love to feature what you are doing and find ways to collaborate.
centralign @ gmail d/ com
Great article!