The Riverton City Council unanimously accepted a resolution calling the split a "critical decision that will have a long-term impact on the city and its residents." The resolution adds that residents should be entitled to vote on the proposal.

Right now, only residents in east-side cities - Sandy, Midvale, Draper, Cottonwood Heights and Alta - would be able to vote on whether to split from Jordan District.

"This is meant to say to the County Council, 'We don't want you to put this on the ballot,' " Riverton Mayor Bill Applegarth said Wednesday.

City Attorney Ryan Carter called the resolution a "duplicative step" since Riverton will soon consider a resolution supporting, with funding, litigation against the east-side cities.

"This may capture the County Council's attention earlier on," Carter said of Wednesday's resolution.

ChamberWest, a leader in the west-side business community, formalized its opposition Wednesday too. The entity - it represents nearly 550 member businesses and is the chamber of commerce for West Valley City, Taylorsville and Kearns - released a statement saying the issue is still too premature to vote on.

"Equitable funding options should . . . be resolved so that education needs can be met, wherever they may be required," said ChamberWest President Alan Anderson.

The reasoning is similar to that given by the Oquirrh Alliance two weeks ago at a Draper City Council meeting. That organization focuses on west-side growth-related issues. The Utah Taxpayers Association likewise spoke against putting the district split on the ballot during the Draper meeting and threatened legal action.

The Salt Lake County Council will hold a public hearing on the issue Tuesday. A vote, likely to come a week later, would determine whether the east-side cities could put the split on the ballot as they desire to do. A "no" from the county would nullify the city council votes.

But if the county approves the ballot question, several west-side cities might sue to stop the county clerk from putting the division before east-side voters. Some argue the vote would exclude westsiders from weighing in on the decision that will affect them - thereby violating their Fourteenth Amendment rights.

"Voters would dissolve Jordan District and create two new districts," Royce Van Tassell, a representative from the Utah Taxpayers Association, said earlier this month. "But only some residents of the Jordan School District would be able to vote."

sgehrke@sltrib.com