Most Utahns back transit tax

A majority of Utah residents — 65 percent — could support a sales-tax hike to pay for new transportation projects in the state, according to a new Deseret Morning News/KSL-TV survey.

And 61 percent of residents say they favor a county-by-county versus a statewide sales-tax levy.

The survey of 412 residents was conducted by Dan Jones & Associates Tuesday through Thursday and has a margin of error of 5 percent.

The public support, state lawmakers said, bodes well for a bill that would allow individual counties to levy a quarter-cent sales-tax hike for road, transit and airport improvements. The bill is scheduled to be debated Tuesday during a special legislative session. Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. issued the call for the session on Friday.

"I guess I'll put the crystal ball back in my pocket," Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse, said Friday about the decision by lawmakers to push a county-by-county levy. "Looks like we're headed in the right direction."

Under the measure, if a county wanted to levy the tax increase, it would be required to ask voters in a ballot question. If approved by voters, the county could issue the tax.

Only Salt Lake County is prepared to put a question on the ballot this November about the sales-tax increase. The county has already approved an $895 million property-tax bond to build four new TRAX lines. The sales-tax measure would likely be put on the ballot in lieu of the property-tax bond.

Lane Beattie, president of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, said Friday that the group would lobby strongly to get the measure approved by voters. But it will take work, said Natalie Gochnour, the chamber's vice president of policy and communications.

A third question asked in the poll was whether voters could support a tax increase, in general, to pay for new roads and transit. Among those surveyed, 56 percent said they would support an increase and 38 percent said they would oppose it.

Only 50 percent of Salt Lake County residents said they would support a tax increase for new roads and transit, while 70 percent of residents in Weber and Utah counties said they would support an increase.

"I think that shows that we've got our work to do in Salt Lake County, and we will do that," Gochnour said.

If the sales-tax measure is approved by voters, officials with the Utah Transit Authority say it won't provide enough money to to fully pay for building four new TRAX lines, plus a commuter-rail extension through Salt Lake County. The TRAX lines would run to South Jordan, West Valley, Draper and Salt Lake City International Airport.

Under the bill, the county's cities would have the option of deciding where the money goes, including preservation of new road routes. South Jordan Mayor Kent Money said Friday that he was pleased with the measure and that he had enough "confidence in those that will be making the decisions that the right decisions will be made."

The special legislative session is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Dan Jones & Associates has also done polling for the Salt Lake Chamber and Utah Transit Authority.

---

E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com