County: Don't let Snowbird fly away
Salt Lake County isn't going to slip aside and watch Snowbird swoosh down Little Cottonwood Canyon to become part of Sandy.
On Tuesday, the County Council voted 6-2, with one abstention, to "vociferously" oppose SB244, which would allow cities to annex resorts if they are less than 10 miles apart and separated solely by federal lands.
"We want to kick its butt," Councilman Randy Horiuchi declared in making the motion.
Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon backs the council's position, said Deputy Mayor Nichole Dunn.
"This is bad public policy, and it's not good for public safety," she said. "If you look at the map, it's just silly."
In recent days, Snowbird General Manager Bob Bonar has pointed to waning support from county leaders and a new police fee -- the resort could have to shell out $124,000 annually -- as reasons to bolt.
"He doesn't feel like we're a winning team any more," said Councilman Max Burdick, who cast a dissenting vote along with colleague Steve DeBry.
But Councilman Jim Bradley told Burdick not to "fall" for that excuse.
"Name one thing Snowbird has wanted over the last 10 to 15 years that they haven't gotten," Bradley said. "They've gotten everything."
Horiuchi said he was "hurt" by the way Snowbird had kept the county in the dark with its plans to push for annexation. And his council colleague Joe Hatch said Snowbird owes the county an "apology" for spreading "lies" about difficulties with the county.
"There are so many things we've done for Snowbird," including an on-site fire station, Horiuchi said. "It almost is an emotionally painful thing to hear them complain about things we've done in the past."
In an interview after Tuesday's meeting, Bonar said it was not his "intent" to "upset the staff and county government."
"If I did so, I apologize to them," he said. "Snowbird knows and recognizes there are many dedicated, hardworking people in county government. This, however, does not lessen our responsibility to seek and evaluate other options that may be a better fit for our community."
Bonar declined to comment further Tuesday on the resort's reasons for seeking possible annexation by Sandy.
Hatch and Councilwoman Jenny Wilson suggested Snowbird is shopping for a more lenient planning commission to evaluate plans for a possible chairlift linking Hidden Peak to American Fork Twin Peaks.
Both said that if Snowbird leaves the county, Little Cottonwood Canyon would lose the county's premium services, including sheriff's patrol and search and rescue.
The county, Hatch said, provides municipal services "along the lines of the buffet on Sunday at Grand America." But if Snowbird wants, "they can go to the Chuck-A-Rama in Sandy."
Councilman Michael Jensen abstained. Although he spoke favorably of SB244 at a Senate hearing Friday, where the bill advanced, he told his fellow council members Tuesday, "I don't like this bill, either."
But Jensen worried, along with DeBry, that taking a hard line could close the door on negotiations to tweak the legislation.
"I'm not for this bill," Jensen said. "I want to make it as good as we can."
Dunn expressed concerns that the measure, sponsored by Sen. Curtis Bramble, R-Provo, circumvents current annexation law. As proposed, she said, it would lower the portion of property owners who would have to consent to annexation and avoids a study of whether annexation would result in an unfair revenue grab.
