Editor’s note: In February, officials from Utah’s School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) began working with Salt Lake City-based attorney Bruce Baird on a petition to disconnect over 9,500 acres of land from Bluff Town limits.
The Canyon Echo obtained nearly 600 pages of public records from SITLA, and we are releasing the emails in full here, minus duplicate documents. An article describing the major findings from the records will be published prior to the August 15 hearing on the disconnect request.
[PART ONE: SITLA Disconnect Records: Jan. – Feb. 2023]
[PART TWO: SITLA Disconnect Records: March – April 2023]
May 2 – Baird shares draft of letter to Bluff with SITLA: “Simply put, if Bluff does not allow the Disconnection Properties to disconnect peacefully then the Actons will file suit in District Court to force the disconnection. Bluff will lose that suit and the Disconnection Properties will be disconnected but only after Bluff has wasted a fortune on attorney’s fees.”
SITLA staffer says it “looks good.”
May 3 – Draft version of map (see image below) revised because of concerns it would create a peninsula and would be rejected by Bluff. St. Christopher’s Mission added to help remedy concern.
May 4 – Baird sends disconnect letter to Town of Bluff. This is the first time Bluff was made aware of SITLA’s involvement in disconnect, a process which had been going on behind the scenes since January. SITLA confirms to Bluff that it supports disconnect petition.
May 8 – SITLA attorney reports to colleagues after call with Bluff’s attorney: “He seemed very interested in having SITLA and the Town of Bluff discuss the solar project and how the Town would participate. Mostly, I think the Town would like to avoid litigating the disconnection petition.”
May 17 – Attorney for outside law firm Holland & Hart sets up call with SITLA to discuss “Bluff project,” potentially the solar farm.
May 24 – SITLA staff meet with Bluff Mayor Ann Leppanen via Google Meets.
May 26 – SITLA sends letter to Bluff stating its continued support for disconnect petition.
May 31 – SITLA receives letter from Bluff. Leppanen had requested SITLA drop support for disconnect, and she offered to work with SITLA on solar project.
June 1 – Holland & Hart attorney asks SITLA about roads in disconnect area. Baird’s May 4 petition said there were no “existing or projected streets or public ways” in properties proposed for disconnect. In her response, Beard, SITLA’s attorney, appears to contradict Baird’s claim. “You can see that the boundaries include the main highway going into Bluff and a few smaller roads,” Beard wrote. “It probably includes other smaller roads that aren’t showing up on the map.”
June 8 – Attorneys for Holland & Hart and SITLA discuss public hearing in Bluff on Aug. 15.
June 26 – Baird’s client, Eric Acton, emails link to San Juan Record article in which Leppanen is quoted as saying that St. Christopher’s Mission does not support being included in disconnect. Baird replies, “We knew about the Mission issue.”
Canyon Echo 