Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said Thursday that Utahns will need to weigh in at the polls about how to fund public transportation in the future — although not this November.

"We've got to do something in the next year on transportation funding," the governor said after the taping of his monthly news conference on KUED Channel 7.

While "there's nothing planned yet," he said, "we're going to have to have an expression of public will."

Huntsman has already made it clear that he doesn't want to call a special session of the Legislature to authorize putting a sales-tax hike on the November ballot. But he apparently isn't ruling out sending the issue to voters as soon as the 2007 municipal elections.

That's little consolation to the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce and a business-led group called the 2015 Transportation Alliance, which have asked the governor to call a special session this July. The Salt Lake County Council passed a resolution Tuesday urging Huntsman to take action.

Those calling for a special session want voters in November to be able to consider a $2.1 billion sales-tax hike dedicated to projects in four Wasatch Front counties. The projects include bus rapid-transit lines in all four counties, four TRAX extensions in Salt Lake County and a commuter-rail extension to Utah County. A portion of the proposed increase would go toward road improvements.

The proposed increase would boost sales taxes 0.5 percent in Davis, Weber and Salt Lake counties and 0.75 percent in Utah County, so that a total of 1 percent would be collected for transportation in those counties.

"The reason you have a special session is to take advantage of something you might otherwise lose," said Lane Beattie, the chamber's president. "I think we have a very compelling story that means millions of dollars to the state of Utah."

Beattie, a former lawmaker who has served as Senate president, said he believed the governor was reacting to opposition from some members of the Legislature. Last week, the Senate Republican caucus took a position against a special session.

Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse, said Thursday that he was "somewhat stunned that the business community is putting out a massive push only for transit and not looking at a bit more balanced approach."

Killpack said that since another election will be held next year, he was "perplexed as to what the mad rush is to get this done by November."

"Everyone wants to do something, and I think we want to know what we're doing and make sure it's the right step," he added.

Huntsman said that over the next year, the state is "going to have to look seriously at something," noting the projected funding gap for transit projects between now and 2030 amounts to billions of dollars.