May 6, 1997 Compromise sought on dissolved townships ? Advocates hope their efforts won't go unnoticed; Leavitt may call session By MARINA O'NEILL_ Standard-Examiner staff SALT LAKE CITY - Although their chariot officially became a pumpkin at the stroke of midnight, township supporters are still hoping for a happy ending to their quest for more say in local planning. Organizers said Monday they are optimistic a meeting tonight could lay the groundwork to grandfather in the 15 townships erased from the political map by a law change that took effect this morning, scant months after they were created by voters. Hopes are pinned on Gov. Mike Leavitt's pledge to call the Legislature into a special session if a workable consensus on townships can be brokered by Farr West Republican lawmaker cum negotiator, Rep. Marty Stephens, who has invited organizers to his home tonight to work toward a compromise solution. "I think we're quite close," East Huntsville township advocate Deyonne Walker said, "I don't see why reasonable people can't work things out. I think everyone will benefit if it's worked out properly." Stephens' proposed compromise, not yet in final form, would keep the boundaries of the 15 townships enacted statewide this summer, but allow changes by votes of the planning authorities. The idea would allow the seven townships created in Weber and Davis counties to keep their new identities, at least until lawmakers meet again in January. The tactic is the last hope for supporters, who learned Monday that they had not collected enough signatures to force a referendum vote on the new law converting larger townships into planning districts and voiding the votes of smaller Reese, Warren, Marriott and Mutton Hollow. The 40-day campaign gained only 32,110 of the 67,188 votes from registered voters it needed to succeed and met its goal in only seven of the required 15 counties, state Elections Specialist Missy Gillespie reported. Weber, Davis, Morgan and Cache counties were among those that met their goals; Box Elder County fell just 228 signatures short. But organizers said the effort served its purpose by making their determination clear. "I think it helped to get their attention to say 'Hey, we're serious. We care about our communities,'" Marriott township board Chairman Bill Morris said. "We voted for these townships and people don't like that something they voted for gets taken away from them." Morris also is hoping Weber County commissioners will contribute to the project by voting this morning to allow Reese, Warren and Marriott to remain planning districts under the new law despite their small populations. Doing so is the only chance for the communities to maintain their unique pioneer heritages, he said. Marriott was settled in 1849, one year after Ogden. "The memories seem to get lost once they get into the big city. We have our identities, and we like who we are, and we'd like to share that with the county," Morris said. "We're becoming an endangered species. We don't want to go the way of the dodo." The push to protect pioneer roots has softened the stance of House Speaker Mel Brown, sponsor of this year's changes to the 1996 township law. Brown opposes fixed boundaries that cannot be changed and believes some of the new entities are too small to justify a new form of government. But he said a compromise is possible. "We said we'd be willing to hold a special session if there's a solution that is agreed upon by all parties, that clearly resolves the problem and that moves us forward and that is not going to be the subject of lengthy debate," Leavitt spokeswoman Vicki Varela said. The delicate balancing act needed for a consensus has kept township drive attorney and Warren resident Duncan Murray "hopeful but cautious." He said he supports Stephens' efforts, but thinks becoming a city might be the only way to protect a community in the long run. "You're sitting there with a plate with a bunch of food on it and everyone is standing behind you with their forks out and the idea is to eat all your food before they can take it," he said. "I'd hate to just sit there and watch my community get gobbled up real slow." 76