White Hills is a tiny burg with big financial problems. Now developers here have asked to become part of Eagle Mountain, a plan that at least some White Hills residents reject.

A group of landowners and developers, headed by DAI, which calls itself "Utah's Foremost Land Developer," have asked Eagle Mountain to annex about 3,090 acres, which at build-out would be home to 34,000 people. The annexation includes White Hills, population 400.

The annexation has already been turned down by neighboring Fairfield and Cedar Fort, said Carey Smith, a White Hills resident whose family owns 350 acres of the proposed annexation. Smith said those communities turned down the proposal because White Hills has more residents than either town and annexation would have instantly given White Hills political sway.

Work to begin considering annexation had been scheduled by Eagle Mountain's planning commission for Tuesday night, but that debate has now been moved to Jan. 13. The city said it needed more time for public notice.

The future of those who live in White Hills is caught up in a drama not of their making. With fewer than 150 homes, White Hills is left over from a vision decades ago to build a huge community at the base of Pole Canyon.

To achieve that goal, a $6 million sewer and water system, built mostly in 1979, was constructed by developers to support a community of 34,000 residents.

But the dream of a huge community here has not materialized. Now the aging sewer and water systems that support existing residents are in need of millions of dollars of repair work -- $1.5 million in upgrades in 2009 for starters, according to the annexation application. An additional $20 million will be necessary to build the rest of the infrastructure needed for a population of 34,000.

"We have a sewer line that is starting to go," said Smith. "We had a bid to fix it that came in at over $300,000. Can you imagine 100 homes paying that amountfi"

The application suggests that if Eagle Mountain annexes White Hills and surrounding land, the existing sewer system should be abandoned because it has "fallen into disrepair. The lagoons contain original clay liners that have dried and cracked, allowing partially treated wastewater to percolate into the substrata, which could pose serious health issues in regards to groundwater supplies. This is an issue that must be rectified."

Smith said that while many White Hills residents have been opposed to being annexed, he believes many have now come to see that the town's options are limited, and Eagle Mountain could be the savior of this community.

"Although there will undoubtedly be some in White Hills who will resist change and not be enthused about this annexation, we know many White Hills residents recognize the same benefits and have reached the same conclusions," wrote developers in their annexation proposal, which has been submitted to Eagle Mountain.

The proposal says Eagle Mountain "will benefit in many ways" by accepting the annexation. Benefits include a "major new business park" that will bring 4,000 jobs to Cedar Valley, and more than 1,200 acre-feet of water that stands ready to be transferred to Eagle Mountain, with at least that amount of additional water possible.

It is Eagle Mountain's reputation that has White Hills residents unhappy.

"I just feel Eagle Mountain has all they can handle," said White Hills resident Charlotte Turner on Tuesday. "I don't think they are ready to annex more."

"We don't want their problems," said Jed Berry, who noted he had "pages worth" of concerns about the annexation proposal.

Berry said he is afraid Eagle Mountain will eventually force White Hills residents into a homeowners association. He also said Eagle Mountain is unstable, as evidenced by years of political and financial turmoil and a succession of mayors.

White Hills, which is located between Fairfield and Cedar Fort in unincorporated Utah County, was approved as a subdivision by the county, "and I think they [the county] need to man up," Berry said. "They OK'd it to begin with and now they need to take responsibility."

April May, who has lived in White Hills since 2002, said if she wanted to be an Eagle Mountain resident, she would have moved there in the first place. She said Eagle Mountain would impose higher utility fees and property taxes on White Hills residents.

"I don't want their rules to take over our community," she said.

Another White Hills resident who declined to give her name said she is adamantly opposed to the annexation proposal, while her husband is in favor. Discussion on the topic has been difficult in their home "because I just see red" every time the conversation comes up, this resident said, noting that while she is opposed, she believes that annexation is also inevitable because of the financial crisis facing White Hills.

Many residents said they fear Eagle Mountain simply wants to take the water rights from White Hills, or they fear Eagle Mountain will jack up their property taxes, or both.

Smith said he believes that Eagle Mountain would not raise taxes, and would not be able to take water away that is already dedicated to future growth around White Hills.

White Hills "will never have a tax base" to support itself and must be annexed to survive, he said. Eagle Mountain is the key to the community's future.

"A lot of people don't understand how Eagle Mountain has stabilized," he said. "I think the city is getting their act together."

Related

• Eagle Mtn. weighs risks, rewards of annexation
• Developers make promises, talk expenses for Eagle Mtn. expansion