Most of the letters said the issue is best left up to city officials and local voters. Some argued the merits of one form over the other, while others said different forms of government work better in different cities.

"We feel a city's best form of government is the one chosen by the residents of that city through the exercise of their right to vote," Billings wrote.

Corroon and others wrote that a strong mayor form of government maintains checks and balances and creates a government run by an official who is directly responsible to voters.

Shurtz also received a letter from Richard Davis, president of the Utah City Management Association, who wrote, "While the Utah City Management Association favors the council-manager form of local government and remains committed to informing elected officials and their constituents as to the benefits of such, it is our position that any change in a community's form of government is best left in the hands of elected officials and the citizens whom they serve and to whom they ultimately answer."

The Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst estimated the original bill would cost Utah cities about $1.5 million to implement, as many would be required to hire new city managers.

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