Unelected Power pages (tap to open)
- Unelected Power rosterEvery case file, searchable
- MIDA at the LegislatureHearing claims checked against the record
- The MIDA hearing, in plain wordsThe short, simple version
- The Inland Port at the LegislatureHearing claims checked against the record
- The Inland Port hearing, in plain wordsThe short, simple version
- Falcon Hill and RoyMIDA Falcon Hill Project Area · Roy City
- Dan HemmertExecutive Director, MIDA · Former State Senator
- Mike OstermillerMIDA Board · CEO, Northern Wasatch Realtors
- Jefferson MossGOEO · Former House Majority Leader
What it is
The Military Installation Development Authority, called MIDA, is a state agency. Its board is appointed, not elected. It develops land on or near military sites, like Hill Air Force Base.
When land in MIDA's areas is built on, property taxes go up. MIDA can keep up to 75% of that new tax money for 25 years. Its board can add 15 more years. State law says land in MIDA's areas doesn't fall under county land-use law.
On Oct. 21, 2026, MIDA's leader, Dan Hemmert, answered lawmakers' questions for about an hour. The Hive took 32 things he and his staff said and checked each one against the records.
How the 32 statements checked out
Each bar shows how many of the 32.
What they said, and what the records show
"We get zero state money." MIDA's own 2023 report to the Legislature lists $71,194,600 in state money for its projects from 2022 to 2024. That table doesn't say how much went to MIDA itself, or anything about this year.
"The State Auditor is auditing us right now." MIDA does get a yearly audit, by a private firm. But the State Auditor's own page says the office "does not audit MIDA." A news report says the office asked for documents.
"The county keeps control of land use." In Box Elder County, the county suggests 7 people for a review committee, but the MIDA board picks them. In Wasatch County, the agreement says no county approvals are needed.
Who sits on that review committee? Hemmert said the members are "usually staff members," like planning and fire department staff. A lawmaker, Rep. Dunnigan, pointed out that in a city, the final say goes back to elected officials voters can hold accountable. (From the Hive's own notes of the hearing; added Nov. 2.)
The "rubber stamp" question. Earlier at the same hearing, a lawmaker said a county commission called itself a "rubber stamp" on a data center because MIDA had already decided it. The Inland Port said that was a question for MIDA. The Hive's notes don't show MIDA being asked again. (From the Hive's own recording, machine-transcribed; added Nov. 2.)
"If a project finishes early, the money goes back to everyone." The Hive did not find that promise in state law or the agreements it checked.
The state money in MIDA's own 2023 table
Drawn to the same scale. Total: $71.2 million, 2022 to 2024.
What checks out
A lot of what MIDA said matches the records. The law says a county has to agree before MIDA can make a project area there, and Box Elder's commissioners voted yes, all of them, on May 4, 2026. MIDA's board meetings were posted on the state's public notice website on time, with audio and minutes. And the Governor's office backs MIDA's account that the Air Force asked for the Stratos project.
Why it matters to you
Lawmakers make choices based on what agencies tell them. When what is said doesn't match the agency's own papers, it's worth asking which one they used.
The full case file checks all 32 statements, one by one, and lists who to ask about them. One is still being checked. Hemmert said about 3,500 Mayflower jobs so far; the developer reported about 350 construction workers in August, and no record of 3,500 jobs was found.
Connecting stories
- MIDA at the Legislature (UP 100.11)The full case file: all 32 claims, sources, a map and questions to ask.
- Dan Hemmert (UP 100.02)MIDA's leader. Used to be a state senator.
- Falcon Hill and Roy (UP 200.02)MIDA's area at Hill Air Force Base, and the tax it collects inside Roy.
Sources
Sources — click to open (with links)
- Official video of the Oct. 21, 2026 committee hearing (auto-generated captions)
- MIDA presentation to the Legislature (Sept. 18, 2023), "Legislative Appropriations" table
- Office of the State Auditor, MIDA page
- Box Elder County Agreement 26-15 (the review committee)
- MIDA Res. 2023-01 with the Wasatch West Side agreement
- Utah Code Title 63H, Chapter 1 (the MIDA law)
- Governor's Office, FAQ on the Stratos Project
- The Weber County Hive, its own recordings and notes from the Oct. 21, 2026 hearing (added Nov. 2)
- Every source, with links, is in the full case file.