Utah taxpayers picked up a $26,584 tab for a day‑and‑a‑half House Republican retreat at the swanky Zermatt Resort near Midway. The charge covers dozens of rooms and catered meetings.

House Republican leaders have not explained why they chose to use taxpayer funds instead of tapping the hundreds of thousands of dollars of PAC money they’re sitting on. The majority declined to answer questions about the retreat.

According to contracts obtained by Utah Political Watch through an open records request, the House Majority Caucus booked a bloc of 67 rooms at the resort for a meeting on Sept. 29 and 30. 41 of those were standard rooms and another 26 were larger villas that featured a kitchen and living room.

Rooms for a one night stay totaled a little more than $13,000 at group rates ($155.21 for standard rooms, $270.18 for villas), plus $2,250 for meeting space and nearly $11,000 for catering. The majority also hired a Montana‑based facilitator for $2,299.44, which included airfare and a rental car. Four rooms went unused after cancellations or early departures.

51 Republican representatives and roughly a dozen staffers, including Chief of Staff Abby Osborne and Deputy Chief of Staff Ryan Hunter, plus an intern attended the event. The House majority reserved a total of 67 rooms. It remains unclear whether spouses or guests also stayed.

The final bill came to $26,584.30. A transaction from the Legislature for the same amount appears on the state’s financial transparency website, labeled as “resort.”

Unanswered questions

The majority did not respond to why taxpayer funds were used for the meeting instead of money from the House Republicans or House Speaker’s PACs, which each have hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank.

For contrast, the House Democratic Caucus, which is much smaller than the Republican supermajority, also hosts planning retreats for members and staffers paid for with state funds. Those meetings typically have much more meager accommodations—usually held at the Capitol, with bagels or sandwiches provided for catering. Any fees for speakers come out of the House Democratic political action committee.