Lawmaker wants to revamp UTA

The Utah Transit Authority should be steered by elected officials and no longer left in the hands of a citizen governing board, says a state senator who believes the agency needs a new direction.

Sen. James Evans, R-Salt Lake City, said he intends to file a bill that would revamp UTA's 15-member board of directors, whittling the board down to seven citizen members and appointing five elected officials who would have veto power over the board's decisions.

"We simply need more political oversight," Evans said, particularly in light of a proposed half cent sales tax increase for transit projects that could generate funding in the billions of dollars and create decisions that Evans believes need to be made by elected officials.

Evans said he plans to take a draft of the bill to various mayors, councils and county officials for review.

UTA's board of directors makes final decisions regarding policy and budget at the taxpayer-funded transit agency, which runs much of the bus service in the state as well as light rail and para-transit service.

In the past, some city and county officials have complained that UTA has not been responsive enough to their concerns and demands regarding transit service in their areas.

Six years ago, a legislative change to the Utah Transit Authority's board of directors led to the ouster of the transit agency's general manager.

In 1997, the Legislature passed a bill expanding the UTA board from 14 to 15 members. The move came at a time when the board was split over whether to terminate former UTA General Manager John Pingree. Some members and outside elected officials accused Pingree of not listening to elected officials, many of whom were opposed to light rail. Pingree had made a strong stand in support of light rail. With 15 members, the UTA board voted to terminate Pingree, who did not see the completion of TRAX.

"We weren't aware that this was coming forward," said UTA board president Steve Randall, who added he wasn't surprised. "There's always been a bit of a power struggle over who should control UTA, between state and local government."

Randall questioned the need for further oversight by elected officials, pointing out that UTA's federally funded projects are already reviewed by the Wasatch Front Regional Council, which is comprised of local elected officials in Weber, Davis and Salt Lake counties.

"I think the question we need to ask is what is the problem we're trying to fix here?" Randall said, pointing out that UTA was nationally recognized in 2003 as the Transit System of the Year by transit industry leaders.