Saratoga Springs filed a complaint Friday in 4th District Court against Lehi, its neighbor, and is seeking a restraining order.

The city's leaders want Lehi to stop its annexation process on 1,831 acres north of Saratoga Springs boundaries west of the Jordan River.

Saratoga Springs city manager Ken Leetham said Lehi city is trying to annex city property where Saratoga Springs just completed a 3 million-gallon water tank, brought online with its water system in 2007.

"I don't have any comment," Leetham said regarding the legal aspects of the issue and said those points are brought out in the city's formal complaint filed in court. "Our attorneys are working on it."

The letter from Saratoga Springs attorney Todd Godfrey to Lehi Mayor Howard Johnson was sent on Feb. 13 and demanded his city stop pursuing the annexation.

Lehi attorney Ken Rushton did not responded to the letter, although he did confirm with Godfrey he had received it when the Godfrey called his office.

Lehi leaders have chosen not to react to the correspondence and instead continue with the annexation process, according to Rushton.

"We think their objection is unfounded, and we intend to proceed," he said. "I guess if they want to address the issue in court, that's their prerogative. We'd be happy to meet with them if they want to call and make an appointment."

Godfrey, in his letter to Johnson, says Lehi's method of pursuing the proposed annexation has been done improperly, staff has refused to return phone calls and an open-records request was answered insufficiently.

Notice of the intent to annex was approved by the Lehi council on Jan. 22. Lehi Planning Commissioners reviewed the zoning for the annexation during a public hearing on Feb. 14. There were no protests. Another public hearing on Feb. 26 will be conducted by the City Council at Lehi City Hall, 153 N. 100 East.

Named after Lehi Councilman Stephen Holbrook, who owns significant property within the proposed annexation, the Holbrook Annexation was not done by petition from the property owners but is being done by resolution initiated by the city.

"I'm the one that started the process, and other people joined me on a willing basis," Holbrook said. "Absolutely, I want my property in Lehi city, and I think I'm speaking for the others also or they would have done something else."