Davis County Commission recommends Val Verda be annexed into North Salt Lake

FARMINGTON — The Davis County Commission voted Sept. 27 to recommend that North Salt Lake annex the Val Verda area of Davis County.

But some locals feel the move is detrimental to the community, particularly in regards to how the move will change their addresses.

Commissioners Randy Elliott and Bob Stevenson voted in favor of the annexation. Commissioner Lorene Miner Kamalu was not present.

The issue now goes to the North Salt Lake City Council for a vote. North Salt Lake City Manager Ken Leetham said last week that a date for the vote hadn't been formally scheduled yet, but he anticipates it will be Nov. 15.

If passed, he anticipates the annexation will take effect on Jan. 1, 2023.

Proposed annex area

The proposed annex area is not a distinct shape but generally begins at 3400 South in Bountiful and stretches south almost to Odell Lane. Its furthest west boundary runs along part of U.S. 89, while its furthest east boundary includes parts of Orchard Drive.

It contains 358 homes sitting on 105 acres, representing approximately 1,000 residents and 3½ miles of road, Jeff Oyler from the Davis County Community and Economic Development Office said during the Sept. 27 meeting.

Val Verda is "an island of unincorporated area located south of Bountiful City and east of Highway 89, which is surrounded entirely by Bountiful City and the city of North Salt Lake," according to Davis County's annex recommendation.

The area was generally developed in the 1950s and 1960s, it continues, when city boundaries were still "some distance away" from Val Verda.

The majority of the area has been annexed into Bountiful and North Salt Lake, but a small section near Adelaide Elementary remains unincorporated.

Residents were informed via mail on Sept. 8 that the matter would be discussed during the Davis County Commission's Sept. 27 meeting, according to the annex recommendation. Following the meeting and public comments, the commission decided the Val Verda area could be "more efficiently served" by North Salt Lake than by Davis County.

Oyler said zoning enforcement, police response time, snow removal, street maintenance, licensing, and other services can all run better if Val Verda is annexed because the area is closer to North Salt Lake than to county services.

The availability of services like parks and recreation programs and trash pickup would also increase, he said.

Oyler added that the Val Verda area isn't likely to be annexed naturally through development.

"If the annexation doesn't happen in a way like we are proposing, it's likely to never happen," he said. "This area has gone a number of years since it was built without annexation. It's built out. We're not likely to get a petition from the residents to annex into the city."

Oyler said the annexation would consolidate overlapping government services. Right now, both the Davis County Sheriff's Office and the North Salt Lake Police Department respond to calls in Val Verda. But if the area were annexed into the city, North Salt Lake police would become the primary responder while the sheriff's office would provide backup.

It would also simplify zoning matters, since city planners could confer directly with North Salt Lake instead of going to the county, he said.

Finally, the annexation would likely result in "equitable distribution" of resources, Oyler said, because city services are more efficient than county services for the Val Verda area. The public works department currently travels to Val Verda from Farmington or Fruit Heights, he said.

"It does take time and effort to get down that way to plow roads and do (other) things," he said.

There would be other advantages for residents, Oyler continued. For instance, North Salt Lake allows animal-keeping rights while the county doesn't. Garbage services would be more efficient and "significantly" less expensive. The county doesn't offer youth programs, while North Salt Lake does.

Oyler said some people have expressed concern that they'll lose their basement apartments if Val Verda is annexed into North Salt Lake, but that won't happen, he said.

He's also heard concerns about local representation. Oyler said if the area is annexed, residents can run for City Council, become part of planning commissions and otherwise "probably receive better representation than running for three County Commission seats."

However, he acknowledged that the annexation will likely require a change of address because North Salt Lake is on a different grid system. "That's a hard pill to swallow."

North Salt Lake also charges a $7-per-month stormwater fee, he said, and "we believe that there will be an increase in property taxes, although it's relatively minimal."

His department estimates an increase of $70 a year on a $400,000 evaluation, he said, though that will likely be "mostly offset" by decreased garbage rates.

"But there will be a tax increase. I don't think we should sidestep that," Oyler said.

He also said he's received many comments over the last few weeks to the effect of, "We don't want to be annexed, but if we have to be, we'd rather be in Bountiful."

But Oyler said when he reached out to Bountiful officials, they told him that Bountiful hasn't annexed any areas in over 20 years and they have no interest in expanding their current boundaries.

"Bountiful simply does not want it," Oyler said, adding that North Salt Lake has long had Val Verda in its annexation plans.

Addressing concerns

Multiple residents spoke out against the annexation when the commissioners opened the meeting to public comment.

Joel Powell said his identity is tied to Bountiful, and he doesn't want his address to be in "development-hungry" North Salt Lake.

"We have never been consulted. We have never been able to express our feelings to Bountiful in this regard, so we would love the opportunity to go to them and say, 'Hey, our heritage for decades has been with you,'" Powell said.

One woman emphasized the "very real and undue burden" the annexation will place on many households in the form of updating their addresses with multiple government agencies, businesses, creditors and others.

She's especially concerned that bills will get lost in the mail, resulting in collection notices and impacted credit.

"Lenders won't care that we didn't actually, physically move. All they'll see is a different address down to a different city," she said. "In short, these involuntary changes — and I emphasize 'involuntary' — will have a negative effect on everyone in our community, and as residents of the affected area, I believe that our voices should count above any others."

And resident Frank Coon said the address changes will be hard on the businesses along U.S. 89, two of which he owns. They'll have to update all of their advertising, logos, business cards, letterheads and other materials.

"I believe that this will impede our ability to conduct business fairly," he said. "This should be tabled, if only on the basis of fair and just actions for the businesses that are affected, and there are many."

After listening to the public comments, Stevenson said he represents the Val Verda area but he also represents the county. Davis County's resources are getting too spread out, he said, and they need to be used efficiently for everyone.

"As counties develop, they develop into cities," he said. "The cities incorporate all of the land that was there originally."

October open house

Leetham, the North Salt Lake City manager, said in an interview that he can't speak for the current City Council as to whether it will pass the annexation motion. But if it passes, the city can possibly assist Val Verda residents in notifying government agencies of their address changes.

"We'll do everything we can to help people," he said. "Whether the city will help people (with) the cost of an address change, that's really a decision the City Council would have to make. We haven't had any discussions about that. But that's a possibility."

In regards to development concerns, Leetham said North Salt Lake doesn't have "the ability or the desire" to condemn houses or purchase property in the Val Verda area.

"All of the multifamily (housing) that we've done in the city has come from private investment," he said. "It's the same sort of development that we see all along the Wasatch Front. So it's not unique to North Salt Lake. It happens in every community."

He also invited Val Verda residents to attend an open house at Adelaide Elementary on Oct. 5 at 6:30 p.m. Leetham said he hopes people will take the chance to meet city officials, express concerns and get their questions answered.

"I think it's natural for people to have a feeling of hesitancy or even disagreement about incorporation," he said. "But I do think they should come and learn about the advantages of being part of a city."

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