"This isn't about control," Ellertson said. "It's not about the idea of doing it to protect (the lake) at the expense of someone else. It truly is about working together."

It's proposed that the Utah Lake Commission include representatives from the county and the nine cities and towns that border the lake, as well as from the state Legislature, the Central Utah Water Conservancy District and the state departments of environmental quality and natural resources. Any other interested municipalities in the county also have the ability to join.

Provo Mayor Lewis Billings, chairman of the study committee, has said the group's goal is to have firm commitments from the entities who wish to join the commission by the end of this year. The Legislature would then need to pass a resolution to give the state agencies the OK to participate, a formality that is expected to be taken care of when it meets in January.

Municipalities and agencies with full membership and voting rights would be required to make a financial commitment to the Utah Lake Commission, though dollar amounts have not yet been determined. The commission's primary source of funding is expected to be federal, state and local grants.

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