GARY SHUMWAY for Summit County Council

1) What changes, if any, would you make to the current Land Management Code and how does that fit into your long term plan on growth management?
I have quickly read the Snyderville Basin Development Code (http://www.summitcounty.org/communitydevelopment/downloads/snyderville/s...), the Snyderville Basin General Plan (http://www.summitcounty.org/communitydevelopment/downloads/snyderville/G...), the Eastern Summit County Development Code (http://www.summitcounty.org/communitydevelopment/downloads/eastern/es_de...), and the Eastern Summit County General Plan (http://www.summitcounty.org/communitydevelopment/downloads/eastern/esgen...). As of yet, I have not studied these documents in enough detail to offer salient comments as to changes I would like to see. I believe that by reading my answers to subsequent questions below, you will get a sense of my position on the issues. As the campaign progresses I will read the documents in detail and thus be better positioned to answer this question. Based on my initial perusal, I expect differences of opinion.

2) What is your opinion on growth?
Optimally government would have a laissez faire position toward growth and the desires of citizens to do as they wished with their property. Given that ideal standard, it appears that the citizens desire limits on what occurs within their community and around their property. That said, I believe to the extent feasible, East Summit County should be responsible for their growth and related issues and West Summit County their own issues. Obviously what occurs in each portion of the county affects the other and to that extent they must work together. Growth must be constrained by available resources and the quality of life the County residents desire. Growth is good, yet uncontrolled growth which is constrained geographically and by available resources, is a problem.

3) Would you manage growth? If so, how?
Yes, I would manage growth to the extent that growth is constrained by resources and the quality of life desired by the residents of Summit County. Mechanisms to manage growth include zoning restrictions, conditional use permits (CUP), and infrastructure requirements and set asides. A CUP allows a city or county to consider special uses which are not allowed as a matter of right within a zoning district. A conditional use permit provides flexibility within a zoning ordinance. Another traditional purpose of the conditional use permit is to enable a municipality to control certain uses which could have detrimental effects on the community.

4) We have seen dramatic growth in Western Summit County and in Wasatch County. What steps would you take to insure the transportation infrastructure has the ability to keep pace with the growth taking place throughout all the communities under your jurisdiction?
One of the planks of my platform is that growth should be constrained by available resources, including transportation infrastructure. We must determine to what extent we want to be impacted by growth. Then adopt plans which either increases available resources to accommodate that growth, slow growth until that infrastructure can be created, come up with ways to mitigate the infrastructure problem, or try to stop growth. I propose that growth constrained by resources based on the quality of life we expect is a prudent bench mark for amount and type of growth to promote.

5) Is there a need to offer affordable housing in the communities surrounding Park City? Do you believe the county should require future developments to provide such housing with new restrictions? What type of programs would you recommend?
We must remember that it is the private sector which ‘offers affordable housing’. With the hospitality, recreational, and agricultural need for support personnel we should encourage the development of affordable housing. I would like to look into viable programs for affordable housing which encourage the developer to build such housing v. requiring same. As the aforementioned industries benefit the most from support personnel being housed locally, they should assist in the planning of affordable housing. We should partner with other Utah organizations such as Housing and Community Development. There is a draft document on the Summit County web site regarding workforce housing incentives which can, in part, be used to assist in encouraging conforming, affordable housing. This document can be viewed here:
http://www.co.summit.ut.us/communitydevelopment/downloads/snyderville/Dr... Workforce%20Housing%20Incentives.pdf.

6) Will you please comment on the disproportion of appropriated water vs. actual wet water and please explain what your recommended action plan would be to help resolve this issue?
Appropriated water or paper water is in short the water legally available to the water user while the actual wet or consumptive water is the water actually available. Over time and water usage, there has become a discrepancy between the amount of water legally appropriated and the water actually available. One of the planks of my platform is growth constrained by available resources. If the natural resources are not available or their use would deleteriously affect existing development then approval for the new development should not be given until the situation is mitigated.

According to the Eastern Summit County plan:
“More care must be given to the impact of growth on the water situation in Eastern Summit County. With regard to water, simple and old ways are no longer workable. In the future, each developer must be required to demonstrate not only water rights, but also the actual ability to use water located in a well. A water share or right (paper water) is no longer sufficient. A well driller’s log, currently required by the Development Code in order to obtain a building permit, is not adequate to show the State Engineer’s authorization to actually use the water in the well. The State Engineer’s Memorandum of Decision, authorizing actual use of water in a well or commitment by a private after provider, should be required before development approvals are granted or a building permit issued. In new development, a developer should be required to demonstrate that new wells will not adversely affect those that exist in the area. It is crucial that these requirements are demonstrated before County approvals are granted for any new development project. This is the only way to ensure compliance.

The ‘sufficiency” of the water right shall be determined based on state water use guidelines that generally require .45 acre feet of water for indoor use per dwelling unit and 3 acre feet of water per 1 acre of irrigated land for outdoor use.”

7) How do you regard renewable energy and how can the county best support it?
I support renewable energy as a supplement to existing power sources. I would consider technologies/sources such as:
a. Solar panels are becoming less expensive and produce greater energy.
b. Wind turbines, particularly for individual household use are viable in parts of the County.
c. Some properties in the County could use damless hydro systems.
d. Deep lake water cooling, although not an energy source, could save energy in summer by using submerged pipes as heat sinks.
e. Solid biomass such as wood, the biogenic portion of municipal solid waste, unused portion of field crops, and even cow manure (which retains 2/3 of its original energy) could be used. Energy harvesting via a bioreactor can be a cost-effective solution to the waste disposal issues faced by the dairy farmer, and can produce enough biogas to run a farm in optimal situations.
f. Geothermal energy is also a possibility.
I would suspect that the best way for the county to support renewable energy is via tax breaks and incentives when placement of renewable energy sources would decrease County expenses.

8) Why are you running for County Commissioner?
I am campaigning for Seat ‘D’ on the Summit County Council because I want to be involved in the selection of our first County Manager. I want to endeavor to at least partially bridge the divide between East and West Summit County. Finally, as a citizen of this great state, I want to offer my time, education, and experience in the governing of our County. I know it sounds trite but in fact I want to try and make a difference by encouraging increased citizen involvement. I also want to give the citizens of Summit County an actual choice in candidates.

Vote Tuesday, November 4th. Vote Gary Shumway for Summit County Council, Seat 'D'.