The Utah County Commission asked residents of Spring Lake in a public hearing Tuesday night to prepare a petition for incorporation as a town.

"Sometime over the next 90 days after this public hearing, the petitioners need to file a petition with me showing that a majority [of Spring Lake residents favor incorporation]," Thompson said.

Thompson said most small areas want to annex into a nearby town, but that is exactly what Spring Lake wanted to avoid.

"The residents just want to preserve their way of life rather than get swallowed up by larger towns," he said.

Spring Lake's southern neighbor, Santaquin, went forward with an annexation policy plan amendment in April after receiving an annexation petition from people who own property in the Spring Lake area.

On Tuesday, residents were mainly concerned with the feasibility of incorporation and the possibility of an eventual annexation into Santaquin if the area does not become a town.

Once the petition has been submitted, commissioners will likely obtain a feasibility study. If the study shows the revenues would exceed costs by 10 percent or less, Spring Lake will become a town automatically by state law. While the feasibility study is done at the commission's discretion, Anderson said the commissioners do not intend to make Spring Lake a town if it does not have the money.

"I don't think we're interested in hanging you out to dry," he said.

Spring Lake resident Bill Harrison said the greatest threat to Spring Lake is a subdivision that will be built by developers on the southern border.

The developers initiated the annexation petition into Santaquin, and Spring Lake residents said they fear the control Santaquin and the developer would have over Spring Lake's roads. Some roads could become a major thoroughfare and increase traffic if Santaquin annexes Spring Lake in the future.

"The only way we know how to control it is to get control of our own property," Harrison said.