Ogden Valley — If some homeowners have their way, the creation of a new city could come to a vote this November.
Ogden Valley homeowners say they are not getting the representation they need through the county.
“We feel like we don’t have a voice in the valley,” Shana Francis said.
Francis says too often decisions that affect the community are made by people on the other side of Weber County.
“Often, out of the three committee members, not one person is from the Valley,” she says. “And if you do, it’s only one thing.”
She’s not alone in the community who feels this way
“This is just a small community and we want to have a voice within the community,” Mark Ferrin said.
Promoting new cities
That’s why Ferrin and Francis are pushing for an effort to incorporate the area into the proposed new city, named Ogden Valley.
“Our problems are very different from those on the other side of the mountain,” Francis said.
Among these issues is the growth of communities primarily focused on tourism. There is a lot of construction of vacation homes and condominiums in this area.
“It’s just a small valley with roads, sewer, water and everything else,” Ferrin said. “This is an expensive proposition that many people need to pay a lot of money for.”
Feasibility study
A feasibility study by the lieutenant governor’s office shows the new city would generate a tax surplus of about 5%.
A similar initiative was promoted in the region 20 years ago. But they believe things could work out better this time because the community here is more united and many people share common concerns.
“I think it’s probably because of the topography and geology of this valley,” Ferrin said. “There will probably be more unity, there will be more harmony, and there will probably be easier understanding of each other.”
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