Monday January 5, 2026

Happy 2026! Did your municipality just create new email addresses for its newly elected officials? Please forward this month's newsletter to your city or town's new Mayors, Chairs, and Councilmembers, and subscribe here to receive future newsletters. If you're looking for other WFRC resources in preparation for the 2026 Legislative Session, you can find our 2026 Bill Tracker on our website, and sign up to receive the Government Affairs newsletter here.

Last month, the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands unveiled its first-ever High-Risk Wildland Urban Interface map, identifying properties at the highest risk of damage from fires. As a reminder, HB48 (2025) was developed to address property risks within areas where homes and urban spaces mix with wild spaces. Municipalities must adopt and enforce the wildland interface building standards. If your city or town has risk areas identified on the map and have not adopted a WUI ordinance yet, please reach out to me for assistance.

January is also a great opportunity to evaluate your municipality’s Moderate Income Housing report strategy progress, now that we are halfway through the reporting period. Remember that you can remove and select new strategies if needed. For more information, visit the Department of Workforce Services’ MIH page, and feel free to contact me if you need any assistance.

Utah State Archives and Historical Records Advisory Board (USHBAB) - Rolling

Professional Development Microgrants of up to $500 are available all year through USHRAB. These funds can be used to attend record related conferences, courses, workshops, training events, and more. If you have any questions about eligibility, you can reach out to USHRAB staff.

Lowe's Hometown Projects Grant - Opens January 21

Lowe’s will fund 100 large-scale community projects—chosen from consumer nominations—to be completed in partnership with local nonprofits and community volunteers. This program has funded many community centers, first responder resources, and park and outdoor space projects. For more information, please see the Hometown Projects page.

Milbank Foundation Grants - Rolling

The Milbank Foundation funds organizations that support veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, and others aging in place. It also supports programs focused on mental health, substance use prevention, and community-based health reforms. Grants typically range from $5,000 to $500,000. If your community has a senior center, parks and recreation board, or other community service board, this grant may be an opportunity to fund new or existing programs.

RDA 101: Understanding Redevelopment Agencies - January 7th

Join the Utah League of Cities and Towns (ULCT) on January 7th at 12:00 p.m. via Zoom to learn more about how RDAs can contribute to building vibrant communities, fostering economic development, and improving infrastructure in your city or town. Find more details and a link to RSVP here.

Utah Privacy Act Training - January 15th

Join ULCT and the Utah State Privacy Office to learn more about the new data privacy law and what you need to do to help your municipality comply with the new requirements of the law. RSVP here for this virtual event taking place at 12:00 p.m. on January 15th.

Get Healthy Utah: Small Community Toolkit - Now Available

Get Healthy Utah has gathered resources, practical tips, and success stories to help smaller cities and towns promote health locally and achieve the Healthy Utah Community Designation. View the toolkit here.

If you are interested in joining ULCT at the Legislature on January 22 for Local Officials Day, don't forget to register here. Programming includes breakfast, Capitol activities, mock committees, and several informative panels on legislative advocacy.

If you have any questions about any of the opportunities in this edition of the LAA Connection, please feel free to reach out to me.

Sincerely,

Madison Aviles

Local Administrative Advisor