Gillies is not the only one who has tried to change the laws he considers outdated. Utah County Commission Chairman Jim Grover, who also questions those laws, has lobbied the Utah Legislature for a change but encountered harsh resistance from Salt Lake County officials, and so the proposal didn't go anywhere.

"It's not something the legislators care much about," Grover said.

However, Grover said the county is doing what it can to remedy the situation. County attorneys are drafting a contract whereby the commission can return the funds for the special service areas, roughly $9,000, to Fairfield.

He said the contract should be fairly straightforward and ready in the near future.

"As long as the money goes into what the special areas proscribe, it shouldn't be a problem," Grover said.

Grover said the county tries to inform cities of all the ramifications of incorporation before residents vote. Commissioners held two public hearings in Fairfield last September and provided a feasibility study for incorporation.

Fairfield's study projected a first-year loss of $1,500, which was expected to increase to $19,300 by 2010. At the time, county commissioners told residents they would have to change property taxes, attract more businesses and leave the special service areas in order to get the city finances in the black.

"We made it clear that there were these (county) levies," Grover said. "I did think we tried to be up front with them."

But the message was lost somewhere. Burch said residents were never told they would have to wait until November to vote out of the special service areas, and residents were led to believe they would have the funds that went to the special service areas from the time of incorporation.

Despite the miscommunication, Burch said the town is moving forward and expects the future to be much better, especially if the deal to recoup money from the county goes through.

"Whenever you start up, it's a learning experience," he said. "Right now, it's kind of rough, but in the future, things will be much more smooth."

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E-mail: jtwitchell@desnews.com