Tax likely to fund rail

Salt Lake County leaders say they are confident that TRAX extensions and commuter rail will be funded if voters approve a sales tax proposition on the ballot in November.

It's just a question of which transit projects will be built, and when. Ultimately, county mayors and the Salt Lake County Council will decide where the tax money goes — roads, rail or a mix — if it's approved.

"I think at this point, all of our city mayors and county officials are ready to go and are all on the same page to have this (money) used for light rail, commuter rail and preservation of the Mountain View Corridor," Salt Lake County mayor Peter Corroon says. "I'm confident that it will pass, and I'm confident that it will fund the rail projects that we want funded."

A Deseret Morning News survey of 17 of the 25 county mayors and council members who will decide the funding mix showed that all but one were in support of transit receiving at least some portion of the tax money. "My expectation is that transit will get enough that the four light rail lines and commuter rail will all be done at an accelerated pace," said West

Valley Mayor Dennis Nordfelt.

Taylorsville Mayor Russ Wall was the only mayor with mixed feelings on the issue. He said he was not certain how transit would benefit people in his city, located in the center of Salt Lake County.

"I wish the voters had a clear indication of where their money was going to be spent," Wall said, adding that regardless, "I would encourage all county residents to study the proposal and vote their conscience."

If passed, the proposition, which has been labeled "Proposition 3," would raise the sales tax in Salt Lake County by a quarter-cent. It would generate about $50 million a year, or $1.2 billion over the next 30 years. The money, by law, must go toward funding "regionally significant" transportation projects. One-quarter of the money must go toward buying land for future road routes, specifically the Mountain View Corridor.

"It's not like they (county officials) can take the money and dump it into anything other than transportation," said state Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse, who sponsored a bill authorizing the tax increase to be put on the ballot. "It's not like general fund dollars where they can go and build a new monument to themselves."

Still, among the 17 county leaders who were questioned about the transportation proposition, many expressed concern that residents won't know exactly what will be funded if they vote for the tax increase. The reason they won't know is because state lawmakers decided earlier this week not to have a hearing on a proposed process county leaders will use to pick the projects.