Mid-April found rumors and rumblings about annexation of South Willard into Willard, according to Teri Fellenz at the Willard City Offices. Commissioner Ryan Tingey said he told Willard City Council that within 10 days, an actual petition campaign for annexation would begin; and in fact, he met with a group from South Willard later that night. Teri Fellenz of Willard City confirmed that the annexation study, commissioned by the County and conducted by Zion’s Bank under the direction of Suzie Becker, would be presented at the City Council meeting on April 24th (May 8th). Copies of the study would be available at the Willard City Council meeting or from Scott Lyons, at the Box Elder County Planning Department.
Commissioner Tingey says the South Willard group in favor of annexation needed five sponsors. He wasn’t sure by April 21st whether or not they had started collecting signatures. He thought there would be some open houses and then they would start collecting signatures. He said there needed to be five sponsors on the petition and those would probably be the committee leaders.
There is another group that is opposed to the annexation, and one of the member’s Facebook pages pointed out that there would not be a citizen vote because according to State law, the signing or not signing of the petition is the record of support, or lack thereof, for annexation. Then, Willard City Council would have to vote for annexation or not within 14 days. Commissioner Tingey indicated that he didn’t know what would happen if the City failed to act within 14 days. Citizens unsure about annexation have at least one other possible action. That is a petition for a vote if the City votes to annex. Steve Huntsman of North Ogden says that if a petition form is submitted to the City recorder within 10 days after the annexation, and notarized by the recorder, the citizen vote committee would have an additional 60 days to complete a petition for a citizen vote if enough registered voters signed that petition.
One reason for the opposition is a lack of trust in how the new city government would control citizens’ lives, and their property, and the high debt for sewer and costs of other services.
