This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Legislative leaders are dropping a plan that would have allowed the Prison Relocation Commission to unilaterally decide where to build a new $500 million correctional facility.

Rep. Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, said he's embracing the change in strategy after receiving "feedback from colleagues."

The move also comes after Gov. Gary Herbert threatened to veto any bill that would remove him and the Legislature from the decision making process.

"We are moving toward having legislative involvement in ratifying the final decision on prison relocation," Wilson told The Salt Lake Tribune on Saturday, though he added that he's "not sure exactly what form yet."

That's an indication House and Senate leaders may still have reservations about holding a special legislative session in either May or June, when consultants are expected to have conducted thorough examinations of the five parcels under consideration.

Wilson, a co-chairman of the commission and the House Republicans' assistant whip, argued last week that it made more sense to have the commission make the final decision, because the seven voting members, who are also lawmakers, have spent hundreds of hours studying the issue.

He also said it would reduce the politics surrounding the contentious debate. When Wilson pitched the plan to the House Republican caucus, he said he had the support of House Speaker Greg Hughes and Senate Republican leaders.

"If we got into a scenario where we are politicizing it, I think where the sites go could start to lean toward political interests and less toward objectivity," Hughes said at the time.

The caucus had misgivings and decided not to take a position until after the commission held its meeting Friday. At that meeting, the commission expanded the sites under consideration from three to five.

The original three sites are west of Salt Lake City International Airport, the southern end of Eagle Mountain in northern Utah County and near the Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele County.

The commission added a site west of Eagle Mountain and one near Grantsville in Tooele County and also expanded the amount of land near the airport that's under consideration.

Wilson said he plans to unveil legislation this week that would explain how the state would pick a prison site. T

he legislative session ends March 12.