Because of the law, six large areas formed townships. Much of the rest of the county, on the other hand, continued as a patchwork quilt of urban madness. Unless you've lived here awhile and studied a map, you could drive down I-15 and never realize you have passed through a half a dozen cities, each with a separate police and fire department that may or may not be able to communicate with the others.

Which is why I say we should dissolve them all into a series of townships under the umbrella of a city-county consolidated government.

Think of the benefits. Not only would there be one police agency and one fire department, you wouldn't have to worry about your city offering tax breaks to lure a Wal-Mart or a Kmart (or a soccer stadium) from the city next door. No longer would I have to pay taxes to support both a county and a city recreation center located less than a mile from each other. Planning could be done on a countywide basis, with each township acting as an advisory board that keeps strip clubs off your street.

This isn't a unique idea. It was the recommendation of a distinguished panel the county commissioned 21 years ago to study how to prepare for growth.

It's also an idea that won't happen. The politicians who run cities will see to that. The best we can hope for is that state lawmakers allow the 165,000 people who live in unincorporated areas to continue as townships if they desire.

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Jay Evensen is editor of the Deseret News editorial page. E-mail him at even@desnews.com. Visit his blog at deseretnews.com/blogs