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Resident faults county outreach on new school-district boundaries; Lehi officials say county-led process must meet April deadline
Summary
A resident told the council the county’s redistricting committees were formed during the holidays with little public notice; city officials said the county sets boundaries and the interlocal appointed two members from the city and is working on outreach before an April 1 deadline.
Steven Gunther Top, a Lehi resident, raised concerns during public comment that three redistricting committees for the new school districts were organized during the Christmas period with little notice to the public.
"It seemed like it was pushed, to be done in that certain time. And general public didn't know what was going on," Top said, describing citizens’ surprise that appointments were being made during holidays when many were unavailable.
Council members and staff clarified that the county is responsible for drawing the school-board boundaries and that the city’s role was limited to appointing members to an interlocal advisory group. The mayor and others said the interlocal submitted two names for each advisory group; Heather Newell and Kelly Smith were named as the city's appointees for one of the groups.
Heather Newell told the resident the county had a tight timeline and that the interlocal committees were intended for outreach. "The county is on a really tight timeline because they have to have those determined before April 1st," Newell said. She and another interlocal appointee said they planned to conduct outreach and report back to residents.
Council members urged residents to contact Utah County commissioners for boundary questions and to submit feedback directly to the interlocal committees. No city action or vote was taken; the council’s response was informational and advisory.
Ending: Council members encouraged residents who wish to influence how districts are drawn to contact both the interlocal representatives listed on the Lehi city website and Utah County commissioners before the April deadline.
