Early Summit County returns show West Hills voters rejecting incorporation

The vote

Voters in the proposed town of West Hills in eastern Summit County rejected incorporation in preliminary results from Tuesday's election. The county's results showed 24 votes, or 96%, against and one vote for. ^[1][2]

The county's results list the proposed town as a single voting precinct. ^[1]

Summit County Clerk Malena Stevens said Tuesday night's preliminary results reflected fewer than half of the ballots cast in the county and that every remaining ballot would be processed and counted, The Park Record reported. The Summit County Council is set to certify the results Nov. 17. ^[2]

The lawsuit

The outcome could still change as a lawsuit over disqualified voters moves through Third District Court, the Park Record reported. ^[2]

Five West Hills supporters sued the clerk the day before the election, saying her office wrongly decided that at least 17 voters did not live inside the proposed town's boundaries and could not take part. Stevens made that determination after Craig Savage, a Wasatch County resident who opposes incorporation, submitted documents he said showed more than 20 voters were ineligible. ^[2]

How it got to the ballot

The proposed town covered about 3,600 acres along State Route 248 near Kamas. The question was set for last year's ballot until Third District Judge Matthew Bates ruled the proposal and the state's incorporation process unconstitutional weeks before that election, in a case brought by 10 property owners who said only some landowners were offered a chance to opt out of the boundaries. ^[2]

Derek Anderson, the sponsor of the incorporation effort, appealed, and the Utah Supreme Court sided with him this summer, allowing the vote to go forward. ^[2]

Opponents raised concerns about property rights, the town's economic viability and the sponsor's motives. Supporters said incorporation would give residents more flexibility with their property, help manage expected growth and encourage open land preservation, the Park Record reported. ^[2]