Resident groups in the two cities began circulating referendum petitions to bring the issue before voters. In a June special election, Bluffdale voters upheld the council's decision. Syracuse residents will vote on the issue Nov. 6.

The Lehi City Council was poised to change Mayor Howard Johnson's job description as well, but the Legislature placed a moratorium on the creation of a manager-by-ordinance form of government until May 5, 2008, while the task force meets to study the issue.

If the bill passes, the four forms of government allowed by law would be two options of the council/mayor form of government, with a five- or seven-member council; a six-member council, where the mayor is the chairperson of the council but a nonvoting member; and the five-member council, where the mayor is a regular voting member of the council.

Legislators also plan to include a provision to grandfather in other forms of government in cities where an alternative form is working well.

Stephenson, the lone member of the task force to vote against the draft bill, said the legislation doesn't go far enough.

"Unless you change the title, there's still the expectation that the mayor has power," he said. "When those voters go into that voting both, they're not going to think they're voting for (the chairperson of) a six-member council."

Rep. Aaron Tilton, R-Springville, co-chairman of the task force, agreed.

"Unless we do something to help the public in the perception about what it is they're electing and who they're electing .... I think we're really missing the boat," Tilton said. "There really isn't a reason to call them a mayor any more unless they're in the council/mayor form. I think we should designate in statute that they're now the chairman (or chairwoman) of the council."

Lincoln Shurtz, legislative analyst for the Utah League of Cities and Towns, said doing away with the title of mayor in all but those six cities with a mayor/council form of government would be a tough sell — especially to the rest of the state's mayors.

"I can't convince 230 mayors that they're no longer mayor, and that's essentially what you'd be asking us to do," Shurtz said.

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