City officials said it's not property tax dollars they are after. In an interview with the Deseret Morning News, Wood said the city would contribute any additional property taxes to the project of Chevron's choice.

The North Salt Lake property tax rate is 70 percent higher than the unincorporated property tax rate, County Clerk/Auditor Steve Rawlings said.

Johnson said Chevron prefers to keep the refinery within Davis County jurisdiction.

"They understand our business, they understand the safety and reliability needs of our plant," Johnson said. "We value being a part of Davis County as a whole, as a whole I say, and not just one municipal jurisdiction."

Davis County Commissioner Dannie McConkie said the county will do all it can to work with Chevron.

"We don't want to scare them off on the cusp of such a major investment," McConkie said. "They are a mainstay in Davis County and have provided jobs for years. We want to keep them happy."

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E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com