Northern Utah counties mull 0.25% sales-tax hike

South Ogden Mayor George Garwood, chairman of the Weber Area Council of Governments, said Weber County's 15 mayors support the measure going to a vote in November.

One-fourth of the sales-tax increase in Davis and Weber counties would be dedicated to buying land for future road projects, a concept known as corridor preservation.

"We're about 20 or 30 years behind," Garwood said, regarding preserving a corridor on the west side of Weber County for a North Legacy highway.

In March, Weber commissioners approved a $10 fee increase for vehicles registered in the county. During its first year, that fee is expected to generate $1.5 million, all of which must be used for corridor preservation.

But in the southern Box Elder cities, the sales-tax increase would bring their total to .5 percent, and only when imposing a total of .75 percent sales tax does a county have to dedicate money to corridor preservation.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com