Lehi City Council Work Session - October 12, 2026

The Lehi City Council held a work session on Monday, October 12, 2026, beginning at 4:00 PM in the City Council Chambers. All councilmembers were present. The agenda included presentations on school planning data, the city fiber network, and proposed home occupation regulation changes. Item 2.3 (Chiu Property Land Use) was pulled from the agenda. No formal legislative action was taken on the discussed items.

Growth, Demographics, and Area Plans for Schools

• Staff presented existing and future housing data. There are about 31,000 existing housing units, with roughly 19,000-20,000 single-family homes and about 5,000 each for townhomes and multifamily, on the upper end of that range. Future housing capacity is about 12,000 units, for a total of roughly 44,000 units at about 75% buildout.
• School sites were mapped by type. West of the Jordan River there are more than 6,000 existing units and about 1,200 future units but only one elementary school and one charter school; councilmembers raised concerns about North Point Elementary overcrowding and traffic.
• The future west-side school site has about 4,500 housing units within a one-mile radius, with 577 more expected; the south-side site has about 2,900 within one mile now, with 1,100 more planned. Alpine School District owns three parcels designated for schools. Land near the fire station is about 25-30 acres, less than the district's 40-acre high school ideal, but could support a junior high or technical/alternative high school.
• One councilmember strongly advocated for Cold Spring Ranch Elementary, and other councilmembers supported sharing city GIS data and coordinating with the school district to plan for future growth.

Fiber Fund Review

• Staff explained that the fiber network was financed with $58.2 million in franchise/sales tax bonds issued in 2021 and another $15 million issued in 2025. Debt service was about $3.1 million, rising to $3.9 million in 2027 and $4.7 million in 2032.
• Current operations show about 7,150 fiber customers, a take rate near 30%, and a goal of 10,500 customers by about 2031. The net promoter score was about 50, and annual churn is under 5%, well below the 12-15% industry standard.
• The bonds can be called in February 2031, with refinancing considered around fall 2030. Staff projected a 2030 cash flow before capital expenditures of about a $100,000 shortfall, which would be covered from the general fund. Sales-tax-backed bond coverage was described as about 600%, well above the 200% covenant threshold and the 300% that rating agencies prefer.
• Councilmembers asked about general fund relief, commercial versus residential accounts, and competitive pricing. Staff also announced a fiber open house on Thursday next week, 6:00-8:00 PM.

Home Occupation Regulations

• Staff reported 2,651 home occupation business licenses issued from October 2025 to October 2026. Current prohibitions include body art/cosmetic services due to needles, clinics, restaurants, auto/truck/RV businesses, and construction/landscape maintenance businesses requiring equipment storage.
• Proposed changes include allowing rental of no more than two vehicles parked off-street on a hard surface; allowing small-scale construction/landscape businesses with basic equipment; keeping home occupation space limited to 25% of finished livable area; allowing more than one occupation only if it does not affect residential character; and limiting non-resident employees with no off-premise employee parking.
• Councilmembers differed on restrictiveness. Several supported looser limits, arguing the 25% floor-area cap and one-occupation rule were too restrictive; others emphasized protecting residential neighborhoods, avoiding commercial spillover, and making rules enforceable. Councilmembers also discussed cosmetic/body art regulation, licensing, insurance, and microschools.
• Staff will provide a full redline of the proposed code changes to the council, and the item may be referred to the Small Business Advisory Council, which next meets November 4.

Key Outcomes

• No votes were taken on the discussion items.
• Item 2.3 was pulled from the agenda and not discussed.
• Staff indicated they would share city growth data/GIS with the school district and continue coordination.
• The fiber presentation was informational; no action was requested; staff announced an open house.
• Home occupation changes will be refined and brought back for further discussion; staff will send a full redline to the council.
• The meeting adjourned by motion.