When the mayors of Salt Lake County and the County Council hash out funding criteria today for a proposed sales-tax increase for transportation projects, Salt Lake City officials hope they'll keep the airport in mind.

"Seeing is believing, we hope," City Councilman Dave Buhler said Wednesday before he led mayors on a tour of a proposed light-rail route from downtown to the Salt Lake City International Airport.

A line to the airport was among the first routes envisioned by the Utah Transit Authority when the TRAX system was first developed. Now that the Legislature has allowed counties to ask voters to consider a quarter-cent sales-tax increase for transit and roads, backers of possible light-rail lines are jockeying for priority.

One-fourth of the tax increase would have to go toward buying up land for highway corridors. The rest could be split among transit and highways as a county-wide council of mayors and the County Council see fit. Today, those officials will meet for the first time to begin establishing criteria meant to guide the prioritizing process.

As possible uses of any mass-transit funding, UTA has put forward four proposed light-rail lines — the airport line, a mid-Jordan line to South Jordan's Daybreak community, a line to West Valley City's downtown and a line into Draper — as well as an extension of commuter rail into Provo.

Ralph Jackson, UTA's deputy chief of major program development, said that the funding makes it possible to complete all four light-rail projects and commuter rail by 2016. But depending on the balance between transit and highways that the mayors and the council settle on, not all the light-rail lines may make the cut.

City Councilman Carlton Christensen touted the airport line as beneficial to travelers, the 15,000 employees who work at the airport and residents in Salt Lake City's west-side neighborhoods, which Christensen represents.

The proposed airport line would start at either the existing Delta Center TRAX stop and head north along 400 West to North Temple or from the recently opened intermodal transportation hub at 250 S. 600 West and head north on 600 West to North Temple.

It would then head west along North Temple, with four stops along the way to the airport. After the final stop at 1900 West, the train would pick up speed and head alongside Interstate 80 to the airport, eventually ending at a station near the airport terminals.

Mayors on Wednesday's tour said they see the value of an airport line — as well as the other proposed lines. Taylorsville Mayor Russ Wall said that beyond prioritizing the proposed lines, he wants UTA to consider Taylorsville residents in planning.

"I want to be involved in UTA and (Wasatch Front Regional Council) plans so there's a reason for Taylorsville residents to support the tax," he said.

UTA says the proposed West Valley line would serve Taylorsville as well, but Wall worries it would simply direct traffic into West Valley, through Taylorsville, clogging Taylorsville's streets but benefiting West Valley's economy.

Still, he likes the idea of increasing options for residents valleywide to access the airport.

Murray Mayor Dan Snarr agrees: "We need to look beyond our own communities and say, 'What's good for the entire county? What's good for all of Utah?'"

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E-mail: dsmeath@desnews.com