Cash County Fire District ratifies amended bylaws, recommends new outside counsel

The Cash County Fire District Board of Trustees ratified a set of amended and restated bylaws and took several governance steps at its June 26, 2026 meeting, including recommending outside counsel and formally creating north and south advisory committees.

The board voted to ratify the bylaws after debate; the chair announced the measure passed with a supermajority of five in favor and one opposed. Council Member Dave Ericson said during the discussion, "I cannot in any way support this," expressing his opposition to the proposed direction of the district's governance.

Board members also addressed recent legal representation changes. The board discussed a June 12 letter from outgoing attorney Amy Hugi stating she would no longer provide services and that she believed the board had violated the Utah Open and Public Meetings Act. A trustee told the board they had prepared a response to those criticisms and moved to add that response letter to the meeting record; the board approved adding the letter.

Following that exchange, a trustee introduced Mark Anderson as a candidate for outside counsel, describing him as an attorney with experience advising special and local districts in Utah and now living locally. The board voted to recommend that Anderson be retained to provide advice for the fire board, with the understanding that the contract and payment would be handled through the county and require county ratification and available budget.

The trustees also formalized two advisory steering committees (north and south), composed of the mayors from the respective cities, and instructed those committees to operate as advisory bodies that keep minutes and post agendas consistent with the Utah Open and Public Meetings Act. The hiring committee reported it had selected Chad Lindley as chair and recommended Ed Bu for appointment to the fire board; the hiring committee named Justin Mann as secretary for its process.

On scheduling, the board set its regular meetings for the first Thursday of each month and authorized the chair to call a second meeting on the third Thursday as needed. Trustees were asked to send certificates of Open and Public Meetings Act training to staff (Tara). The board directed incoming counsel to review foundational bylaws and governance documents, with particular attention to steps needed to qualify the district as a taxing authority and to confirm that any taxing steps comply with state requirements. The board also noted it would evaluate crime-insurance coverage for trustees and consider special-district training offered by the state auditor.

The meeting closed after a unanimous motion to adjourn; members were asked to sign the attendance roll before leaving. The board set its next official meeting for Aug. 6, 2026, unless another meeting is noticed sooner.