Annexation into Sandy is put on hold

SANDY — The Sandy City Council is slated to approve the annexation of about 13 acres near Dimple Dell Park despite protests from the county government and surrounding property owners.

However, the elected officials were forced to put off a vote Tuesday after almost half of annexation petitioners withdrew their names at the last minute.

The creation of Granite Township is at the heart of the controversy. A public vote on whether to create the township, and therefore permanently define its boundaries, is scheduled for a year from now.

The vote is mandated by a state law passed in 2009 allowing the townships.

It is the possibility of being stuck forever inside county municipal services — and county tax rates — that spurred annexation petitioner Jason Nicholl to action. The Granite community resident, along with 28 of his neighbors, asked to join Sandy early this summer.

"Please annex us. Pretty please?" Nicholl said, opening a 90-minute public hearing.

Nicholl said he's concerned about speeders along Bell Canyon Road and believes the city could do a better job of solving the problem than the county has done. He's also upset about a proposed fee for police services and a projected county tax increase.

"I do not take my neighborhood for Granite," fellow petitioner Dave Hunt, drawing chuckles from the crowd. "Whether or not our taxes go up or down a few dollars a year, that's not as important to me as the lives of our children and grandchildren."

Salt Lake County residents who spoke against the annexation said it would split the community and create a peninsula. The area as a whole should be allowed to vote next year, they said.

"I suppose you can call (the annexation) self-determination, but in the United States, we generally determine these types of questions by a ballot," said Mike Hansen, Granite Community Council chairman.

Following the hearing, Sandy officials addressed the issue. The majority approved of the annexation but were willing to consider a proposal to stop further annexations in the area until the 2010 vote.

Either way, Nicholl believes his door-to-door efforts have made the neighborhood stronger.

"At the end of the day, we still live in Granite," he said. "Granite is not a political subdivision. It's a geographic area."

The council will vote on the issue Nov. 17. For a staff report on the issue or to read the opposition letter sent by county officials, visit sandy.utah.gov.

e-mail: rpalmer@desnews.com