Wording of voter pamphlet to be OK'd

The Salt Lake County Council is expected to approve language today for its voter information pamphlet. Included will be text that explains what voters would get if they approve Proposition 3 — a quarter-cent sales tax hike for transportation improvements in the county.

The pamphlet lists 33 road and transit projects that are being considered by county mayors and council members to receive the funding, if approved. Before specific projects can be selected, the mayors and council must receive state legislative approval of the process for picking those projects.

The process is not likely to be approved until after the election, said West Valley Mayor Dennis Nordfelt.

Regardless, he said he thinks voters will approve the transportation funding initiative, even without knowing where exactly the money will go. The 33 projects include four TRAX extensions, commuter rail and highway projects like an I-15 interchange at 11400 South.

The ballot language for Proposition 3 will not include reference to the projects, however. It will read as follows: "Shall Salt Lake County, Utah, be authorized to impose a 0.25 percent sales and use tax for corridor preservation, congestion mitigation, or to expand capacity for regionally significant transportation facilities?"