Genola is putting the fate of a controversial annexation proposal in its citizens' hands.

The City Council last week unanimously approved a plan for a public vote on a request to annex 1,000 acres on the north side of town. Mayor Eric Hazelet said the vote will be legally non-binding but that the council has pledged to abide by its results.

Hazelet said the council's decision was based on some residents' vocal opposition to the plan and the city Planning Commission's recommendation that the council not approve it.

"We thought this issue was so important that we wanted the people to have a say in it, rather than make a decision that the people were unhappy with. This turned out to be the best way," he said.

Hazelet acknowledged that the majority of the input the city has received from the public has been hostile to the annexation plan. During the public hearing at Wednesday's council meeting, three people opposed the plan while only one supported it. More had spoken out against the plan at previous meetings.

Mountain Shores Development asked the city to annex its 1,000 acres near Utah Lake, where it had hoped to build 243 homes. The provisions of the company's proposal include building a 12-inch water line that would connect with Genola's primary water line; building a water well and two tanks; and paying the city $6 million for water considerations.

"We respect their decision and we'll go on with our other plans. Hopefully everything works out best for both parties," said Chad Beus of Mountain Shores Development.

The company has said it will build homes on its 1,000 acres with or without the city. If the annexation request falls through, Beus said Mountain Shores Development will likely seek a higher density of homes from the county, putting up to 400 houses on the land.

Mountain Shores is also talking with another developer who owns land on the east side of West Mountain and with 18 individual property owners on the north side of its land about incorporating as a separate town. If the developers and landowners incorporate, Beus said Mountain Shores could put as many as 500 homes on its 1,000 acres.

Beus said Mountain Shores and the other developer will meet with Utah County commissioners in the next two week to discuss their plans. If it incorporates, the new town would likely encompass nearly 1,900 acres.

Genola resident Sandra Greenwood, who is one of the leaders of the town's anti-annexation movement, said she has no problems with Mountain Shores's plans to develop the land or incorporate as a town. She just doesn't want the new homes to be inside Genola's boundaries.

Greenwood said Genola doesn't have the finances, infrastructure or personnel to enlarge the town by that much.

"We'd need a city engineer, we'd need a city planner. We don't have those things in place, and to increase our population (by that much) with one annexation would totally overwhelm our city financially. We do not have a tax base," she said. "We need to take of what's in our 8,448 acres of town itself. What goes on in another town and in another city, that's their responsibility."

Greenwood is confident that Genola's residents will vote down the annexation plan. She and other opponents had vowed to force a referendum on the plan if the City Council approved it.

"I know that the majority of the residents out here will probably vote no," she said. "The support against the annexation is tremendous."

The annexation will be on the ballot for the general election in November. Hazelet said there are about 550 registered voters in Genola.

Jeremy Duda can be reached at 344-2561 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it