UTAH: Move Over Wendover

The U.S. House on Tuesday approved the merger of Wendover, Utah, with West Wendover, Nev.

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If the U.S. Senate gives final approval this week as expected, the merger of the two cities would appear on the November ballots of the two border cities. If residents give the nod to that proposal, the state Legislatures in Utah and Nevada would put together an interstate agreement to shift the state line.

The two cities are currently awaiting the results of a $150,000 study determining how much a merger will cost them. Both cities have outstanding debt, but Wendover is poorer than its Nevada counterpart and residents of West Wendover say they have reservations about putting lots of cash or debt into shoring up the Utah city's infrastructure.

The merger could, however, result in West Wendover -- a casino town -- getting its own airport, albeit at a cost. Tooele County, Utah, which currently owns the airport, wants West Wendover to pay about $3.5 million for its share of the facility.

School district concerns would also have to be considered. Officials now are predicting that if the measure were approved, Tooele County Schools would be absorbed by the Elko County School District in Nevada.


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