We will vote no on the proposed Holladay Township.

After reading the township law, we have discovered that planning and zoning would still be under the rule of the county commissioners, which is contrary to the promises of proponents of Holladay Township.However, even more unacceptable than that to us is the loss of self-determination such a huge township would impose on the residents of the unincorporated east side of Salt Lake County.

The proposed Holladay Township area is currently advised by eight community councils. In a township, a seven-member planning and zoning board would be formed. The chance of a community having a representative on that board would be, at best, one in seven. If community residents find that the township does not work for them and they want to get out, the law states they could not even file to do so without the prior approval of the seven-member township board. The chance that they could get out of the township once they got in it, then, becomes one in seven. Those odds are dangerous for all communities involved.

The proposed Holladay Township involves almost all of the unincorporated east Salt Lake County, with more than 148,000 residents. As we talk with our friends in Cottonwood Heights, Fort Union, Millcreek and Holladay areas, they agree that they would feel comfortable voting for a township that was perhaps one-third or one-fourth the size of the currently proposed Holladay Township. A smaller township would give them a greater vote in the direction of future plans for their community.

We would hope that all eight community councils would host a combined town meeting to invite input from the residents of the east side of Salt Lake County on where they would like to see township boundaries drawn.

David and Eunice Black

Salt Lake City

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.