PROVO — The chairman of the Timpanogos Special Service District says it doesn't really matter whether north Utah County cities want a Draper city project annexed into their service area.
"Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you want to look at it, it's not our call. Our board has no say in it," said Stephen Sowby after the Utah County Commission announced plans to look at annexation and expansion of the district.
"That's up to the commission."
The Timpanogos Special Service District serves eight north Utah County cities by collecting and treating the wastewater.
Developers of a 3,800-unit residential project known as SunCrest Development have asked Timpanogos to take the wastewater from the Draper city development that will actually be largely within Utah County on Traverse Mountain above Alpine and Highland.
Previously, SunCrest proposed creating its own special service district that would then negotiate with the existing district, avoiding having to ask the current membership to accept an out-of-county representative on its board.
However, Commissioner Jerry Grover said recently he believes there's a false notion that having a separate and new district would give the county more legal control over what occurs.
"All I've got here is just a big headache," Grover said. "We can't undo what's happened, but we can work with the existing entities. Whatever we do would require a contract, and whatever we do, Draper will still have control, no matter what."
Grover said he considers annexing additional area into the Timpanogos District an option the county ought to have available.
"By putting it on the agenda, we start the clock. It means we can look at another option," Grover said.
Alpine Mayor Don Watkins and Councilman Hunt Willoughby say it doesn't matter what option the county goes with — the cities next to the development don't want it.
"We don't feel there should be any development up there," Willoughby said. "Whatever the mechanism is, it's not going to sway us in that regard."
He did say he thinks having Draper sit on the board as a member will be harder for the membership to swallow.
Watkins said he refused to sign a letter that outlined the conditions they felt they needed before SunCrest sewage could be accepted by the district. The letter, drafted on behalf of six mayors who belong to the Timpanogos District, offered lukewarm support to the creation of a new service district.
"I didn't want to be involved with it on any level," Watkins said. "Some of my counterparts think it's going to happen anyway, so they're saying, 'Let's manage it.'
"We can never manage the impact of such a huge development. I'm just not willing to incur liability and responsibility for it in any way."
The Timpanogos Special Service District advisory board meets again Thursday, Feb. 8, at 6 p.m. in the district office building at 6400 N. 5050 West in Utah County.
The possibility of a contract with Draper city is listed on the agenda.
E-MAIL: haddoc@desnews.com