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Utah now has 613 local governments — from cities to counties, school districts and mosquito-abatement districts — up from 600 five years ago, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Thursday.
The Census Bureau counts the number of local governments every five years. It released preliminary totals on Thursday, but won't release final, detailed data for another year — including the names of all the local governments that it found.
Examples of new governments formed in the past five years include the Canyons School District, which began operation in 2009 after splitting from Jordan School District, and the new towns of Hideout and Independence in Wasatch County, incorporated in 2008.
The Lieutenant Governor's Office lists numerous new special districts formed in the past few years, from the Southern Utah Shooting Sports Park Special Service District — for an archery and gun range in Washington County — to the Ticaboo Electric Improvement District and several new water districts in Utah, Grand, Washington and Kane counties.
Lieutenant Governor's Office filings show at the same time that some special districts were dissolved in the past five years, including the South Sevier and Dameron Valley special service districts.
The Census said Utah has 29 counties, 245 cities and towns, 41 school districts and 298 special districts — including districts for water, sewer, recreation, cemeteries, fire and police protection, mosquito abatement and other purposes.
Compared to the 613 such governments that Utah has now, it had 627 in 1992, 505 in 1982, 460 in 1972, 424 in 1962, 385 in 1952 and 303 in 1942.
Lee Davidson