Utah County steps toward imposing a road tax

PROVO — Utah County's governing officials took a baby step Tuesday toward the imposition of addition quarter-cent sales tax that will pay for badly needed road improvements.

But that step is too big, says one local legislator, who criticized adoption of a resolution necessary to put the proposed quarter-cent sales tax increase on the November ballot.

The additional sales tax would raise approximately $12 million each year over the next 10 years to go toward 27 local projects that include adding lanes to I-15 and fixing a few chokepoints such as Lehi's severely overused Main Street, said commission members.

Rep. James Ferrin, R-Orem, said the county is "perhaps premature" in adopting a resolution to dedicate all of the money raised by the quarter-cent county optional sales tax for new construction, renovation or improvements involving the county road system.

The resolution is one of three required steps for putting the issue on the ballot for public consideration.

Ferrin said it may be a preliminary step, but it starts a process that may not be necessary.

"It certainly starts the ball rolling, a ball that would be very hard to stop," Ferrin said.

County commissioners said they have waited a decade for help from the state and there is no sign of help coming.

"I look at as if we are the hammer and the legislator is the anvil," said Commissioner Steve White. "We can use this as leverage."

Commissioner Gary Herbert said the move is a significant shift in philosophy that could be seen by some as letting the state off the hook financially for state roads while laying the costs in local laps.

"If this will help force a resolution, that's good," he said. "I do have reservations however."

Herbert said the ideal scenario would bring legislators, mayors and state officials together in concert to find long-term solutions.

Commissioner Jerry Grover said the public has made it clear they want county road problems fixed and they are willing to pay new taxes to fund the fixes.

"This is a mechanism given us by the state Legislature and even though these are state roads, they're handling more local traffic than interstate traffic," Grover said.

Grover said it isn't possible to approve the additional sales tax to use for mass transit projects while the Utah Transit Authority still has another quarter-cent sales tax revenue available to them once everyone in the county agrees.

"We're not making a choice of this or that," he said.

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