Park City spent nearly $27,000 on Olympics planning trip to Italy

Park City taxpayers covered $26,889.23 for a trip to Italy that city leaders say was aimed at preparing for Utah’s 2034 Winter Games. The city paid for airfare, lodging and meals for Mayor Ryan Dickey, Councilor Tana Toly and Jodi Emery, who was acting city manager at the time and later returned to her role as deputy city manager.

The money came from a budget earmark the city said was set aside specifically for Games preparation, not general travel. Councilors Bill Ciraco and Diego Zegarra also attended the Winter Games, but they paid their own way and did not seek reimbursement, drawing a clear line between public spending and personal travel.

Park City leaders joined other Utah officials in the International Olympic Committee’s observer program, a working mission meant to show future host communities how an Olympic city handles operations, logistics and the public-facing side of the event. The trip gave local officials a live look at Milano Cortina, the first Winter Olympics after Utah won the right to host in 2034, and a chance to study how crowds, transportation, security and venue operations were managed on the ground.

The broader Utah effort was much larger than one Park City delegation. Utah 2034 was coordinating four waves of activities in Italy centered on the observer program, and more than 100 Utah government, community and Olympic leaders were expected to take part. Park City’s observers also included venue leaders from the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, Park City Mountain and Deer Valley Resort, along with Utah 2034 spokesperson Tom Kelly.

Later discussions focused less on the atmosphere of the Games than on the practical strain they could place on Summit County. KPCW reported that leaders concentrated on transportation networks, road access, media operations and the details behind moving people from one point to another. Jodi Emery later warned that Utah’s clustered venue plan will put pressure on Park City and Summit County infrastructure, while Summit County Manager Shayne Scott said the trip reinforced the need for contingency planning and keeping basic services running. Scott summarized one lesson this way: “plan B became plan A.”

The Italy visit also fits into a much longer Olympic timeline. The International Olympic Committee says the IOC Organising Committee for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games was formed on February 17, 2025, and the Games are scheduled for February 10-26, 2034. Utah officials have said the state is ahead of the usual host timeline because it was awarded the Games about 10 years in advance rather than seven, giving Park City and Summit County more time to plan but also putting public spending under a sharper value test. Park City, which served as a venue city for the 2002 Winter Olympics, is already spending to avoid costly mistakes when the spotlight returns.