Mayors backing transit tax hike

Now, he says, the timing is right.

"We didn't have a clear sense of direction with the local elected officials, state legislators and the County Commission (in 2004)," Cook said. "We're very close to that now. . . . The pieces of the puzzle just seem to be fitting together."

A preliminary proposal by the Mountainland MPO would apply between $45 million and $60 million generated from a second quarter-cent to road improvements identified as critical in keeping traffic flowing during the expected I-15 reconstruction in 2011.

The majority of the funds, however, would go toward transit projects, including a commuter rail system connecting Utah and Salt Lake counties.

"We don't need to know all the details (of how the money will be spent) to know that we need it," Lehi Mayor Howard Johnson said.

A recent poll indicates Utah County residents are split on whether they'd be willing to pay additional sales tax to see the county's transportation needs addressed.

In a Dan Jones & Associates poll conducted last month for the Deseret Morning News and KSL-TV, 48 percent of the 203 Utah County residents surveyed said they would support such a tax increase, while 45 percent would not.

"I think it's time to put the issue to the voters and decide one way or another," said Woodland Hills Mayor Toby Harding.

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E-mail: jpage@desnews.com