4-10-8. Ex parte contact .

(1) Ex parte contact between township planning commission members and opposing parties involved in litigation with Tooele County involving land use issues shall be prohibited. Township planning commission members shall not participate in site or office visits, electronic communication, written communication, or verbal conversation either face-to-face or over the telephone, with any individual or any representative of a company or entity involved in legal proceedings with Tooele County involving land use issues. This prohibition shall include plaintiffs who have filed suit against Tooele County , claimants who have served a Notice of Claim on Tooele County , and defendants in actions filed by Tooele County , such as those in violation of provisions of the Tooele County Code or the Tooele County Land Use Ordinance.

(2) Township planning commission members shall be restricted from ex parte contact, including site or office visits, electronic communication, written communication, and verbal conversation either face-to-face or over the telephone, with any individual or representative of a company or entity when such interaction involves a request for a conditional use permit, planned unit development, a request for approval of a subdivision, or for an exception to the Tooele County Land Use Ordinance. This restriction on ex parte contact applies to all conditional use permit approval requests, planned unit development or subdivision requests, after an application for such is filed with the Tooele County Engineering Department, while the application is under review by the township planning commissions, after a decision or recommendation on the application has been made by the planning commissions, while the application is under review by the Tooele County Commission, or while the application is under appeal, if an appeal is filed. Township planning commissioners shall not participate in ex parte contact with individuals or representatives of a company or entity opposed to a request for a conditional use permit, planned unit development or a subdivision approval, or an exception to the Tooele County Land Use Ordinance.

(3) If ex parte contact as described in Subsections (1) or (2) occurs, it shall be disclosed at the next meeting of the township planning commission and the planning commission member who had such contact shall neither participate in the discussion nor vote on the matter.