Farr West, county in tug of war over parcel of land By RUTH MALAN Standard-Examiner correspondent FARR WEST The city council Thursday unanimously approved the annexation of 3.44 acres on the city's south boundary, but the county has already indicated it will file a formal protest with the Weber County Boundary Commission. The owner of the property between 880 North and 950 North on 2000 West, Tramcor Corp., petitioned the city for annexation so it could have access to the city sewer system and to keep its business within a single governing entity. Tramcor has some property in Farr West and some in the unincorporated county. Craig Barker, acting county planning director, said he had been sent to Thursday's public hearing by Weber County commissioners to speak against the annexation. He said it will adversely affect the neighboring community of Slaterville. "The sanitary sewer is the only city service Farr West can offer," Barker said. "Is it worth it to create ill will?" Barker said the annexation will take all the potentiator commercial development away from Slaterville. "It will mean a loss of historic community identity," Barker said. "In the long term it will do away with community identity in Slaterville." "We love you guys to the north, but we want to keep our identity too," said Keith Butler, chairman of the Slaterville planning committee, in speaking against the annexation. "We have had to work hard to keep our community as it is," Butler said. Butler said he and other members of the Slaterville Planning Committee had met with Weber County commissioners and come up with a master plan that placed the land being annexed in Slaterville's commercial area. "You could take away any remaining hope in our proud community," Butler said. In December, Farr West amended its ordinance to allow property outside of the city limits to be served by the city sewer lines, but that ordinance states the owner must pay double the rate charged in-city landowners on connection fees and monthly fees. "We feel bad we became a controversial point between cities," said Wayne Braeger of Tramcor. Tramcor's attorney, Jeff Thorne, said Tramcor is not interested in swallowing up Slaterville. Tramcor asked to be annexed into Farr West to acquire sewer service, but they also asked to annex so they would not be in two separate taxing entities. "They seek to have the entire property in Farr West," said Thorne, "or it would always leave them in split jurisdiction." Mayor David Soelberg said the annexation will be recorded after the five-day protest period. 39