The bill Huntsman signed eliminates the need for the Salt Lake County Council to approve placing the split before voters. It amends Utah's school district division law to give legislative bodies representing 80 percent of the population seeking a district split the power to place the issue on November's ballot.

Because the city councils of Sandy, Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Midvale and Alta already have agreed to place the split question on the ballot, Huntsman's signature on the bill means the debate is over even though the County Council, which represents about 4 percent of residents who would be part of the new district, never voted.

Because only residents in the breakaway district will be allowed to vote on the division, west-side cities who believe their residents' rights are being violated are expected to challenge the matter in court.

A proposed division of Granite School District is unaffected by the change in the law because the County Council represents more than 20 percent of the population that would be affected by the Granite split proposal. Council members last week opted not to vote on the Granite split, effectively killing that measure, at least for now.

Because dividing school districts will lead to higher property taxes for some residents, the state in the coming months will study how to more equally fund school construction.

jlyon@sltrib.com