Cities seek to tweak ragged boundaries

PLEASANT GROVE — Some 60 property owners in Pleasant Grove could soon have Cedar Hills addresses.

But they won't be moving.

Pleasant Grove and Cedar Hills are proposing to realign their common boundary to simplify the area for emergency response personnel and to provide water and sewage services to residents in their own cities.

The current boundary between the cities is erratic and confusing to follow. In some places, it isolates properties and prevents landowners from connecting to their city's sewage system.

But residents in the affected area have historically resisted any boundary realignment, and some property owners might still be reluctant to accept the proposed change.

"I think there will be a number of people that will not be in favor of this because they will view it as a step to change the status quo," said Pleasant Grove Mayor Mike Daniels. "They want to stay in whatever city they're in, irrespective if they're on a septic tank that may be failing, or — if there's no change — that the city (they live in) can't run sewer (lines) up to them, or water, and the other city can."

In years past, the cities have tried to change their boundaries — which were formed arbitrarily by residents who chose which city they wanted to belong to — but residents who lived in the area protested the change. In 2004, Pleasant Grove's City Council voted not to pursue the shift, but Daniels said the complicated border has led to an increase in time and money spent by the city to address the issues caused by the border's complexity.

In an effort to inform residents of their renewed interest in realigning the border, both cities are mailing letters to those who own property in the affected areas.

The letters, which should arrive by the end of the week, will inform residents of the proposal, summarize residents' rights to oppose the change and announce the first of several public information meetings scheduled to discuss the issue.

The first meeting will take place Tuesday, April 24, at 7 p.m., at Deerfield Elementary School, 4353 W. Harvey Blvd. in Cedar Hills.

In order for residents to oppose the boundary change — assuming it is approved by the city council in each city — residents who live in the affected area must register a complaint with their city's recorder. Residents who represent an area that is equal to 15 percent of the total value of the land, or that covers at least 25 percent of the total private land, can prevent the city from making the change.

Although the majority of residents who would be affected by the boundary shift currently live in Pleasant Grove and would be annexed into Cedar Hills, six Cedar Hills property owners would be annexed into Pleasant Grove.