Will there be a new city in Sanpete County? Heritage Hills passes feasibility study, heads to signature phase

MT. PLEASANT—Incorporation of a new town in Sanpete County, to be known as Heritage Hills, took a step forward Tuesday, Aug. 18, when the Sanpete County Commission held a second public hearing at the Sanpete County Courthouse.

Heritage Hills is about 4 miles southeast of Mt. Pleasant near Pine Creek Road and encompasses the Twin Oaks subdivision. The proposed incorporation area is 1,062 acres.

A feasibility study determined the proposed municipality is financially feasible under Utah law, allowing the process to proceed to Tuesday’s second hearing.

Arden Cook, local entity specialist with the Utah lieutenant governor’s office, outlined the incorporation process and said the state office is neither for nor against the proposal.

“The purpose of this public hearing is just to inform voters and to allow the community to express their views and ask questions about the feasibility study,” Cook said.

One of the first steps in incorporation is for residents backing the idea to gather signatures of other residents who support the potential new town. That happened more than a year ago.

The initial request for a feasibility study was filed March 2025. But the request was rejected when the state required additional documents documenting signature gathering efforts. An amended request was filed in August 2025, and certified by the Lieutenant Governor’s Office the following month.

The first public hearing was held in October 2025, allowing property owners to request inclusion or exclusion from the proposed boundaries. A final feasibility study was released June 22. That was the study finding the area financially feasible and allowing the process to proceed to the second hearing.

Logan Loftus, an analyst with LRB Public Finance Advisors, a Salt Lake City consulting firm that specializes in public finance, which conducted the feasibility study for the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, said state law requires projected revenues to exceed expenses by an average of at least 5% over a five-year planning period.

LRB examined the projected population, tax base, municipal expenses and available revenues of the potential municipality, including property taxes, state sales tax, Class C road funds, permits and interest earnings. The study also examined costs of general government, law enforcement, fire protection and emergency services.

Under LRB’s preferred scenario, Heritage Hills is projected to have an 8.5% revenue margin, which is above the 5% threshold required for financial feasibility. The study also estimated a potential $4 to $6 annual impact on property taxes on a median $475,000 home in the Heritage Hills area.

Now that the final hearing is finished, the next step falls to the incorporation sponsor, Jeff Strange, a resident of the proposed town, who must collect enough signatures of registered voters living in the present boundaries, to meet requirements established by the Lieutenant Governor’s Office.

That petition would be submitted to County Clerk Linda Christiansen for verification of voter signatures, with the county assessor and county attorney also reviewing portions of the petition before it could advance to the ballot.

Strange said the sponsors will soon be gathering signatures on a petition that would allow the proposal to move forward to a vote.

Strange said approximately 235 residents currently live in the proposed municipality. He said that projections show the population reaching about 278 residents over the next five years based on the community’s growth in previous years.

“If we stay with that same growth (rate), we would see that amount,” Strange said.

Strange said residents would like to see the community continue to grow and develop.

“As a community, we would like obviously to expand and develop a little bit further, if possible,” he said. “Just like any other community.”

Strange said the area has the infrastructure and resources to accommodate additional growth. Rocky Mountain Power has sufficient capacity to serve the community, he said, while the Twin Oaks Local District has enough water shares to support future development.

Residents currently use septic systems, Strange said, meaning the community does not face a sewer-capacity issue as it grows.

Strange also provided some history of the area. He said the property was purchased around 2008, with the first person from outside the area believed to have moved there in 2009.

Christiansen said the proposed incorporation area currently does not correspond to an established voting precinct, meaning the county would have to create a precinct and prepare a ballot question specifically for voters within the proposed municipality.

Because of those requirements and the time needed for certification, Christiansen said it is unlikely the incorporation question could appear on the upcoming election ballot.

Some concerned citizens spoke during the hearing.

Marla Thompson raised concerns about who would pay for a proposed secondary road into the area. Drawing on her previous experience trying to build in Heritage Hills, Thompson said, “It does beg the question, who’s going to pay for that road?” She added, “I think it’s mission critical that we figure that out before we go any further on any of this.”

Jeff Kunz, who lives in the area, said the road issue remains a concern regardless of whether the proposed incorporation moves forward. “My concern is even if this incorporation doesn’t happen, it still falls back in your laps…,” Kunz said. “The problem still exists.”

John Collard said his concern was with how the proposed incorporation was being framed. “We’re actually adding another layer of tax to this rural community,” Collard said. He questioned whether incorporation would ultimately save homeowners money, saying, “I don’t understand how we’re supposed to accept that.” He concluded, “So I think this proposed revenue is questionable.”

If the petition is certified and the question is placed on a future ballot, only voters within the proposed municipality would vote on the incorporation. A majority vote in favor would allow the area to incorporate, while a majority opposing it would end the process.

The complete feasibility study can be found here.