Davis mayors seek vehicle fee hike

A fee increase could save your home from demolition by road builders.

A new state law allows individual counties to raise vehicle registration fees up to $10 to preserve future road corridors. That means some property needed for a new road could be purchased before homes are built on the land.

Salt Lake County is researching whether an increase would be needed to assist in buying property for the Mountain View Corridor, a freeway planned for the county's west side.

Davis County mayors this week voted unanimously during a Council of Governments meeting to recommend the county increase fees by $10 — becoming one of the first groups in the state to take such action.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," said Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse, who sponsored the legislation.

"The cost of land and growth in the western portion of the valley is absolutely astounding. We can sit back and pretend it isn't going to impact the cost of construction in the future, but all we're doing is sitting in denial rather that being proactive."

Road building can cost hundreds of millions. Purchasing property for a road can be tens of millions, depending on the size of the project and how many homes and businesses need to be bought and demolished.

While the state already has a corridor preservation fund, and cities and counties use zoning to save land for future roads, it hasn't stopped the displacement of people for roads.

The fee increase won't solve that problem, but it will make a difference, state and county officials say.

"Nobody wants to see their fees go up, but if we're charging $10 to save the taxpayers $20 tomorrow, it certainly might be worthwhile," said Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon.

Salt Lake County has yet to openly discuss whether a fee increase is an option, but city mayors are "aware the tool is available," said Ed Blaney with the Salt Lake Council of Governments.

In Davis County, city mayors say the fee increase could be used to preserve land for projects like the Legacy Parkway. Any money raised needs to be used for projects of "regional significance," according to the legislation.