From Deseret News archives:
S.L. County is trying to ditch road
County leaders are mad because the state transferred control of a 1.7-mile stretch on 2300 East between Interstate 80 and 3900 South on the last day of the session without saying a word to the county. To add insult to injury, the state didn't include any funding to maintain the road.
"This was just stuck in at the last minute," Salt Lake County Councilman Joe Hatch said. "They are always yelling at the federal government with the term 'unfunded mandate.' This is an unfunded mandate."
But state leaders say the county blew its chance at any funding when it turned down a $360,000 offer from the Utah Department of Transportation nearly two years ago. UDOT calculated the formula by using the average amounts spent on the route and multiplied by 10, so the money would allow Salt Lake County to maintain the roadway for some time in the future.
Mayor Peter Corroon said county leaders turned down the offer because they didn't think the money adequately paid for the needs of that road, including the installation of curbs and sidewalks.
Sen. Carlene Walker, R-Cottonwood Heights, said the county should have taken the money when it had the chance.
"They overplayed their hand," Walker said. "They wanted more money than UDOT was willing to pay. Sometimes they over-negotiate."
The road transfer wasn't included in the original language of Walker's bill, which swapped ownership of several roads and highways between the state and municipalities. But after several negotiations during a conference committee, the Salt Lake County road transfer was added in and county leaders were given no warning.
That angered Corroon, who said legislators didn't follow through on a process agreed upon a year ago for all road transfers.
Two years ago, Corroon was a member of the Highway Jurisdictional Transfer Task Force — a group started after concerns that local governments might be given roads without any additional funding or consideration of ability to maintain the road.
"There is a need to reform how we look at our road system," Corroon said. "It's a piecemeal process."
Walker admitted the state broke traditional process, and said she is trying to find a way to find some sort of funding to help the county.
E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com
