Provo deputy mayor briefs Utah County on new 'code blue' winter response and warming centers

Isaac Paxman, deputy mayor of Provo, told the Utah County Commission on Jan. 17 that the legislature'mandated winter response task force is coordinating a countywide plan to ensure shelter during very cold nights.

Paxman, who is Provo's designated member of the task force, said the law contains two main provisions. First, when temperatures reach 15 degrees the state will declare a "code blue," allowing any facility that meets fire and building codes to open overnight to keep people warm regardless of local zoning or objections. "When it hits 15 degrees, the state's gonna call it a code blue," Paxman said. Second, the task force must submit a plan by Aug. 1 to make sure there is "a roof overhead" nightly during the winter period.

Paxman described how several local partners are already participating: the Provo Community Congregational United Church of Christ opened Sunday and hosted about 15 people; the Genesis Project (near the Food and Care Coalition) will open Monday and Tuesday; and a Seventh'day Adventist site is scheduled to open another night this week. He said the warming centers operate overnight and close in the morning, when people are directed to breakfast programs such as the Food and Care Coalition.

Downtown Provo, Inc. circulated a letter asking officials to preserve downtown businesses and to spread service locations across the county rather than concentrate them in one city; Paxman said the business group cited roughly $200,000,000 in annual downtown revenue and urged countywide sharing of responsibilities. He emphasized that public health and behavioral health services are county functions and asked the commission to take a leadership role in meeting the state's requirements "with an eye on fairness throughout the county."

Paxman said the plan must cover the period the law identifies (he cited 10/15/2024 through 04/30/2025) and that the state will provide a target number of people the county must plan to serve, likely by March. He invited commissioners' questions and thanked staff and nonprofit partners involved in food security, clinics and behavioral health, calling many of those efforts long'standing county investments.

Commissioners thanked Paxman for the update and confirmed the county will continue coordinating with cities, nonprofits and state officials as it develops the plan.