The 45-day legislative session that adjourned March 7 saw lawmakers introduce a record 958 bills, of which 582 were passed and sent to the governor.The Park City Chamber/Visitors Bureau’s board-approved 2025 legislative agenda staked out positions on economic, environmental and lifestyle issues li ke taxes, business and environmental regulation, child care and housing, transportation, tourism management, workforce and water law, sustainability initiatives, and many others.Some of the bills impact Park City and Summit County. Here are a few highlights that may affect you and your family.For the fifth year in a row, lawmakers approved an income tax cut, reducing the rate from 4.55 to 4.5 percent. Most Utahns will save less than $100 a year in tax savings, but this will result in about a $100 million budget cut for the state.Lawmakers approved HB456, which includes a statewide increase of 0.75 percent in the transient room tax (TRT), a crucial funding source for visitor management collected from hotel guests. Two-thirds of the increase will go to the state for visitor-related capital projects. The remainder will fund an EMS and search/rescue grant for rural counties.HB456 also allows counties to increase the TRT (by .25%) by resolution for promoting and mitigating tourism (mitigation specifically meaning sanitation, solid waste disposal, law enforcement, emergency and search/rescue, and road upgrades/repair), making the new county TRT threshold rate 4.5 percent. Summit County currently imposes a 3 percent TRT tax.A separate bill allows Summit County to impose a “resort communities” tax in unincorporated areas to help fund public infrastructure or transit.Discussions on these tax issues were sometimes arduous, and we appreciate the balance required between government needs and working to keep Park City as competitive as possible for our guests.We supported the (passed) bill allowing cities that regulate short-term rentals to request that an STR website remove a listing that violates business licensing or zoning requirements. Cities can also now use a short-term rental listing as supplemental evidence that a short-term rental took place, which they could not do previously. This will help communities monitor whether properties are complying with ordinances or are subject to applicable taxes. The bill focuses on ensuring STRs adhere to local laws and remit taxes that can be distributed to the correct jurisdiction, just as hotels and other lodging must do.Park City skiers and local resorts were concerned about Utah moving to year-round Daylight Saving Time once the federal government permits it, as it would mean lifts start spinning later in the morning on short winter days. A bill to move Utah to year-round Mountain Standard time was proposed but did not pass.HB91 applies the 1 percent restaurant tax to grocery stores, gas stations and convenience stores that sell prepared food for on-premises or immediate consumption. This bill initially reduced the restaurant tax rate to ensure the expanded definition was revenue-neutral, but the final bill did not include a rate change. Many counties are excited about this because the additional revenue is earmarked for developing airport, convention, cultural, recreation, and tourist facilities or for mitigation purposes in 4th-6th class counties with low overall population density.With 582 bills on the governor’s desk, we can offer only a thumbnail sketch of 2025’s highlights. The chamber board and our partners stay in touch with city, county and state lawmakers year-round as the economic and political tides shift, consistently advocating for laws and policies that help Park City’s economy, environment and way of life stay strong, balanced and resilient for decades to come.Members can learn more about these bills and others at two upcoming events: Des Barker, a legislative strategist, will host a virtual session on April 9 at 1 p.m., and at the Wasatch Back Economic Summit on May 13. Registration and more information are available at ParkCityChamber.com.Jennifer Wesselhoff is the president and CEO of the Jennifer Wesselhoff is the president and CEO of the Park City Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau.The post Park City Pulse: Legislative session has many Park City impacts appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less