Council to adopt Utah chapter of APWA public‑works standards; staff to prepare policy for April

Mendon City Council on March 13 reviewed the 2025 Utah chapter standards from the American Public Works Association (APWA) and directed staff to prepare a policy or procedural adoption for the April meeting.

Eric Dursteller, Mendon’s city engineer, explained the APWA standards provide base specifications for public infrastructure work—materials, construction practices, and inspection guidance. He said the city previously discussed adopting APWA guidance in 2018 but the standard did not then make it into code; the updated Utah chapter is now published and ready for local adoption.

“We need to adopt the Utah chapter first now as opposed to the national chapter,” Dursteller said, noting staff will tailor the standards to local needs and that the full document runs to roughly 2,000 pages. Council members asked whether adoption requires a public hearing or ordinance; staff recommended preparing it as a policy/procedure to expedite implementation while preserving the option for a formal hearing if needed.

Why it matters: Adopting APWA Utah chapter standards gives Mendon a recognized technical baseline for public‑works projects and can simplify contractor oversight and permit reviews.

What comes next: Staff will prepare the proposed policy and the placement in the city’s codebook and bring it back for council action in April; council members were invited to review the posted standards ahead of that meeting.