Weber County to pursue interlocal fee authority, tighten PID rules and consider mills cap

Weber County staff told the Board of Commissioners on Feb. 2 that they will pursue revisions to the county’s policy on public improvement districts (PIDs) to create clearer rules on overlapping boundaries, allow interlocal agreements for charging administrative fees, and limit how many mills PIDs can impose on housing projects.

Lauren (county staff) explained the two main proposed additions: clarify when boundary overlaps are permitted and explore entering interlocal agreements with PIDs so the county could recoup administrative costs. "The PID statute says that the costs for creating a PID should be borne by the PID itself," Lauren said, "but the statute is silent about administrative costs after creation, so an interlocal route may be needed to charge a fee." Commissioners generally supported the concept and asked staff to research legal steps and how best to calculate fees.

Discussion focused on practical mechanics: whether administrative charges should be tracked hourly, set as a bracketed fee, or assessed as a percentage similar to CRA administrative costs. Staff noted the variability of PID needs — attorney time, clerk time and project complexity — and recommended exploring time‑tracking and outreach to other counties to identify common practices. Commissioners asked staff to monitor pending state PID bills and state auditor guidance on reporting requirements.

Staff also said the county intends to tighten rules for housing PIDs by reducing the typical allowable mills from 5 to 1.5 to reduce homeowner burdens. Commissioners approved moving forward with drafting policy language and returning with a final draft for possible adoption after the current legislative session and further internal review.