The Salt Lake County Council remained divided Wednesday on whether to put a proposed split of Utah's two largest districts on the November ballot - a suspense-builder that could persist until hours before the Aug. 1 deadline.

What makes the uncertainty climactic is the county's potentially pivotal role in deciding whether the issue reaches voters. The county could emerge as the deal breaker - or deal maker.

The proposal probably cannot survive without the council's nod; not when the county presides over unincorporated lands along the east bench that, by law, cannot be excluded from a new district.

The County Council plans to discuss the Granite and Jordan splits Tuesday, then vote July 31 whether to place both issues on the ballot.

Right now, it's anyone's guess which way the council will tilt.

A survey of seven of the nine council members Wednesday ended in a wash - two in favor, three against and two undecided.

Republicans Jeff Allen and Marv Hendrickson make up the yes crowd, saying residents should decide the districts' fate. Democrat Jenny Wilson and Republicans David Wilde and Michael Jensen oppose the breakup, arguing that the financial implications for the west side could be backbreaking.

"My instinct is that it is a little too soon," Wilson said. "I would hate to make this decision and see school districts threatened on the west side 10 years from now."

Still, Allen countered, the outcome should rest with voters.

"We are a nation of self-determination," he said. "We have always been able to choose our own path."

Democrats Joe Hatch and Jim Bradley remained on the fence Wednesday - a perch that seems particularly precarious for Hatch. The councilman described the Granite proposal as "very, very wrong and extremely flawed," but acknowledged that an east-side district would do his South Salt Lake constituents good.

Council members Mark Crockett and Randy Horiuchi could not be reached for comment.

City councils in Cottonwood Heights, Midvale and Draper voted this week to put the Jordan split on the fall ballot. Alta is scheduled to vote today. Sandy, which is expected to approve the ballot measure, will weigh in Tuesday.

City councils in South Salt Lake and Holladay - in the Granite School District - will decide the issue later this month.

Meanwhile, the County Council teeters.

"I'm trying to keep an open mind," said Jensen, whose west-side Granite constituents could face hefty tax hikes from a district defection. "But it is going to be a pretty tough sell."

jstettler@sltrib.com