Monday night, at an emergency meeting, the Taylorsville City Council voted unanimously to go ahead with a new school district feasibility study, in partnership with Holladay, South Salt Lake and Salt Lake County, to investigate an east-side-plus-Taylorsville district.

That means Taylorsville residents would get to vote on the issue this November if the City Council puts it on the ballot - and if the Salt Lake County Council does. Holladay and South Salt Lake already have agreed to place a new district before voters, although now they must quickly vote on the new study and approve a new ballot measure if Taylorsville is to be included.

Taylorsville city officials made it clear they only want to jump on board now to avoid being left behind.

"This whole thing stinks," Taylorsville City Council Chairman Jerry Rechtenbach said. "We're being railroaded and have to take an action we consider objectionable just so we can [have a choice]."

In July, the city promised a lawsuit if the east-side district went to a public vote. Herriman, Riverton and South Jordan were considering joining with Taylorsville, but now they will have to plot their own lawsuit if they want to stop east-siders from breaking up the Jordan School District.

Many west-siders argue the state law that allows district divisions is unconstitutional because only those in the new district are allowed to vote, but those left behind are equally impacted.

But Taylorsville now could have a say in the Granite fissure. And it could be "No."

Rechtenbach and Councilman Lynn Handy both encouraged residents who attended Monday's meeting to lobby the County Council and to get involved with the election - if the proposal makes it to the ballot - in hopes that the split could be thwarted.

Backers of the east-side split invited Taylorsville into the plan partly to try to sway votes on the County Council, which could take action on the plan today or at a special meeting Thursday. The council wants to see if the Legislature, in its special session Wednesday, is able to create a way for districts to share the burden of paying for new schools equally.

County Councilman David Wilde, who represents Taylorsville, Murray and West Valley City, said Monday his "no" vote is unchanged.

"If we're going to put [a Granite district split] to a vote, it needs to be put to a vote of all of the people who are affected," Wilde said in an interview. "If [adding Taylorsville has] changed anybody's votes, I'm not aware of it."

Bringing Taylorsville into the district defection club also could quell the concerns of Cottonwood High School parents, who have loudly opposed a split that would break up the school's feeder system and spell closure for Cottonwood.

Stan Hanks, a Holladay resident with five children who eventually would attend Cottonwood, said he supports including Taylorsville in the split, but the proposal is moving too fast.

"The appropriate thing to do would be to take this next year and see if this is the best solution and, at the earliest, put it on the ballot in November 2008," said Hanks, part of a group that is opposed to an east-side-only Granite split.

But "if we're moving forward [this year] and we can't stop [the breakaway district], it's critical that Taylorsville is part of it. That's the right thing to do."

Decisions will have to be made rapidly if Taylorsville is to be added to the plan. Wikstrom Economic and Planning Consultants, the firm that completed the original Granite division study, told Taylorsville it will take three weeks to rework the study with the new configuration.

Taylorsville Mayor Russ Wall said ballot language is due to the Salt Lake County Clerk by Sept. 1, but the deadline might be extended to the end of September or early October.

"I am a little bit concerned that we're being strung along by the east-side district proponents," Taylorsville resident Aimee Newton told the City Council. "I think they want to keep us quiet and maybe not include us" when everything can't get done in time.

"However, it's good for us to have a back up plan," said Newton, who has four children. "We can't carry the west side. We've got to do what's best for Taylorsville."

rwinters@sltrib.com