A new Utah bill could make it significantly easier for cities to break away from large counties and form their own.
Under current law, creating a new county requires signatures from at least one-quarter of registered voters within the proposed county's boundaries to put the issue on the ballot.
Rep. Jordan Teuscher's HB533 would change that process. In counties with 1 million or more residents, city councils representing municipalities with a combined population of at least 330,000 could trigger an election simply by passing resolutions.
Before creating a new county, Teuscher's bill mandates a study to make sure both the new and remaining county can function properly. The new county cannot split up existing cities.
Utah hasn't created a new county since 1917, when voters approved splitting Uintah County because of the long travel times to the county seat in Vernal.
