Summit County News Dec. 2025

Ure Ranch Acquired, Rent Limits Explained, and Holiday Closures

Author

Derek Siddoway
December 17, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

Inside this email:

  • County holiday hours of operation

  • Summit County acquires & protects the iconic Ure Ranch

  • How Area Income Sets Affordable Housing Rates

  • Sustainable Christmas Tree Disposal drop off locations

Season’s Greetings from Summit County

2025 has been a year to remember, and we have so much to be thankful for! Most of all, we’re grateful for the trust and support of county residents.

As a reminder, the county will have limited hours of operation or closures on the following dates. Call ahead or check on our website before visiting.

  • Dec. 24 — The majority of departments and elected offices will close at noon

  • Dec. 25 (Christmas) — Closed

  • Jan. 1 (New Year’s Day) — Closed

The Sheriff’s Office and local Fire/EMS crews will have limited staff working throughout the holidays. Public Works employees will be available to remove snow and provide other critical, on-call weather-dependent services.

We hope you all have a very happy holiday season!

Summit County acquires & protects the iconic Ure Ranch

Summit County and Summit Land Conservancy proudly announce the successful acquisition of the iconic 835-acre Ure Ranch. The land, located along the entry corridor in the Kamas Valley, will be protected for agriculture, wildlife habitat, and public recreational open space. The acquisition transfers ownership of the land to Summit County and assigns the first conservation easement on the North Meadows to Summit Land Conservancy. Summit County will finalize the remaining five easements in the coming months to ensure that the scenic, agricultural, recreational, and ecological values of the property will be preserved for generations to come.

“On behalf of Summit County, I want to say how excited I am to see this precious land protected for open space and agriculture for generations to come,” Summit County Council Chair Tonja Hanson said. “I lived directly across the street from this property for 28 years.  My fear was that someday I would wake up and see nothing but rooftops across the beautiful Kamas Valley. With a conservation easement on this property that will never happen. Thank you to everyone who has worked on this through the multi-year process that has led to this day.”

In addition to its agricultural value, the Ure Ranch provides vital habitat for wildlife, including elk, mule deer, and migratory waterbirds such as sandhill cranes. Its protection further contributes to the region’s scenic beauty, preserving wetlands and riparian areas, and aligning with local and county land-use plans emphasizing public open space, agricultural heritage, and mitigation of regional growth.

To learn more about the Ure Ranch conservation and read the full press release, visit summitcounty.info/ureacquisition.

How Area Income Sets Affordable Housing Rates

This month’s educational article from the Summit County Housing Authority, “AMI and Rent Limits Explained” by Joan Meixner, defines some key terms and explains how regional data determines rent and purchase price for affordable units. Check out this excerpt for a brief introduction:

“Affordable housing programs often use AMI as a tool to establish rental rates and sale prices.

AMI stands for ‘Area Median Income.’ Federal and state housing programs use income data for a given area to calculate rents and sales prices for affordable housing units. As its name suggests, AMI is the middle income for the specified area and is also calculated for households of different sizes.

In 2025, Summit County’s area median income is $168,600 for a four-person household. Note that in 2020 this amount was $109,800: representing an over 50% increase…”

To see how income brackets determine rent limits for affordable housing, visit summitcounty.info/AMIexplained.

Sustainable Christmas Tree Disposal

Great news, Summit County! Thanks to the County’s Brown Waste Diversion initiative, your Christmas trees will be chipped and kept out of the landfill this year!

Five Christmas Tree Drop-Off sites will be open across the County through Monday, January 12, 2026.

🎄 Jeremy Ranch – across from Jeremy Ranch Gas Station
🎄 Silver Creek – Bell’s Truck Stop
🎄 Oakley – beside City Hall
🎄 Kamas – behind the City Building
🎄 Wanship – next to the Stockyards

A quick reminder: trees only! No lights, plastic bags, stands, or leftover décor.

Connect with your County!