May 15, 1998 Small towns ready to incorporate Many people signing petitions, afraid of large cities annexing their land By CHARLES F. TRENTELMAN Standard-Examiner staff SLATERVILLE - More than 50 residents of Slaterville missed Seinfeld's final episode Thursday night to listen to Orville Holley tell them about a new episode in the life of their community. Slaterville, he told them, needs to join with Marriott and become a city. "As you folks know, over the years I've been a tremendous opponent to incorporation," he said. "But folks, the handwriting is on the wall. Development is going to come whether we want it to or not and we're going to have to incorporate to stop it." Nobody in the room argued with him, and many asked where to sign the petitions. The hearing was the first of two that will be held in Marriott and Slaterville before the two townships can file for incorporation as one city. The second hearing is scheduled next Thursday in Marriott. Organizers say they plan to submit their incorporation petitions to the Weber County Clerk/Auditor on May 22. If all goes as planned, they said Thursday, a special election can be held in August, at which residents of both townships will vote on whether to incorporate and what sort of city government to form. If that is successful, city officers will be elected in November and take office Jan. 1, 1999. The townships of Warren and Reese are also considering uniting and incorporating as a city, but residents there have not started collecting signatures on petitions. Organizers say they may not try to incorporate until next year. A public hearing was held earlier in the evening in Warren, and a second hearing is scheduled in Reese next week. At both hearings Thursday night it was clear that development and encroachment by neighboring cities is the enemy. The only way to defend themselves, and preserve their communities, the residents were told, is by becoming cities themselves. Holley said it was less than 10 years ago that residents of Marriott and Slaterville first talked about incorporating. At that time, he said, they were almost 100 percent opposed. Now, he said, the movement to form a city has strong support. What changed people's minds? "They're scared to death," he said. "All you have to do is get in your car and go down I-15 and look at Kaysville, Layton, those places. It's house after house." Holley said that if the areas don't incorporate their futures will be decided by the county commission and by developers. Chunks of land will be annexed into neighboring cities and Marriott and Slaterville will disappear. "They will dictate what will come into us and we'll have very little say-so," he said. Feasibility studies of both proposed cities showed that they generate enough tax revenue to pay for a minimal city government with small tax hikes, but some questioned if that were possible. "...Folks, the handwriting is on the wall. Development is going to come whether we want it to or not and we're going to have to incorporate to stop it." - Orville Holley Gerald Bischoff, Marriott, said the new Marriott-Slaterville will have to build a city municipal building and will have to improve roads, all of which will cost money. Its mayor and councilmen will be subject to pressures from developers and he even raised the specter of bribery and corruption. "And if there are animosities in these communities between Marriott and Slaterville, I guarantee they'll come out," he said. 113