Emery County CRA directs staff to draft participation agreement with UAC for administration, audit and software

The Emery County Community Reinvestment Agency on Jan. 20 instructed staff to prepare a formal participation agreement with the Utah Association of Counties (UAC) to manage CRA administrative duties, including independent audits and access to VINX document-management software.

UAC representatives told the board that rising legislative scrutiny of tax-increment financing and increased activity from energy and data-center projects have made reporting and auditing more demanding. An unidentified UAC representative said the proposal would shift CRA-specific legal, reporting and audit duties from county staff to UAC and use admin fees to cover those costs. "We're not gonna go to Emery County and ask Emery County to put the bill for what your request is," the UAC representative said, explaining developers would be asked to front some amendment-related costs and be reimbursed once tax increment begins to flow.

Why it matters: UAC said the agreement would provide a single vendor for required annual independent audits, statutory reporting and record storage and would offer VINX software to track project areas, increments and distributions. The UAC presentation listed an illustrative pricing approach: a $30,000 base (to cover independent audit and core services) plus approximately $10,000 per project area in higher-touch administration; the presenters said VINX had a separate contract option that could be structured differently (the draft shown suggested a per-project software fee in the tens of thousands).

Board members pressed on cost, negotiability and timing. Commissioner Kevin Jensen said the county needs to weigh economic-development goals against tax burdens for residents; another board member asked whether the agreement could be locked for two or three years to provide price certainty. Staff said final prices could be negotiated and the board would see a draft before any contract was executed.

The board voted to move forward with preparing the agreement and asked UAC staff to consult with county staff (finance and legal) and return a written services agreement for the CRA’s next meeting. The motion provided direction but did not bind the CRA to the specific dollar figures presented at the Jan. 20 meeting—those are to be negotiated and explicitly included in the draft agreement.

What comes next: Staff will prepare a services-agreement draft that itemizes the services UAC would perform, the proposed fee structure (base/ per-project), and contract terms (including any developer reimbursement clauses). The draft will be presented to the CRA for consideration at a subsequent meeting.