And alliances took a twist, when Democratic Mayor Peter Corroon sided with the GOP to temporarily scuttle a $1.2 million surplus land sale in Magna.

When the normally formulaic afternoon meeting began last week, Democrats thought they had a deal to unload an asbestos-riddled county building to a Magna developer. They soon learned Corroon had agreed to wait for a new appraisal - but only after Republican Councilmen Cort Ashton and Mark Crockett sent a threatening letter to the Mayor's Office. In it, they accuse their council counterparts of receiving campaign contributions from John Gust, the developer hoping to make over Magna's Arbor Park commercial area near 3500 South 8400 West.

“We would hate to see the county be in the headlines for yet another 'sweetheart deal,' ” the letter reads.

On April 5, the council had voted 5-3, with one abstention, to finalize the sale on April 26.

On Monday, Democratic Councilman Joe Hatch called it "appalling" that Republicans could persuade the Mayor's Office to thwart the sale.

"Now the word is out that these guys [in the Mayor's Office] can be rolled," Hatch said.

Councilman Randy Horiuchi, a fellow Democrat, said Corroon should butt out of the the council's "barroom squabbles."

"He got unwittingly used," he said Monday.

In last week's meeting, Horiuchi said it was "shoddy" of Ashton and Crockett to ignore the collegiality common on the council.

"If I'm going to slit their throat, at least I'll tell them," Horiuchi said.

Corroon acknowledges that calling for the new appraisal could backfire and wind up lowering the price tag on the property. But the mayor says he didn't intentionally withhold his plans from the Democrats.

"I thought it probably wouldn't do a lot of harm to have another appraisal," Corroon said.

Ashton argues the existing appraisals are dated and skewed by false reports of poor access.

"Ten years ago we bought it for $1.8 [million]," Ashton said. "Ten years later, we're selling it to the guy we bought it from for a whole lot less."

He says property values typically go up, not the other way around.

Roger Hillam, the county's real estate director, stands by the $1.2 million estimate, which doesn't include costs for environmental cleanup.

"I wouldn't have gone to the council unless I thought it was a good value," Hillam said.

Jack Nielsen, a former Magna planning commissioner, said the true value may be closer to $2 million.

"It's been kind of a closed-door bidding process between Gust and the county, and that means Randy Horiuchi," Nielsen said.

Whatever the new bid, Horiuchi says he hopes the taxpayers "don't get rooked."

Gust, saying he trusts the appraisers, may make it moot.

"Whatever it is, I'm going to pay it," he said. "I just want to get the deal done and move on."

djensen@sltrib.com