"We just want to reiterate tonight that the bill is flawed," said Krista Dunn, Murray City Council president. "Before any action is taken by any elected body, before any decision is made, the legislation needs to be cleaned up so it answers the egregious problems that have been created."

The Holladay City Council proposed the boundary change to potentially save Cottonwood High School from closure should the Granite School District split. Murray council members are uncertain how that boundary change would affect the citizens.

Holladay Councilman Lynn Pace proposed adjusting the boundary of a new east-side district that would split from Granite to leave a sliver of unincorporated Salt Lake County land, extending eastward from the Jordan River across the north boundary of Murray to 900 East, as part of the remaining Granite School District. Cottonwood would remain in Granite.

Without the change, Cottonwood, which is in an area annexed into Murray in recent years, would become part of the Murray School District if Granite splits, and Murray district has said it may not have enough students to keep the school open.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the Murray council cited two primary problems with the bill that allows the split and the boundary change.

While the intent of the law enabling school district splits was to let cities create school district boundaries contiguous with their city boundaries, Holladay's move makes sure Murray never has the opportunity, the statement said.

"Holladay's actions makes it impossible for east Murray residents to ever become part of the Murray City School District," the statement said.

Further, it says the action stands to have a profound effect on some residents who have no say in what happens to them because the law enabling district splits allows only those residents who would form a new district to vote on whether a split will occur.

With the original proposal, residents of Taylorsville are not allowed to vote on the split because they are not part of the new district. "This new Holladay proposal disfranchises an additional group of students [residing in the western half of unincorporated Salt Lake County's Millcreek Township] who now have been cut out of the proposal," the statement said.

The Murray council wants the Legislature to meet to clear up questions with the law, or delay any votes on the matter for a year.

"We are unsure of what it all means," Dunn said. "We are unsure what the perimeters are anymore."

orellana@sltrib.com