The unincorporated island has signed a joint resolution with the west side's Magna and Kearns urging the Salt Lake County Council to reject a November referendum.

"Let's slow the horses down on this," said Donald Patocka, a White City Township representative. "Let's see what's real here."

The township's council opposed the ballot initiative unanimously, breaking from a bandwagon of yes votes in Midvale, Draper, Cottonwood Heights, Alta and Sandy. White City officials said the proposal comes with too little information and too little time to make an educated decision.

"These [school] kids have got to be held harmless," said Greg Schulz, the county's community-council liaison who solicited signatures against a referendum from the western townships and White City. "It was not to say: no split ever. It is to say: not right now."

Magna and Kearns already have supported the anti-referendum resolution. Copperton was to vote late Wednesday.

The resolution then will go to the County Council, which likely will cast the decisive vote in whether the proposed splits of the Granite and Jordan school districts reach the fall ballot. The County Council will hold a public hearing July 31, but now may not decide the issue until early August.

In Sandy, Deputy Mayor John Hiskey expressed surprise at White City's opposition, saying a district division would affect that township no differently than his east-side suburb.

He said the anti-split resolution - which County Councilman Joe Hatch said officials are obligated to consider as stewards of unincorporated Salt Lake Valley - has the "potential of harming the entire proposal."

So be it, White City officials say.

Without better data, community council Chairwoman Paulina Flint said a vote is premature.

"This thing shouldn't go on the ballot," she said, "until the real costs have been defined."

jstettler@sltrib.com