Countywide Services
Overview of Countywide Planning, Trails & Active Transportation, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and other services.
Department Mission
Our Cities & Towns
Lewiston City
Cornish Town
Richmond City
Clarkston Town
Trenton Town
Amalga Town
Newton Town
Smithfield City
Hyde Park City
North Logan City
Logan City
River Heights City
Providence City
Millville City
Mendon City
Nibley City
Hyrum City
Wellsville City
Paradise Town
Lewiston City
Community history overview
Date founded: 1870
Date of incorporation: 1904
Population (2020 Census): 1,780
Fun Facts: Settlement of Lewiston "Flat"
Lewiston was referred to as "Flat." Pasture lands to the west attracted the settlers of Franklin and Richmond, who herded their cattle on the "Flats. " They did not farm here but used it only for range. Lewiston "Flat" was nothing but blow sand to begin with. It would not even grow grass, because the wind blew the sand along and it cut everything off that tried to grow.
Cornish Town
Community History Overview
Date Founded: 1870
Date of Incorporation: 1937
Population (2020 Census): 346
Fun Facts: Cornish emerged as a town on the Oregon Short Line Railroad. Early names were Ransom, Trenton, and Cannon. In 1907, the railroad changed the name from Cannon to Cornish in honor of William D. Cornish, vice president of the Union Pacific Railroad at that time. "Utah Place Names, John W. Van Cott"
Richmond City
Community History Overview
Date Founded: 1859
Date of Incorporation: 1868
Population (2020 Census): 2,899
Fun Facts: Holstein cows were brought to Richmond in 1904, and thrived so well that the town was recognized as Utah's Holstein center. In 1912, the Richmond Holstein Cow Show was the first in the county. Now called Richmond's "Black & White Days", and features carnival rides, food vendors, and a horse pull parade.
Clarkston Town
Community History Overview
Date Founded: 1864
Date of Incorporation: 1964
Population (2020 Census): 746
Fun Facts: One of Clarkston’s claims to fame is its ties to Martin Harris, one of the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon. Harris lived for a time in Clarkston, died there, and was buried there. For many years, the town held a musical pageant commemorating Harris’s life, which drew thousands of visitors.
Trenton Town
Community History Overview
Date Founded: 1870
Date of Incorporation: N/A
Population (2020 Census): 573
Fun Facts: Trenton Hole
J. Blaine Anderson , federal judge
Don Campora , professional football player
Amalga Town
Community History Overview
Date Founded: 1869
Date of Incorporation: 1938
Population (2020 Census): 577
Fun Facts: Amalga gets its name from the company that monopolized sugar beet processing at the time, the Amalgamated Sugar Company. The beet boom was short-lived, and Amalga’s refinery was closed by 1919.
Newton Town
Community History Overview
Date Founded: 1869
Date of Incorporation:
Population (2020 Census): 810
Fun Facts: Newton was first settled in 1869. A bridge was built over the Bear River in 1871 and it was at that point that many of the inhabitants of Clarkston, Utah moved to this "new town". Newton has two reservoirs nearby: Newton Dam reservoir to the north, and the much larger Cutler Reservoir to the south.
Smithfield City
Community History Overview
Date Founded: 1859
Date of Incorporation:
Population (2020 Census): 12,117
Fun Facts: Originally known as "Summit Creek" (due to its location on that creek), Smithfield was founded in 1857 by brothers Robert and John Thornley and their cousin Seth Langton. By the next summer, with more settlers arriving, a small fort was built on the edge of the creek, one cabin of which remains. As the settlement grew, a bishop (John Glover Smith) was named to lead the church congregation, and the town took his name. By 1917 the town had planted trees on both sides of its Main Street and had acquired a Carnegie library and a Rotary club. Dependent for many years on dairying, a Del Monte canning factory, and the sugar beet industry, the town is now essentially a bedroom community for Logan.
Hyde Park City
Community History Overview
Date Founded: April 16, 1860
Date of Incorporation: January 16, 1892
Population (2020 Census): 4,963
Fun Facts: Hyde Park (Utah) is located in Cache County and is five miles north of Logan on US 91. It was settled in April 1860 by William Hyde, Robert Daines, and others. The settlement was named for William Hyde, the first presiding Mormon church elder and bishop in the area.
North Logan City
Community History Overview
Date Founded: 1890
Date of Incorporation: 1934
Population (2020 Census): 11,304
Fun Facts:
Logan City
Community History Overview
Date Founded: 1859
Date of Incorporation: January 17, 1866
Population (2020 Census): 51,680
Fun Facts:
River Heights City
Community History Overview
Date Founded: 1882
Date of Incorporation: 1934
Population (2020 Census): 2,141
Fun Facts: Joel Ricks, co-author of The History of a Valley, noted, "The early settlers passed it by because of the dry nature of the soil and the difficulties in securing water for culinary uses and agricultural purposes."
"When the land nearby was occupied, this site (River Heights) was inviting to the landless and the land-hungry settlers," writes Ricks.
Rhodes records the first settlement in Dry Town, now called River Heights, was by James Bullock, who built a dwelling to provide shelter and comfort for members of his family while he was away attending to his cattle.
Ricks' history notes that every settler was forced to carry water up a hill to their dwelling: soon several wells were dug in the new community that included Lehi Olsen, Andreas Anderson, Alma Cummings, and Hyrum Merrill.
"Dry farming was tried, but the land was too arid and dry. The settlers cooperated in building a canal from the Logan River," wrote Ricks. "The man who could shovel the most dirt or cut the most hay or grain, or bring the largest load of logs or wood from the canyon was the hero of the community in those times."
Dry Town soon became plentiful with water and since then has become River Heights and has experienced regular growth. "Incorporated in 1934 for the purpose of bringing improved water systems and better roads," Ricks wrote.
Providence City
Community History Overview
Date Founded: April 20, 1859
Date of Incorporation: 1917
Population (2020 Census): 8,051
Fun Facts:
Millville City
Community History Overview
Date Founded: 1860
Date of Incorporation: 1860
Population (2020 Census): 2,222
Fun Facts:
Mendon City
Community History Overview
Date Founded: 1859
Date of Incorporation:
Population (2020 Census): 1,382
Fun Facts:
Nibley City
Community History Overview
Date Founded: 1855
Date of Incorporation: 1935
Population (2020 Census): 7,168
Fun Facts:
Hyrum City
Community History Overview
Date Founded: 1860
Date of Incorporation: February 10, 1870
Population (2020 Census): 8,904
Fun Facts:
Wellsville City
Community History Overview
Date Founded: 1856
Date of Incorporation: 1866
Population (2020 Census): 4,069
Fun Facts:
Paradise Town
Community History Overview
Date Founded: 1860
Date of Incorporation: N/A
Population (2020 Census): 1,056
Fun Facts:
Countywide Planning & Development Office (CPDO)
Our Mission: Carries out activities that address comprehensive planning at the county level to help guide growth and development, and embrace policies with a countywide perspective.
Cache Countywide Planning
Technical Services Provided
Program History
1994
Adopted Interlocal Agreement to create the Cache Planning and Development Office and hired the first Countywide Planner. A staff person was hired dedicated to creating maps for the general plan, including roadways and other important land use information.
1998
Countywide General Plan adopted.
2004
A Resolution is passed to amend the CPDO Governing Board from seven members to nine members.
2006
A Resolution is passed to create the Cache Valley Regional Council, which now formally becomes the Governing Board of the CPDO.
2013
Full-time planner dedicated to Countywide Planning leaves and the responsibilities of the CPDO are carried out by multiple planners in the Development Services Department.
2019
Countywide Planner hired on as a full-time position.
2024
Hired Countywide Planner
Contact Information:
Countywide Planner: Brandon Bell - brandon.bell@cachecounty.gov
Planning Manager: Angie Zetterquist - angie.zetterquist@cachecounty.gov
Trails & Active Transportation
Our Mission: Promoting active transportation and trails stewardship in Cache Valley.
Our Role: The primary role of the Regional Trails & Active Transportation Program is to assist participants in the funding and implementation of regional trails and active transportation plans.
'About Us' Cache County's Trail & Active Transportation Program
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Murray Farm Trailhead was a partnership effort between the Logan Ranger District, Cache County, and the Murray Family. Please visit the 'About Us' section of our website to learn more. Drone imagery by Cache County's GIS Department.
Program History
2005 - 2009
The beginnings of the County's Trail Program began when Tim Watkins was hired as the County's first Trail Coordinator in a part-time capacity. Projects included the Logan Boulevard Trail, the Logan Canyon Gateway Trail underpass, and Mendon City's 100 East shared-use path.
2015 - 2019
Dayton Crites was hired as the County's first full-time Regional Trail & Active Transportation Coordinator, funding was made possible through RAPZ and our municipal partners. He can be credited for crafting our Cache County Trail & Active Transportation Master Plan. Dayton contributed to the Bjorr Trails, Bonneville Shoreline Trail extension, the Murray Farm Trailhead, the Blacksmith Fork Connector trail, and more.
2020 - 2022
Carly Lansche was hired as the Regional Trail & Active Transportation Coordinator, she looks forward to meaningfully contributing to growing the region's list of accomplishments.
2022
Landis Wegner was hired as the Regional Trail & Active Transportation Coordinator, he looks forward to meaningful contributions to Cache Valley's list of accomplishments as well as updating the County's Trail & Active Transportation Master Plan.
Contact Information:
Regional Trail & Active Transportation Coordinator: Landis Wegner - 435-755-1646
(GIS) Geographic Information Systems
Our Mission: Better service through efficient partnerships.
The Objective: With this service, we will implement the latest technology, current data layers, data collection tools, and online mapping allowing for better planning, decision making, and data management. Which in turn will lead to better city, town, and county partnerships.
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- Other interactive maps www.cachecounty.gov/gis
Official Site of Cache County, Utah - Interactive Web Maps
Additional Services
Please Note: In the past, some additional resources may have been provided to your community without cost on a limited basis. These additional GIS services are now available outside the Countywide Planning program for an additional fee, and a breakdown of those services and costs are below.
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Use Statistics (Server Statistics)
- Total requests—Total number of requests made by a client to a service for a given time frame.
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Program History and Milestones
1995 Beginnings of GIS
Cache County enters an agreement for technical services with Applied GIS. This agreement states the County requires the management of a needs assessment/plan and the development of a test project for the design of a (GIS) geographic information system at a cost of $48,500. Contract #95-21-01 .
1997 Smart Map Contract
A contract was enacted for the intergation of the tax-roll, GIS, and property cards into a system that would provide a more complete, unified and easier to maintain system. Contact #97-31-01.
2002 Parcel Data Born
INGEO Systems is hired to do initial digitization and creation of a parcel database for the (CAMA) computer assisted mass appraisal system at a cost of $77,890. Contract #02-49-01
2007 - 2008 GIS Staff Increased
Memorandum was issued to Lynn Lemon, then County Executive, describing the need to hire additional GIS staff and hire an outside consultant to make parcel updates to the original INGEO parcel product that was neglected for so many years. Authorization to proceed with consultants.
2008 Parcel Updates
Daily maintenance of a countywide parcel fabric becomes a big priority for the County. The parcels have become the backbone of the County's GIS system. All County departments and many local industries, related to land and property, rely on this GIS product for their daily workflow. The parcels have been updated on a daily basis since 2008.
2009 Enterprise GIS/ Server
GIS Server software, DBMS (Database Management System), and server hardware are purchased @ $55,000. This initial purchase allows the County to take a big step toward becoming an Enterprise GIS . The County sees the need for GIS to integrate through an entire organization so that a large number of users can manage, share, and use spatial data and related information to address a variety of needs, including data creation, modification, visualization, analysis, and dissemination.
2010 Nibley GIS
Nibley is the first city to inquire about County GIS's additional services. GPS equipment is loaned out for sewer manholes, sewer clean outs, water valves, and water meter locating. The early beginnings of personalized online mapping were created and the use of 5 ArcGIS Collector field app maps.
2009 - 2012 Web GIS is Born
Creation of other crucial GIS data begins. While parcels are important other GIS layers are born. New layers include but are not limited to, county and city zoning, city future annexation areas, subdivisions, record of survey boundaries, and many public works layers. There is also the organization of layers created by other government agencies. In 2010 we see the early beginnings of the County's online web mapping also known as "Web GIS" take form. This early web mapping was created with the now obsolete, Adobe Flex (SDK) Software Development Kit.
2012 - 2015 Upgraded Server
In 2012 a newer server, on loan from our IT Department, allowed us to deploy a more powerful ArcGIS server. The Adobe Flex (SDK) becomes obsolete in 2011. We are now tasked with migrating over and creating new web mapping to what we now develop with, the ArcGIS API for JavaScript and Dojo (API) Application Programing Interface. The Parcel Viewer and Survey & Section Corner Viewer are a part of this migration allowing us to now be working with a more stable and ESRI supported development environment. More foundation GIS data layers are created at lightning speed!
2013 Hyde Park GIS
Hyde Park City comes online with County GIS additional services. Public Works data types were created, personalized online web map was created along with the use of the ArcGIS Collector field app.
2014 Smithfield & Hyrum GIS
Smithfield and Hyrum City come online with County GIS additional services. Public Works data types imported, personalized online web maps created along with the use of the ArcGIS Collector field app.
2015 - 2017 Upgraded Server
After 5 years of service, we realize that our 2012 GIS server can't handle the demand of all our online mapping resources, database, and web server needs. A new GIS server comes online, in early 2017, at the cost of $15,000. Many online maps are now in maintenance mode along with the creation of new interactive maps knowing the GIS server can handle the user demand.
2016 North Logan GIS
North Logan City comes online with County GIS additional services. Public Works and Planning data types were imported and created, and two personalized online web maps were created along with the use of 9 ArcGIS Collector field app maps.
2019 Mendon & River Heights GIS
Mendon and River Heights come online with County GIS additional services. Public Works data types were created, and personalized online web maps were created along with the use of the ArcGIS Collector field app.
2020 Paradise GIS
Paradise Town comes online with County GIS additional services. Paradise borrows mapping grade GPS unit to collect fire hydrant and water valve information. Personal online web map created.
2021 Millville GIS
Millville City comes online with County GIS additional services. Public Works data types were created and imported, personalized online web map was created along with the use of the ArcGIS Collector field app.
Present
Continue to grow the GIS services for Cache County residents......
What would it cost to stand up your own GIS shop?
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Contact Information:
GIS Administrator (16 years): Cary Jenkins - cary.jenkins@cachecounty.gov - 435-755-1644
GIS Specialist III (11 years): Seneca Francis - seneca.francis@cachecounty.gov - 435-755-1645
GIS Specialist III (11 years): Cherie Davis - cherie.davis@cachecounty.gov - 435-755-1642
GIS Specialist I (4 years): Caleb Smith - caleb.smith@cachecounty.gov - 435-755-1662
Fee Structure & Billing
Cities & Towns in Cache County can opt-in to pay for CPDO, GIS, Trails & Active Transportation services. Please keep in mind that participation in these programs supports efforts with regional benefits. A billing letter will be sent on June 1st each year with the cost associated to fund these programs, based on your municipalities population size. Municipalities can choose to either opt-in or out of these services each year they are billed.
2021 CPDO, GIS, and Trails Report
Staff reported and tracked hours that they spent working on projects or meeting with communities in 2021 to see where staff's time was spent over the course of 2021. *Note that these tables do not reflect all projects completed in 2021.
Building Inspections, Planning & Permits
The Development Services Department also includes Planning & Zoning, Building Inspecting, and permitting. Learn more about each function below.
Building Inspections
The Cache County Building Department protects the health, safety, and general welfare of the public by enforcing compliance with current building codes. The Building Department reviews plans, issues permits, and performs building inspections.
Cache County issues permits for the following areas and municipalities in Cache County: Amalga, Avon, Benson, Cornish, Cove, Hyrum, Millville, Paradise, Petersboro, Providence, Richmond, River Heights, Smithfield, Trenton, Wellsville, and all unincorporated county areas.
Please visit the link below to find contact information.
Planning & Zoning
The role of the Planning & Zoning (P&Z) Division is to assist the public and the County in the review of land use projects requiring the approval of the designated County Land Use Authority, ie. the Director of Development Services, Planning Commission, Board of Adjustments, or County Council.
Please visit the link below to find contact information.
Permits
Our permit technician can walk you through special event permitting, zoning clearances, and more.
Please visit the link below to find contact information.
