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Show Annexation suit still 'up in the air' Settlement of the annexation suit between bet-ween the county and the city is "still up ' in the air" despite talks of settlement to untie over $500,000 in sales tax from the contested area being held by the court. Monday morning the city and county met to talk about an agreement of settling settl-ing the suit at 1000 east in light of a decision deci-sion of the court which shows Vernal City Ci-ty short on petitions in order to annex the area east of 1000 East. The court ruling said that the city can count each landowner as only one petition regardless of how many particles of land he owns. At the meeting were several landowners lan-downers east of 1000 East who voiced their concern about having to pay double dou-ble taxes, to the city and the Ashley Valley Water and Sewer Improvement District. "" " ' "We don't want to have to pay a high tax (13.4 mills) and recive nothing," said Alvin Kay, spokesperson for the group. Kay, who is a former mayor of Vernal, Ver-nal, said that he paid $693 to the district for water and sewer improvement and received nothing because he already has city water. A representative of Halliburton said that company pays $6,457 property taxes to the district. "We're not going to get anything for it," Kay told the city council in a Tuesday Tues-day noon meeting. Mayor Samuel Snyder said that if the city were to settle at 1000 East, landowners lan-downers who wanted to get back into the city would have to file under new laws which wouldn't allow in some of those who wished to annex, to get out of paying the district mill levy. The seven property owners said they would be willing to be witnesses for the city in the law suit if needed. They also supported Kay going to a lawyer to file a petition as an intervenor in the suit. According to the mayor the city plans to keep its present boundaries (including the contested annexed area) and fill in the area around the annexed area. According to Uintah County Commissioner Commis-sioner Merril Mecham, if the city doesn't settle at 1000 East they will go ahead with the court case. Mecham indicated that he felt the city ci-ty and county had settled at 1000 East, "but when the mayor brought in the delegation Monday, it was up in the air again." According to Clark Allred, city attorney, at-torney, the county is only interested in the sales tax in the contested area. The county isn't involved with the districts mill levy. The county and city met Wednesday night to discuss possible settlement of the annexation area. They will also meet Monday morning at 8 a.m. Shane Luck, city manager told the property owners that they need to get involved in the annexation issue. "When the public gets involved conflict con-flict of personalities fade," Luck said in response to a question raised as to what the landowners can do about personality personali-ty conflicts involved in the dispute. |