In Weber County, the new Ogden Valley City is ready for a new season of life: moving out of its parents’ metaphorical basement.
“We have grown up underneath the county,” said Janet Wampler, who was sworn in as the city’s first mayor Nov. 18. “They have taken care of all of our needs the way a parent does for a child, and now we are extricating ourselves.”
Voters in Ogden Valley chose to become a city in the 2024 election. Wampler and the five city council members elected in the 2025 municipal election officially take office Nov. 24 at noon. Ogden Valley City will still be part of the Weber County family, but it’ll pay its own bills and write its own contracts for basic needs like garbage pickup and sheriff services.
“Just the way a child, when they move out, has to decide on their own, what are my morals, my ethics, my everything, we have to write all of our laws and everything else,” Wampler said.
The race is on to submit a boundary map within 30 days of the Nov. 18 canvass to the Lt. Governor’s Office, which will then have 10 calendar days to certify the new city. With a population of around 7,500, it includes Eden, Liberty, Nordic Valley Ski Resort, part of Pineview Reservoir and the unincorporated parts of Huntsville.
The new leaders will also have to establish other basics of city government, such as laws, bylaws and budgets.
Contracts are in the works with the county to continue garbage pickup, snow removal and law enforcement. Wampler trusts the agreements will be signed in time, but she expects to sleep better when she’s certain they’ve got snowplows.
“If someone were to have a health emergency, a heart attack, anything, roads aren't cleared, EMTs can't get there, we can't get them to a hospital. That's a life-or-death situation. And so that alone keeps me up,” she said.
Wampler doesn’t expect to receive any sales tax revenue until spring, so she and the council members are considering how to fund the city in its infancy. A bank loan would come with interest, so they’re exploring the possibility of an interest-free loan from the county or from residents who volunteer.
Incorporation is a big lift, said Weber County Community Development Director Sean Wilkinson. Agreements that typically take months instead come together in weeks, he said, to make sure the city can provide services as soon as things become official.
Heavy workload and all, Weber County wants to be supportive. He compared the county commission to the father of the family.
“Dad wants to see them be successful, so he's willing to help,” he said. “But the conversation is, ‘Hey, you've made this choice, and you need to now go and do your thing. We're here if you need to talk to us or make a phone call. You know, maybe we can wire you some money, but you're going to have to pay us back.’”
For now, local elected officials meet at the library or in local businesses. They plan to hold public meetings at the town hall in neighboring Huntsville, and are looking for a permanent space where residents can talk with representatives and pay their bills, Wampler said.
Down the road, there are less immediate things to consider, like a formal process to name the city, since Ogden Valley City was intended to be a placeholder. The council may take up what to pay the mayor and council members, if anything, and the Ogden Valley General Plan is due for an update.
Growth was a key topic in the debate over incorporation and this year’s election. Wampler wants the city’s new land use laws to match the updated general plan and apply equally across the board.
Still, Wilkinson said there’s been an increase in the number of requests for building permits. Applicants want to be grandfathered in under the county before the city changes any rules.
“People have actually told us, ‘I'm doing this now because I'm worried about what might happen,’” he said.
For Wampler, the pressure is on to get off to a smooth start.
“We have the Olympics coming, the spotlight is on us, and so I have a tremendous amount of care and focus on making sure that we get this right from the get-go.”
Success, in her book, would mean residents feel like nothing has changed.
Macy Lipkin is a Report for America corps member who reports for KUER in northern Utah.
