County receives $50k grant for Blanding Main

by David Boyle
News Director
Members of the San Juan County Commission approved a $50,000 grant aimed at Blanding’s downtown, approved a wildfire plan, and once again tabled an item related to data privacy at their latest meeting.
Members of the commission celebrated the approval of a community support grant at their December 2 meeting. 
The grant will be administered through Southeastern Utah Downtown Alliance.
The $50,000 grant, from the Larry H Miller Foundation, will look at boosting Blanding’s Main Street.
The grant is divided into two main strategies; one offering $25,000 for a facade and exterior improvement matching grant.
The one-to-one match from participating business owners will allow main street businesses to improve their looks through high-visibility projects including new signage, painting, window repairs and accessibility enhancements to enhance curb appeal.
The remaining $25,000 will offer micro-grants to local entrepreneurs. Individual grants, ranging from $500 to 2,500, will be used to help businesses purchase equipment, expand e-commerce for artisan goods, build inventory for peak tourist season or access essential training and certifications. 
While the grant is focused on Blanding, county commissioners noted the grant frees up funds for other local projects to benefit the rest of the county as well.
Members of the county commission once again tabled an ordinance establishing a county data privacy program.
The state-required program must be approved by the end of December, but commissioners asked to table the item for an in-person work session.
Changes from the last tabling included a mandate that the chief administrative officer and chief privacy officer review all proposed software purchases for features that might collect private data.
Some discussion was had over the precise language of the county administrative leader in the program, leading to the commission tabling the item to be able to discuss in a work session.
Members of the county commission also reviewed and approved the 2026 San Juan County Community Wildfire Preparedness Plan. 
The state required document was completed internally by staff, with administration reporting that effort to have saved an estimated $40-60,000 in contracting costs.
The document is used for organizing wildfire response and prioritizing high-risk areas. At the meeting it was clarified that document is different than a recently passed House Bill 48 which dictates high-risk Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) areas across the state.
Opponents to the bill are concernned about the burden placed on counties to collect fees and assessments from property owners in the newly defined high-risk areas which could impact insurance rates.
Members of the commission made plans to schedule a future meeting, with a presentation from state officials, regarding the bill’s impact as well as an opportunity for public input.
As part of the consent agenda, members of the commission approved a state-mandated cost of living adjustment for the fire warden budget. Commissioners expressed thanks for the county fire staff management of fire resources, with an emphasis on the work on the summer Deer Creek fire in La Sal.
Members of the commission also approved updates to policies for the San Juan County Senior Centers. The updates are driven by state and federal compliance guidelines among changes, included a policy preventing playing games for money like bingo or pool to mitigate risks to funding. Another update also required a best-buy date on all home-delivered meals.
In a related item, the commission approved a memorandum of understanding allowing service missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to volunteer at senior centers.
While the initial request was related to the Monticello senior citizen center, the MOU was written in a way that the program could be expanded elsewhere in the county should interest arise.
County staff also confirmed strong safeguards with the mou noting that missionaries are not to proselytize during service and receive other training as part of the agreement.
In an informational item, the county shared plans to switch volunteer group insurance from Allstate to Guardian.
County staff explained recurring difficulties applying employee deductions and processing claims resulted in employees not receiving appropriate claim payments.
The change will impact supplemental insurance, such as critical illness and indemnity plans, but not life insurance. The county reports the plan offers the same protection as well as more coverage options and is set to roll out at the start of the year to ensure no gap in employee coverage.