Northern Utah residents to vote on transit tax

As in Salt Lake and Utah counties last year, voters in Weber, Davis and Box Elder counties will decide on Election Day 2007 whether to raise taxes to fund new roads, and possibly mass transit.

Supporters of the tax hike, titled Opinion Question One, say residents will see economic benefits and an improved quality of life if the measure is passed. But there are big concerns whether voters will support it, particularly in south Davis County.

"We have done a poll that showed 57 percent of south Davis would vote yes," said campaign spokesman Steve Handy. "But you know that falls off when a person goes into the polling booth and realizes: 'Wait, I'm voting to increase my taxes."'

The concerns:

• Voters may be anti-tax as a result of recent property-value and property-tax increases in Davis and Weber counties.

• Voters may confuse the tax question with another question on the ballot about school vouchers: Statewide Referendum One.

• Not all city leaders in Davis County support the deal.

• Voters in Weber and Davis don't have a specific list of projects that would be funded by the tax hike, just a general list of about 35.

The question asks Davis and Weber voters if they support a quarter-cent sales-tax increase for congestion mitigation, corridor preservation and road expansion. In Box Elder County, residents of three cities are being asked to approve the tax hike to study a possible expansion of commuter rail to Brigham City.

Monica Holdaway, executive director of the Brigham City Area Chamber of Commerce, says revenue from the tax, if passed, would be about $800,000 a year, which could bring FrontRunner commuter rail to southern Box Elder County 10 to 15 years earlier than planned.

Opponents of the tax, however, say enough tax dollars already fund transportation and transit and that a further tax is overkill.

Ron Mortensen, co-founder of CitizensForTaxFairness.org, wrote against the proposal in the county's voter information guide. He stated that four property-tax increases already have been enacted in Davis County, as well as a $10 increase in vehicle-fee registrations in Davis and Weber counties for corridor preservation.

"Why don't governments better prioritize and manage the billions of dollars that they collect rather than increasing taxes?" Mortensen wrote.