Townships in Salt Lake County weigh government options

Residents of Salt Lake County townships are facing a question: What type of government do they want?

Township boundaries were supposed to dissolve in July 2006, and cities could have started annexing land from any one of the county's six townships. But a bill passed in the 2005 legislative session locked the boundaries until 2010.

Residents are now being asked whether they want to be annexed into a city or stay in a township. The bill even included a provision to make sure township residents' desires are heard, through a survey.

Stacee Adams, the county's community relations specialist, said several cities are working with the county to give township residents all the information they will need to make the best choice.

"They can decide what form of government is best for them," Adams said.

The feasibility study comparing service levels between the county and surrounding cities is expected to be released in May. The study will also include cost comparisons of how much taxes residents will pay if they choose to be governed by a city, compared with staying as a township.

According to the 2005 bill, HB40, the Legislature wants to find out if township residents would like to incorporate or annex into an adjacent municipality, remain in the unincorporated area of the county within a township or withdraw from the township area but remain in unincorporated Salt Lake County.

The survey is expected to be completed in April 2008, and the results are expected to be presented to the Legislature in July of that year.

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