UTA expertise pays off

Recent stories in this newspaper documented how the Utah Transit Authority spent nearly $50,000 last year on travel expenses for its top two executives. Judging by the agreement the agency has secured with the federal government, it was money well spent.

Those two top guys, General Manager John Inglish and assistant general manager Mike Allegra, know their way around Washington, and that will benefit Utah taxpayers enormously.

They recently obtained an unprecedented agreement with the federal government to fund a major portion of four new light-rail lines and the commuter rail project to Provo. Normally, the Federal Transit Administration funds projects one at a time, and the list of projects jockeying for attention is long. This deal, however, funds the entire package of Wasatch Front rail projects.

The deal, outlined in a memorandum of understanding, would provide 80 percent federal funding for new TRAX lines to Draper and South Jordan. The West Valley City and International Airport TRAX lines, as well as the commuter rail line, all will be funded entirely from local tax dollars, mostly from the sales tax hike approved by voters last fall.

In all, Washington will pay for $500 million of the more than $2 billion cost to build these projects.

Clearly, this agreement would not have come without a strong sense of confidence in Washington concerning UTA. That is a confidence built over years through effective lobbying and outstanding performance, helped enormously by Wasatch Front voters, who have indicated their willingness to fund transit.

Some may argue it is wrong for the government to use money collected from all taxpayers nationwide to fund projects in Utah. However, the federal government has a legitimate interest in making sure its cities have viable transportation systems, which help goods and services flow smoothly. Communities who show the initiative to plan, operate and support efficient services deserve such funding.

This agreement also illustrates how misguided some state lawmakers are in their desires to fold the UTA into the state Department of Transportation, or to use a large portion of the voter-approved tax increase to fund highways rather than rails. UTA is an effective agency that has just sliced its way through what normally would take many years of bureaucratic red tape.