S.L. likely to vote no tonight on UTOPIA

After being bombarded by lobbyists, direct mail and radio ads for months, the Salt Lake City Council is set to vote on UTOPIA tonight.

The current makeup of the council plus statements by three members indicate that Salt Lake won't join the 17 other cities that are part of the Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency.

While she remains undecided, Council Chairwoman Jill Remington Love said she sees three "pretty solid" votes against UTOPIA on the council.

Those three no votes would effectively kill the public fiber-optic network in Salt Lake City because Councilman Dale Lambert has recused himself from the vote, leaving only six voting council members. A three-three tie would mean Salt Lake City would not help underwrite UTOPIA's construction bonds.

Councilmen Dave Buhler and Eric Jergensen represent two of those expected three no votes. Some council members say Van Turner is the third. Turner, for the record, noted: "I need to be swayed a little bit more if I'm gong to vote yes."

Carlton Christensen is the lone council member who has said publicly he will vote in favor of backing UTOPIA, which would be constructed and operated at least in part by sales tax revenue.