Church asks county to vacate undeveloped roads in Alberta townsite; county seeks clarifications before public hearing

Utah County commissioners heard a work‑session presentation from Public Works on a petition by Farmland Reserve requesting the county vacate multiple undeveloped roads in the 1908 Alberta townsite plat.

Glenn Tanner of Utah County Public Works told commissioners the roads were never built and that staff had reviewed the Church’s petition without substantial objections so far, but asked for clarifications on ownership boundaries. "We've looked at it," Tanner said, "we don't have any real concerns with what they're proposing other than maybe some clarification on a few items."

County surveyor Anthony Canto said the petition’s language may overreach and recommended limiting any vacation to portions ‘‘that would be owned by the church instead of just calling it all of those roads.’’ He also requested a deed for Alberta Slant Road before the county took action. "I'm not convinced looking at the information in there that they have more or less ownership all the way to First South," Canto said.

Representatives for Farmland Reserve, Joseph Rust and Braden Shepherd, told the commission their petition identifies the roads that lie within church‑owned parts of the plat and that they are not seeking to vacate roads outside their boundaries. Rust said the property is used for livestock grazing and that an unimproved route called Slant Road cuts through their land and is attracting off‑road recreation, creating liability concerns. "We're willing to look at dedicating that portion of the road to the county. We just wanna make sure that we have a good solution to limit trespass and impacts to our adjoining properties," Rust said.

County Attorney’s Office counsel Rob Moore advised commissioners that Alberta Slant is an RS 2477 route under federal land law and that a road vacation is a legislative act that should be conditioned on protective measures. Moore recommended the county make any vacation contingent on the petitioner’s dedication of Alberta Slant Road, noting the vacation process requires a four‑week notice and public hearing. "If you're gonna do it... our suggestion is that you do it in exchange for a dedication of Alberta Slant Road," Moore said.

Commissioners asked staff to continue working with the petitioner and adjacent landowners, to draft qualifying language and deed language where necessary, and to return with a proposed notice if the petitioner chooses to proceed. No formal action to vacate roads was taken at the meeting; staff indicated the earliest public hearing could be scheduled in September pending completion of the notice and deed documentation.

Next steps: Public Works and the County Attorney’s Office will follow up with the applicant on deed language and ownership clarifications and, if appropriate, prepare a public‑hearing notice consistent with the four‑week noticing requirement.