Local input is needed as the Ogden Valley is on track to become Utah's newest city

OGDEN VALLEY – For sponsors and supporters of a ballot measure to create a new city in eastern Weber County, it was a sense of relief that it passed by nearly 65% ​​of the vote.

“I think the community as a whole is excited,” said Brandi Hammon, one of the sponsors. “The inclusion of the Ogden Valley, I think, will put us in a better place 10, 20, 30 years from now.”

In the more immediate future, however, local people will need to come together to draw up to five districts and elect a mayor and five city council members.

“We're really excited about it,” Hammon said. “And (we) hope that really great candidates will come forward and we'll start to develop our own path in the future.”

She said people in the area will soon be notified of public meetings where they can give their input on the district's boundaries, which will hold about 1,300 people each. A special election will be held in November 2025, and the city will be taken over in January 2026.

“The people who live here now can decide what it looks like in 10 years versus someone over the hill,” Hamman said. “It gives the community the ability to elect their own officials. They have input on everything.”

Hammon said the corporation's purpose was never to stop or control growth in the area, but she believes it will give local leaders an opportunity to better shape it. Initially, Ogden Valley will inherit Weber County's zoning and ordinances but has the potential to change many other possibilities.

“They will have the ability to levy additional taxes like a transient room tax,” Hamman said. “It's going to affect the renters coming to live in the valley. We can get taxes there. It gives us the ability to decide what roads we're going to fix next winter.”

Hammon said she has no plans to run for office. Once elected, city leaders will also have to look into bids for a new city hall. In the meantime, they will be able to borrow some space at the Huntsville Town Hall.