Utah County road needs vital

PROVO — There is a great need for new businesses and new jobs in Utah County, but unless major roads are improved, the big companies won't be coming here, say the three county commissioners.

"You cannot grow businesses and have a healthy economy unless you have two things," said Commissioner Gary Herbert in his state of the county address to the Provo/Orem Chamber of Commerce on Friday. "You need a trained and educated workforce, and you need infrastructure. We will not have jobs unless we have the infrastructure that supports those jobs."

Herbert said the county is currently talking with a major retailer who has indicated an interest in locating in the Traverse Mountain area.

"They've told us, 'We'd like to come, but we don't think you can handle the additional traffic pressures we would bring,' " Herbert said.

Herbert said the interstate system in Utah County is on the verge of failure and it is unlikely the money needed for serious reconstruction and expansion will be available before 2020.

That prospect has the three commissioners looking at the possibility of putting a quarter-cent sales tax increase on the November ballot. The money would be earmarked for either road construction or commuter rail. Herbert said if the proposal does not make this year's ballot, it will definitely make the 2006 ballot.

Herbert said the additional tax would raise between $11-12 million.

Commissioner Jerry Grover said the area between Lehi and the Salt Lake County line is problematic and there are questions on how road expansion can be accomplished. That is one reason commuter rail — which is expected to extend south to Payson — will be included in the possible use of the sales tax increase.

But there are bright spots for the county, noted Commissioner Steve White. He said the county can still boast about having the second-lowest per capita tax rate in the state.

White said dividing the county's 2002 general fund amount by the number of residents listed in the 2000 Census shows that Utah County spends $125.42 on each resident. Davis County spends about $137 per resident and Weber County spends about $212 per resident.

"We're the low-cost provider," White said.

White said the commission is dedicated to keeping taxes as low as possible.

Included in the county's frugality this past year were cuts to the retirement system for sheriff's deputies and requiring all county employees to take an unpaid day off to help balance the budget.

White said of the county's available dollars, 54 percent are spent on law enforcement, including jail operations.

About 33 percent is spent on Health and Human Services for programs such as those offered through the Wasatch Mental Health Center and the Foothill Treatment Center, said Grover. He said those are programs that help keep people out of crisis and out of jail.

"These are programs that sometimes get kind of lost in the discussion," Grover said.

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