The Dark Skies group has been working since early December to collect 3,200 signatures, the requirement to put a referendum on November’s ballot. As of Wednesday night, organizers said they fear they don’t have enough.
“I hope for a surprise when we tally up all the signatures later,” resident Lisa Meisner said. “I think we'll get close but maybe not close enough.”
Their goal was to challenge the development agreement permitting the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to build a temple near Heber City.
In a final signature-gathering drive Wednesday afternoon, members of the group waved signs on 100 South in Heber City.
“We think it's such a big decision that the people should have a say,” Meisner said. “It's not just eight or 10 people from Red Ledges who have a concern. We have thousands of people in the county who want to say, ‘We're paying attention. We're listening, and we want to be engaged in what's happening.’”
She estimated the group had more than 2,000 signatures, but the final results of their efforts won’t be available until the county clerk verifies all of them. She said the holiday season and winter weather made it a challenge to get the word out about the petition within the 45-day limit.
Alicia Stockman, a Midway resident who helped coordinate Wednesday’s signature drive, said she’s encountered some pushback during petition events. She said she tries to educate voters about what a referendum does.
“For the people who don't want to sign, we've had a lot of people ask really great questions about what it is we're doing and what we're standing for,” she said. “We just want to have a temple that’s going to be the best temple for our community as a whole.”
The group will hand in all its signatures to the county clerk Thursday to be verified.
Besides the push to get a referendum on the ballot, there are two legal challenges related to the temple plans still in process. One, filed by the Dark Skies group, addresses the outdoor lighting code change used in the temple plans. The other, filed by a small group of residents, seeks to overturn the county’s Nov. 8 approval of the LDA, plat and site plan. On Monday, Jan. 22, the church motioned to join that lawsuit as a defendant.
