More than 18 years after achieving self-governance, the town of Independence is filing to disincorporate.
The Wasatch County town of under 100 residents contains a swath of undeveloped land from Heber City to Daniels Summit.
Of the town’s 75 registered voters, 23 signed a petition for municipal disincorporation last month. Disincorporation was kickstarted after a petition containing at least 25% of registered voters’ signatures was filed with the Wasatch County clerk.
The petition does not explain why town residents want to wipe Independence off the map. Town leaders did not respond to requests for comment.
“Our perception is that there have been lots of concerns about potential developments in Independence from both the County Council and some of their citizens,” Wasatch County Manager Dustin Grabau said.
Grabau said he has not seen any other instance of disincorporation in Utah.
“I think we’re willing to take on some of the responsibilities,” Grabau said. “We’re still trying to figure out how exactly all of the things work.”
It’s uncharted territory, Grabau said. But right now, it’s up to the voters of Independence to decide what happens to their town.
“It does present new challenges. There’s always pros and cons,” Grabau said.
One pro is that Wasatch County will obtain land use control over the area if it proceeds with disincorporation.
“We’re in our research phase,” Grabau said. “It’s still kind of an unknown with a number of things that need to happen before it can take place.”
After County Clerk-Auditor Joey Granger verified the petition signatures, it was submitted to Fourth District Judge Jennifer Maybe for her consideration on whether the petition can proceed to a vote.
Residents have 30 days to share more information with Mabey to show they meet state requirements. If it is allowed to move forward, an election will be held in under 90 days.