Throughout his many years in the unincorporated Granite Community, Vaughn Cox who is chair of the Granite Community Council, has heard stories about how Sandy City forces annexation among unincorporated county islands in its borders. 

But this time it isn’t Sandy’s doing, it’s the state’s.

New legislation passed in the beginning of 2024 will force either annexation or incorporation for all unincorporated county land within the next three years leaving many residents in these “islands” unsure what the future holds for them.

Sandy City Mayor Monica Zoltanski addressed concerns from residents in a town hall meeting on June 10 where information was given about what annexation would look like for new residents.

“I want to make one thing clear,” she said. “For decades, Sandy has never had a policy of takeover of our neighbors. We are here for those who want to join Sandy. We are here to answer your questions. We would love to receive you. We think we’ve got a great city and great opportunities here for people to join Sandy, but we are not coming after your neighborhoods.”

What is H.B. 330?

In three years, according to H.B. 330, county-owned islands across Utah have to annex and become part of existing cities or work toward incorporation and become a new city. 

Several unnamed unincorporated islands, along with the communities of Sandy Hills, Willow Creek and Granite, within Sandy’s borders will no longer be able to exist unconnected or unestablished. 

Since amendments in H.B. 330 are only applicable to those islands that have a community council, only the communities of Granite and Sandy Hills are eligible to incorporate and take on the title of “city,” said Deputy Mayor Kim Bell during a May city council meeting. All other noncontiguous islands will be annexed.

If either Granite or Sandy Hills decide to move forward with creating a new city through incorporation, a feasibility study is required to determine whether or not the community can be self-sufficient. Which Cox said could be an issue since there is no commercial tax base and the community is split into several different parts. 

In total, the unincorporated county property within the city’s borders includes an estimated 1,700 households and population of more than 5,000, Sandy City officials said.

Bell echoed the words of the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jordan Teuscher when she said the bill “was established to consolidate services, to increase efficiencies and to eliminate the county from having to service unincorporated county islands” and calling it “inefficient when they’re not contiguous.” 

Which communities will annex and which will incorporate?

Sandy Chief Administrative Officer Shane Pace said of the two eligible areas, Granite looks the most likely to become its own city, with an estimated 80% to 85% of community residents favoring the idea of incorporation over annexation within the community.

Residents of Sandy Hills, Pace said, are leaning more toward incorporation due to its smaller size. 

And the islands on the border the city shares with Cottonwood Heights are planned to be annexed into either city, depending on if the land is encompassed by mostly Sandy or Cottonwood Heights and the desire of the residents. 

What concerns do unincorporated residents have?

Concerns from residents in the islands range from city planning and policies to money and the cost difference in fees. 

Jeff Ferlo, who is a Sandy Hills resident of more than 25 years and previous community council chair, was not only worried but a little upset when he attended the town hall hosted by Sandy City in June. He called the legislative action “a big deal.”

Going into the meeting, Ferlo’s concerns were about having to pay more in taxes and fees than he was previously and not wanting a large sidewalk placed in front of his house. 

With the help of Sandy’s budget calculator and to his surprise, Ferlo found he’d actually be saving about $250 in taxes.

Cox said in Granite Hills, a large concern shared by residents is keeping the rural feel of the community.

Similar concerns are held by residents of Sandy Hills, Barbara and Jeff Chapman. They don’t want any street lights placed on their street for fear that it will increase traffic and cars’ speed on their road.

The city staff also spoke about working with newly annexed residents to meet needs and make the transition easier for a more “unified Sandy.”

“We go to the same parks, we go to the same businesses, we go to the same schools and church together,” Zoltanski said. “Why not unify our Sandy community?” λ