Lawmakers bite bullet on Salt Palace funding

"I'm real disappointed in Rocky Anderson and the things he did to the people of this state," said Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, in complaining that an Anderson-supported lawsuit on the Legacy Highway cost the state money.

And Rep. John Mathis, R-Vernal, said "some groups" that want the Salt Palace expansion (like the Outdoor Retailers Association), or visit Utah to recreate, actually oppose expansion of natural resource development in Utah.

Instead of expanding the Salt Palace, the $4 million should be used to expand oil production, Mathis said.

The bill passed the House, 60-13, it passed the Senate, 24-3. Several senators questioned whether Salt Lake's convention center was getting special treatment. "If it's good for one, it's good for all of them," Sen. Dave Thomas, R-South Weber, said.

Salt Lake City and County officials praised the action.

While he has criticized the Legislature in the past, Salt Lake City's mayor had nothing but praise Wednesday, even calling certain lawmaker's statesmen for stepping up to back the potentially unpopular but needed Salt Palace expansion.

"There were a number of legislators that really rose to the occasion and provided truly statesman-like leader- ship," Anderson said. "This is a huge win for the state and the county as well."

Salt Lake City Councilman Eric Jergensen, who, unlike the mayor, lobbied on Capitol Hill for the funding, said had lawmakers not allocated the $4 million, the city would have likely pulled out of the expansion project.

"We couldn't afford it," Jergensen said, praising the state and local government officials who negotiated the compromise. "There was a lot of work done behind the scenes last night and this morning."

The turnaround by some GOP legislators was quick — just 24 hours earlier they were promising to vote against the $4 million.

But Huntsman wrote lawmakers a letter; city, county and Chamber of Commerce lobbyists were working the crowd; and House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, gave a lengthy explanation to his caucus about how the expansion really will bring more money into state coffers down the road.

In fact, Curtis said that within 20 months the state, through its sales tax, should recoup the $4 million through increased convention business.

But the economic development argument wasn't enough for Rep. Jim Ferrin, R-Orem, a financial adviser who just helped clients pay their income taxes April 15.

"The cool thing here is this is not spending my own money. We're spending other people's money (on the Salt Palace expansion). I won't do it."