Opposition from mayors of Summit County's rural, east-side farming communities could cause the County Commission to "pull the plug" on its unanimous vote to impose a $10 automobile-registration fee.

The mayors say the added revenue will most likely benefit Park City and the Snyderville Basin, where the commercial powerhouse of Kimball Junction sits. The Legislature recently gave counties the option to levy the fee to preserve highway corridors and to receive matching funds from the state. That could give Summit County $1 million a year, said county Commissioner Bob Richer.

"Right now, the Kimball Junction is the economic engine for the entire county, and it is also the entrance to our three world-class ski resorts," Richer said Monday. "In order to stay competitive in the ski industry, we need to make sure getting to the ski resorts is a pleasant experience."

Provisions of the new law say a Council of Governments must be formed to discuss how to use the money. The Summit County Council of Governments will include the county's six mayors and three county commissioners. The group will meet 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Summit County Courthouse in Coalville.

Ultimately, however, the county has the final word.

"This is our first option to get together with the mayors and talk through the program," Richer said. "We're trying to work with everyone. We're not trying to cram something down everyone's throat."

Four days before the April 1 deadline for counties to vote on the fee, Summit unanimously approved the fee increase. That same day, Salt Lake County and Utah County also approved it. Salt Lake County hopes to use its estimated cut of $175 million over the next 25 years to buy rights of way for the proposed Mountain View Corridor highway.

Davis County in March shot down the fee hike, because commissioners required unanimous support from the county's 15 cities. Ten cities had endorsed the fee increase and had wanted the money to go towards purchasing land for a proposed freeway called Legacy North.

Most Summit County mayors have spoken out against the ordinance, including west-side Park City Mayor Dana Williams. Oakley Mayor Blake Frazier, who is also the elected county auditor, favors the fee.

At Wednesday's meeting, county commissioners will present the fee-hike plan and discuss prioritization of funds. It's clear Kimball Junction is a problem area for gridlock, Richer said, and the county has been studying it for two years.

The annual $1 million from fees "won't be enough to fix problems in the Kimball Junction area," but Richer said the registration hike is only one of five different funding measures the county is considering, in addition to state and federal money.

In the future, he says Kamas Valley and the Coalville I-80 exit are both areas where transportation needs will grow, and they could benefit from the fee increase .

"The downside is pretty simple: an additional $10 on our vehicles," Richer said. "But it is an investment on our future infrastructure."

---

E-mail: astowell@desnews.com