City Council - April 29, 2024

Meeting Summary

The April 29, 2024 meeting was a special City Council session convened specifically to act on a critical decision in the Alpine School District (ASD) split process. On that date, the Lehi City Council voted unanimously to enter into an interlocal agreement with the cities of American Fork, Highland, Alpine, and Cedar Hills — along with a portion of Draper — to collectively pursue the formation of a new "Central" school district. The agreement represented Lehi's formal commitment to lead and anchor the northeast coalition of cities seeking to break away from ASD. All partnering city councils also voted unanimously on the same day. Simultaneously, Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, Cedar Valley, and Fairfield held their own special meetings to align as a potential western district, reflecting a coordinated, multi-city effort to reshape school district boundaries across the Alpine district. The decision drew immediate criticism from neighboring Pleasant Grove, which was not included in the northeast interlocal agreement and was left without a formal coalition partner. Pleasant Grove City Manager Scott Darrington publicly called the process "political" and said the city was not invited to participate in the discussions. Several Pleasant Grove council members expressed frustration, with one calling the northeast agreement a "power grab" done "in dark corners and bad alleys." The ASD Board of Education held its own special meeting the following morning, voting unanimously to file a two-district option with the county clerk, while a three-district configuration option passed narrowly on a 4-3 board vote to continue development. Ten of the 14 ASD cities had unanimously endorsed the three-district framework; Pleasant Grove, Orem, Vineyard, and Lindon had not reached interlocal agreements. Following the votes, a 45-day public comment period with at least two public hearings in each interlocal area was set to begin. The goal was to place a new school district option before voters on the November 2024 ballot. Lehi residents would have the opportunity to weigh in during the public comment period before the Council made its final determination on whether to move the measure to voters.