The islands of unincorporated land inside Sandy City may soon be annexed into the city.

Sandy City currently surrounds 36 pockets of land that are not part of any city.

Rep. Gregory Hughes, R-Draper, represents Draper and much of Sandy City, and is the sponsor of HB 362. The goal of the bill, he says, is to streamline the complex process of annexation.

Hughes said these pockets are receiving services from Sandy City for the sake of practicality. Hughes says snow removal is a good example. "It doesn't make any sense to have the truck lift up its blade as it goes over the island," he said.

Hughes said he would not support any bill that would increase the tax burden of these islands.

Pat Cassaday, an attorney for Sandy, said that many property owners in these islands have come forward and asked to be incorporated into the city. Current annexation laws, Cassaday said, make it difficult to do so. HB 362 would streamline the process for property owners to annex into a city when they are surrounded by that city.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A3.