Councilman Marv Hendrickson shifted alliances Tuesday, surrendering support for a November referendum to advocate for a disenfranchised west side - which would have no say if east-side communities choose to defect.

"I'm not opposed to it being voted upon," he said, "if we allow everyone to vote."

The council's newest "no" vote could scuttle the school district splits, creating a 6-2 majority against a Granite breakaway and a more tenuous 5-3 margin against a Jordan defection. Councilman Joe Hatch remains undecided.

But the county's vote - it has the power to make or break a campaign to cleave the districts - may not come for weeks. First, the County Council has questions for state lawmakers.

At the urging of Councilman Mark Crockett, county leaders will give the Legislature a grace period to balance the tax burden between east and west; to resolve questions about how to divvy district assets in Murray, which has opted out of the split; and to change rules that now allow only east-siders to vote.

After that - whether the Legislature chooses to act or not - the council would cast its vote, maybe as late as September.

The weight of that decision was reflected Tuesday as 300-plus people gathered at the county's offices, hoping to sway a council that seems increasingly skeptical of plans to splinter Utah's two largest school districts.

People crowded aisles, sat on the floor and spilled by the dozens out into a lobby outside the council chamber. They clapped. They whistled. They crossed their fingers.

Among them was James Romero, a West Jordan grandfather who graduated from west-side Bingham High decades ago. He urged the council to vote "no," saying a split inevitably would create class divisions.

"Are you going to put a wall or a fence along the Jordan River to separate the east from the west?" he asked the council.

Millcreek resident Anna Clare Shepherd argued for an opposite decision. She boasted a petition of nearly 1,300 split seekers who want better representation for their schools.

"We need that input," said Shepherd, naming school closures that might have ended differently with broader east-side representation.

"We could have a district that relates much better to our needs. So could the other [on Granite's west side]."

Perhaps the loudest voice Tuesday - without anyone uttering a word - came from the Cottonwood High crowd who sported yellow tags urging council members to save their school. They argued that the school's enrollment could drop precipitously with a Granite split and force Cottonwood's closure.

But the next move seems to rest with the Legislature, which is considering a special session to discuss equalizing funding for new schools.

While the County Council has called on lawmakers to clear up, and possibly change, the rules to make the proposal more palatable, Councilman Jim Bradley remains wary of the Legislature's last-minute intervention.

"Don't ask the Legislature to fix this in the next four to five weeks," he said. "It will be a hasty decision, and hasty decisions aren't always good."

But Crockett - even with flagging support from his colleagues - remained steadfast in favor of the splits. He asked for time and open minds.

"It is an unusual opportunity," he said. "We shouldn't pass it by lightly."

jstettler@sltrib.com