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House approves revised annexation procedure for cities divided by counties
Summary
The Utah House passed a second substitute to House Bill 55 (58–9) that lets residents of cities split by county lines petition to transfer municipal territory to a single county; backers said the change restores local control while critics warned of legal and record-transfer burdens.
The Utah House on Feb. 1 approved a revised annexation procedure intended to allow cities divided by county lines to consolidate under one county after a petition and vote, passing the second substitute of House Bill 55 58–9 and sending the measure to the Senate.
Sponsor Representative Fred Johnson introduced the bill as a response to a request from Green River’s mayor, saying the measure ‘‘provides the opportunity for people that have that problem to be able to control their own destiny and still not hurt any of the counties that would be affected.’’ He described the proposal as petition-driven and limited to existing city limits, with revenue streams preserved to pay preexisting municipal debt.
Supporters said the change would resolve practical problems for communities split by county lines; one representative cited Hooper, which previously voted to join Weber County while a small portion remained in Davis County. In response to a question about the petition threshold, an unidentified representative noted the bill requires signatures ‘‘equal to over 50% of the votes cast in the preceding general election’’ for the area in question, and asked whether that rule could allow a small voting subdivision to move large parcels of land despite large property owners’ opposition. Johnson replied that the proposal limits transfers to city limits specifically to reduce the risk of moving ‘‘large chunks of land.’’
Representative Leonard Hatch warned of administrative and legal complications if a city moved from one county to another, saying ‘‘someone's going to go back and have to research all of that area... bring all of the documents that ever affect title to any land that's located within that municipality, and then transfer them all up into Emery County,’’ and he suggested the costs should be borne by the entity proposing the annexation.
Johnson said the bill follows existing statute where applicable and pointed to section 17‑2‑11 to address school district effects. After sponsor summation the House closed voting; the clerk announced HB 55 had received 58 yes votes and 9 no votes and would be forwarded to the Senate for consideration.
The next procedural step is Senate consideration; the bill’s text and the treatment of land‑record transfers were emphasized repeatedly in floor debate.
