A rendering shows a new Army Reserves headquarters to be built at the Utah Army National Guard’s Camp Williams in exchange for land the Army currently holds at Fort Douglas on the University of Utah campus. (Courtesy of the University of Utah)

The University of Utah finalized a land transfer on Monday that will eventually move the U.S. Army Reserves from Fort Douglas on campus to a new, $100 million headquarters at Camp Williams in Bluffdale. 

Originally established in 1862 during the American Civil War, Fort Douglas was officially closed in 1991, with most of the buildings turned over to the university. However a small, 50-acre site on campus surrounded by student housing, athletic facilities and Red Butte Gardens remained occupied by the U.S. Army Reserves. 

That includes the 76th Operational Response Command, where the Center for Defense Support of Civilian Authorities supports state and local officials, first responders and other government agencies during emergencies or natural disasters, according to the Army Reserves’ website. 

But in a news release, the university said the Army Reserves were “constrained by outdated infrastructure” on the fort. The new 31.9-acre site on Camp Williams is more modern, secure and gives the Army room to expand, if needed, according to the university. It’s made possible by $100 million allocated by the Utah Legislature in 2023. 

Using that funding, the university will build the Army Reserves its new 220,000 square foot  headquarters, expected to open in spring 2026. Once the Army is out, the Fort Douglas site will be handed over to the university for “future campus development.” 

Col. Martin Naranjo, Army Reserve Installation Management Division Director, said the new site will improve quality of life for soldiers, while providing them access to “some of the best training areas in the world.” 

“The Army Reserve is excited to be a part of this next chapter of multi-component training for our soldiers in and around the Salt Lake City area. … We’re proud to be a part of this community,” Naranjo said. 

The land transfer also required buy-in from the governor’s office and U.S. Congress. 

“Utah is proud to lead the nation in supporting our military,” said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox in a statement. “This historic appropriation and land transfer demonstrate our dedication to the men and women who serve our country. The new facilities will provide unparalleled opportunities for training and collaboration.”

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SANPETE COUNTY, Utah — Almost half the homes in Fountain Green City saw some sort of damage from Sunday’s flooding. Some basements only got a few inches of water, others got multiple feet.

Volunteers of all ages were at City Hall until Monday evening filling up sandbags in preparation for upcoming rain.

Lewis Rasmussen was one of the many community members lending a hand.

“It’s an amazing little town. Amazing state, actually,” he said.

Fountain Green is a small city in Sanpete County with a population of approximately 1,200 people.

“Places I never thought would get any water in any place were hit,” said Rasmussen. “Just the luck of the draw of what part of town you were in.”

The American Red Cross’s disaster relief crew also arrived Monday afternoon to help.

“Our priority focus is that human suffering aspect, to make sure that wherever that suffering is because of the flood, we are able to assist with that,” said Benjamin Donner, the executive director of the American Red Cross of Central & Southern Utah Chapter.

Neighbors moved damaged belongings out of basements. Some sat on the front lawn and dried old yearbooks page-by-page.

“We were so overwhelmed this morning but within an hour there was probably thirty or fourty guys here. There were just tons of tons of material to take out,” said Preston Cox.

Cox said it only took fifteen minutes for eight feet of water to fill his basement.

“It was just absolutely violent. It looked like a four-foot garden hose was in that window,” he said.

He said he hasn’t had time to emotionally process the loss and damages, however the community’s support has helped him get through the last 24 hours.

“I just want to say thanks to the community. They made this cleanup possible so without them we couldn’t have done it,” said Cox.

SALT LAKE CITY — Republican leaders in the Utah State Legislature are considering a special session to override a Utah Supreme Court ruling on citizen ballot initiatives.

On Monday, lawmakers were still weighing whether to advance a proposed constitutional amendment undoing the ruling by the state’s top court. A unanimous court ruled earlier this summer that the legislature overstepped its bounds when it overrode a citizen ballot initiative.

A number of groups including the Utah Republican Party, the Sutherland Institute, Pro-Life Utah and top conservatives including GOP attorney general candidate Derek Brown, legislative candidate Nicholeen Peck and Utah Eagle Forum President Gayle Ruzicka, have been pushing legislative leaders to call a special session to advance a constitutional amendment undoing the Court’s decision.

In a letter sent by the Utah Republican Party, many of the groups warn that “Utah now faces the risk of becoming like California, where large sums of outside money influence laws that do not reflect the values of our citizens and undermine our cultural integrity.”

They argued the Court’s ruling leaves Utah vulnerable to the “whims of special interests and fleeting majorities.”

“If we do not act to mitigate the consequences of this decision, Utah’s strong community and quality of life will be severely jeopardized, impacting our future and generations to come,” the letter said. “Given these exigent circumstances, we believe it is imperative that the legislature be immediately called into special session to propose a constitutional amendment. This amendment should safeguard our laws from being unduly influenced by outside groups while simultaneously respecting the role of properly balanced grassroots-led initiatives and strengthening the people’s right to veto laws through a referendum process.”

If it is advanced in a special session and passes the Republican supermajority in the Utah State Legislature? Voters would decide the issue on the November ballot.

In July, the Utah Supreme Court reversed a lower court’s decision to strike a central part of a lawsuit filed by the League of Women Voters of Utah, Mormon Women for Ethical Government and a group of plaintiffs. They sued, challenging the legislature’s decision to override Proposition 4, which created an independent redistricting commission for political boundaries. Lawmakers passed their own maps, which the plaintiffs argue constitutes illegal gerrymandering in favor of Republicans.

“We hold that the people’s right to alter or reform the government through an initiative is constitutionally protected from government infringement, including legislative amendment, repeal or replacement of the initiative in a manner that impairs the reform enacted by the people,” Justice Paige Petersen wrote in the Court’s unanimous opinion. “Thus, an alleged violation of the people’s exercise of these rights presents a legally cognizable claim on which relief may be granted.”

At the time, House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, and Senate President J. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, blasted the ruling as “one of the worst outcomes we’ve ever seen from the Utah Supreme Court.”

“Rather than reaching the self-evident answer, today the Court punted and made a new law about the initiative power, creating chaos and striking at the very heart of our republic,” they said, expressing concern about what could happen with future citizen initiatives.

On Monday morning, President Adams said it was still under discussion.

“I appreciate Utahns and stakeholders engaging and expressing their concerns on this important issue. There has been significant discussion about a special session, and we are carefully considering their requests,” he said in a statement.

Katharine Biele, the president of the League of Women Voters of Utah, told FOX 13 News she wished the Utah State Legislature would leave the Court’s ruling alone.

“We couldn’t be more disappointed in our Utah politicians,” she said. “They claim they are a representative government, we believe that. We believe in representation. They need to start representing the people.”

Katie Wright, the executive director of Better Boundaries, which sponsored Prop. 4, told FOX 13 News that if lawmakers were to advance a constitutional amendment, a number of groups were lining up to campaign against it.

“Once the people heard what was planned? There is outrage. People feel like, ‘Wait. There was a decision. It came from the Utah Supreme Court and now the legislature is trying to override that?’” she said. “It’s overreach. People are uncomfortable with it. We all know that our branches of government are supposed to have balances and checks and balances and this really throws that to the wayside.”

Read the letter from the conservative groups to the Utah State Legislature here: