House pushing to get $85 million for roads

House Republicans who are worried that the amount of funding for transportation proposed by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. may be insufficient to maintain existing roads or to address future needs may push to curtail some of his other spending proposals.

Their biggest concern is that Huntsman recommended $33 million in one-time funds for roads, despite the House Republican caucus voting for $85 million in ongoing funding.

The caucus members reiterated their commitment to that amount Thursday as well as their concern that Huntsman is proposing to fund other programs instead of roads, including a significant pay increase for state employees.

"He's not addressing the issue of transportation infrastructure," said Rep. Ron Bigelow, R-West Valley City, the House budget chairman. "He may plan to address them later, but we want them addressed now."

Huntsman spokeswoman Tami Kikuchi said that because budget negotiations are still in their infancy, it was difficult to pinpoint what the final numbers might look like.

"It's very early in the session," she said. "The budget was presented as a proposal."

Rep. Rebecca Lockhart, R-Provo, said that a recently released report from the Transportation Planning Task Force, which she co-chaired, estimated that it would take $7 million in the next 10 years to fix the transportation problems in Utah. To help pay to fix those problems, which include, among other things, widening I-15 along the Wasatch Front and I-80, she has proposed creating an "investment fund" in HB18.

House Majority Leader Jeff Alexander, R-Provo, echoed the sentiment of other House Republican leaders when he pointed out that the $33 million would not even cover maintenance costs on roads this year. Noting that the budget and its $237 million in one-time surpluses and $370 million in new, ongoing money would be "the focal point of the session," he said that there are still "some differences between what we want and what is in the governor's budget."

While the House caucus has firmly stated its position, the Senate Republicans have not taken as strong of a stand on the issue.

Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, the Senate's budget chairman, said that while they understand the transportation needs, they also want to fund some sort of notable pay increase to keep "good employees" working for the state.

"We're supportive of putting ongoing funding" into transportation and into other House proposals, such as new buildings, he said. "But exactly how much will have to be determined by all of the other needs."

---

E-mail: jloftin@desnews.com