And while neither city is brawling - at least publicly - in a brewing boundary bout, Spanish Fork is ready to step over the line.

Spanish Fork's City Council probably will terminate a 10-year-old interlocal agreement tonight that fixes the annexation boundary line, potentially marring the relationship between the two cities.

"This isn't about us getting land," Spanish Fork Mayor Joe Thomas said Monday. "This is about landowners wanting to come this way."

Thomas said the boundary agreement came up only because landowners on the Mapleton side recently showed interest in annexing into Spanish Fork rather than Mapleton.

"At the end of the day, the landowners should have the decision," Thomas said. "It was never our agenda to recruit [them] either way. If [they] want to come here, fine, if [they] don't, fine."

Mapleton officials said they have since been able to negotiate with those landowners to stay in Mapleton.

Since the interlocal agreement can be revisited only every two years, Spanish Fork officials decided to keep their options open - given the recent interest of cross-boundary landowners.

"We're surprised and disappointed that the current Spanish Fork administration would want to terminate what has been a very successful program for the last couple of years for two cities," Mapleton Mayor Jim Brady said.

Though Mapleton City Administrator Bob Bradshaw said terminating the agreement doesn't directly hurt his city, officials would rather it stay as is.

"The agreement has represented a very successful understanding without the cities competing with one another," Bradshaw said.

Losing future annexations could affect Mapleton's long-range master plan, cutting into potential impact-fee collections as well as tax revenues.

Still, officials from both cities say the termination is not the beginning of any bad blood between neighbors.

"We're hoping that that's not the case," said Spanish Fork City Councilman Seth Sorensen. "We don't believe that will be the end result in any way, shape or form."

In addition to other interlocal agreements, Spanish Fork and Mapleton are working to fund an upgrade to their shared sewer-treatment facility.

Bradshaw said the boundary move doesn't change the working relationship between the two south Utah County cities.

"We must recognize that it is their right to do that," Bradshaw said. "From our point of view, we will continue to work with Spanish Fork."

thollingshead@sltrib.com