Western Weber County residents have met the criteria and followed the legal process to gather signatures and secure an election for incorporation. This election is to be held on November 3, 2020. Because of the efforts of a few, the election in November is at risk. There are a few legislators that plan to submit a bill during special session that will inhibit the residents of Western Weber County to hold a fair and accurate election.

If they are successful, those that signed the petition to incorporate will no longer know what they are voting on. Current law preserves the proposed city boundaries as outlined in the incorporation petition and feasibility study. When those boundaries change, the feasibility of a proposed city also changes. When the equations of feasibility for a city is constantly changing due to annexations, the people voting no longer know if the proposed city is feasible. The current state law is also clear that those who will vote are those within the boundaries described in the incorporation petition. When the vote occurs, and the boundaries are different than presented initially, several new issues arise. First, the tax payer funded feasibility study is no longer accurate or valid. This is a waste of tax payer dollars and leaving those not annexed in a conundrum not having accurate information when they go to the ballot. Second, any allowed annexation will create a group of people who have been annexed into a municipality that will be allowed to vote on a city they are no longer part of.  This creates an unfair election as well as the people's ability to self-determine.

Any neighboring municipality annexing any portion of a city currently slated for an election for incorporation, not only undermines the legal process other cities have been able to use to self-determine, but it removes the voice of the people in order to satisfy the voice of the few and the connected. What it also does is eliminates the ability to allow people to weigh all the facts and consider all the issues. The time between when the item is placed on the ballot and when the vote is cast is important in order to weigh all the facts and consider all the issues. If annexations are permitted before the vote, then the people do not get a chance to do this. 

Please join us in our request to have law makers preserve our right to self-determination and ask them to reject any legislation that would allow neighboring municipalities to annex any part of the proposed city boundaries. Any annexation would prevent citizens of Western Weber County to have a fair vote with accurate and complete information. Do not allow those with influence take our vote from us.