Park City Chamber lists its business priorities for 2025 legislative session

Economic prosperity, business climate, labor and employment, renewable energy and workforce housing initiatives highlight the business-related elements of the Park City Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau’s list of priorities for the 2025 legislative general session.

The chamber, which supports more than 1,000 Summit County businesses, said its policy agenda “speaks to issues Park City must address to remain an attractive destination for businesses, visitors and residents.” It includes nearly 60 bullet points related to economic prosperity and business climate, labor and employment, taxation, housing, community and arts, transportation, alcohol sales and licensing, health care, environment, wildfire prevention and mitigation, and immigration.

“With over 1,000 businesses represented, our focus is on maintaining a stable business environment and supporting Summit County’s economy,” said Jennifer Wesselhoff, its president and CEO. “A strong tourism economy, workforce stabilization, affordable housing and environmental preservation are critical to our success, especially as we prepare for the 2034 Winter Olympics.”

The agenda calls for maintaining a stable and predictable regulatory business environment and tax structure; encouraging smart economic development and sustainable initiatives; and advocating for investments and policy to preserve Utah’s branding as a favorable environment for business, tourism and job creation, including film and multimedia production.

The chamber/bureau wants to maintain transient room tax funding for Utah’s tourism promotion, destination development and destination management efforts; encourage collaboration and increased public-private partnerships to strengthen Utah’s economy; see legislation that protects businesses from frivolous lawsuits; and encourage “deliberate and careful consideration” of tariffs and their potential impact on business and the economy.

In the labor and employment category, the organization wants local and state government investment in programs to address labor shortages and a stable workforce in housing, insurance and child care; funding for workforce reentry programs, focusing on assisting displaced workers, women re-entering the workforce and underserved communities; targeted workforce development investments and partnerships with Utah’s K-12 and higher education system to meet identified workforce needs; and policies to remove discriminatory hiring and employment practices, close the gender wage gap, and create greater equality in hiring and advancement.

Priorities for energy call for promoting investments in solar, wind and geothermal energy to diversify Utah’s energy supply and protect critical resources like the Great Salt Lake.

The chamber/bureau supports public-private partnerships to expand affordable housing options in Summit County while addressing the impacts of short-term rentals on the local housing inventory. It also seeks licensing enforcement and equality in tax collections to create a level playing field for all lodging providers.

The Legislature’s general session runs through March 7. The chamber/bureau’s full 2025 legislative policy agenda can be found at https://www.parkcitychamber.com/resources/for-businesses/legislative-policy/.