Deseret News | UTA service cuts loom

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UTA service cuts loom

Steve J | 1:31 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

A few years ago Davis county voters passed a tax increase to fund mass transit. At the time we were told the money would be used to improve mass transit in Davis county. Right after the tax was passed UTA cut service to Davis county. Now they want to cut service to Davis county again. Why don't we rename the UTA to a more appropriate name like Salt Lake County Mass Transit.

Craig | 2:47 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

UTA is lacking ing class and integrity. Weber County paid extra sales tax for years for train service to Salt Lake and they drug there feet in getting it started. Extra lines of light rail in Salt Lake were added during this time. Salt Lake County was paying less in sales tax. I vowed never again an optioinal sales tax for UTA they were not timely and greatly reduced services during this time. Now front runner is coming out, Even at three dollars a gallon it would be more economical to drive to Salt Lake to take in a show or dinner because the proposed rates are so high. Discourage people from using service in evening is not the way to build ridership. UTA needs to be placed under another organization to monitor the side politics of there agenda.

Toys | 6:39 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

We have been paying more for transit for longer here in Salt Lake County but they have been steadily cutting service people actually use here as well so they can build pretty train tracks to places like Draper that don't want them. Davis County should fire the people it has appointed to the Board and appoint people who will stick up to UTA's management.

Comments continue below

Jim F | 6:46 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

When UTA pushes for something the claim is always that it will be self funded. Why then, do they need the tax. Maybe we should just sign our checks over to the overpaid officials at UTA.

RH | 7:41 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

This does not surprise me. Asking for another tax hike to cover their shortfalls, just another money grab. Maybe those in charge making the big bucks should take a big pay cut, that sounds more appropriate, since it is tax money paying private bills. UTA is a joke, nothing more.

R | 8:10 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

The UTA's hardball tactics to continually secure more revenue will only backfire as more and more people realize how greedy they are. And I'm not against mass transit - I'd ride it every day if it were more convenient. Unfortunately, after 10 years of trying to get UTA to run a bus route in my area, they still haven't done so - even though there are thousands of new mass-transit-tax-paying residents moving in.

Guaglione | 8:23 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

And don't even try to get on a reliable bus to Tooele. We pay and pay and pay and UTA keeps sending us the old, broken down buses. I've ended up on the side of I-80 more times than I can count. It doesn't matter what a county pays to have bus service; UTA's going to shaft them in favor of Salt Lake County every time.

Kevin | 9:02 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

I agree with Steve 100%. UTA has done a fine job of making mass transit as difficult for Davis county as possible. I don't blame Davis county's leaders for this whole issue one bit. I put the blame squarely on UTA. They seem to use every possible excuse to raise fees and cut service. I'm glad we approved the tax increase for Salt Lake County's benefit.

Dutchman | 9:23 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

What's your beef Steve and RH? Salt Lake County voted another tax increase last year part of which builds commuter rail to Utah County by constructing rail lines from Salt Lake City to the Utah County line which will be little used by Salt Lake County residents. Salt Lake County has been doing the heavy lifting on mass transit through higher taxes for years. It's time for Davis and Weber Counties to stop feeding at the trough without paying their share.

Joe | 9:31 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

I agree with the others. Davis and Weber counties have paid extra taxes for the last few years while Salt Lake and Utah counties refused to pay extra sales tax. Now the UTA had their feelings hurt because Davis and Weber counties finally have said no to even more taxes. Even though we are still paying the extra tax we voted for a few years back. The head of the UTA should take a flying leap off one of their busses.

30,000 year projections | 9:39 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

We have to make cuts now, in a year when our revenue is up, because we have to base our budget on projections for the distant future-- because in the future we won't know how to make cuts if we need to. UTA's goal is to have a bunch of pretty trains with no customers to muck them up.

Ethyl | 10:31 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

UTA wants the tax payers to shell out more money to fund empty buses and now empty trains. I have attended meetings over Front Runner and am yet to find a UTA representitive who can honestly say they ride UTA. Aren't there any controls on these people? When will our political leaders say enough?

William | 10:37 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

UTA is already cutting services on Front Runner in Weber County and the Utah County's 'think tank' county commisioners are ready to give them a blank check drawn on the tax payers bank account. This doesn't make sense.

L | 11:14 a.m. Nov. 29, 2007

I'm curious -

The article says ..."At least one discussion is planned for next week during a CLOSED meeting of a UTA board subcommittee"....

Unless that there is an exemption for RTD that I do not know about it is subject to the Utah Open and Public Meetings Act (52-4-1,U.C.A.) and meetings can only be CLOSED for certain reasons ---

"52-4-205. Purposes of closed meetings.
(1) A closed meeting described under Section 52-4-204 may only be held for:
(a) discussion of the character, professional competence, or physical or mental health of an individual;
(b) strategy sessions to discuss collective bargaining;
(c) strategy sessions to discuss pending or reasonably imminent litigation;
(d) strategy sessions to discuss the purchase, exchange, or lease of real property if public discussion of the transaction would...."

Maybe someone has really notified them that they are going to file a litigation.

Subcommittees are subject to the same requirements as other public agencies. I believe the act was made to let the public know who said what in regards to all public management. I believe UTA qualifies under the law. Should there be a CLOSED subcommittee meeting?

Blackmail | 3:30 p.m. Nov. 29, 2007

Don't you folks in Davis and Weber County know blackmail when you see it? When they ask you to "vote" to raise your taxes, their not really "asking" their "telling" you, raise your taxes or else!

We get it in Salt Lake County. That's why a majority voted to raise our taxes when given the chance.

I'm so happy I get to spend more on everything I buy in SLCo! And after I raised my taxes to improve transite, UTA "Eliminated" all the bus stops in my neighborhood (I guess to thank me). That's why I'm so happy with UTA. They can't take me the places I want to go (mostly Sandy and Draper), but they keep getting more money from me.

I know I'm being selfish, I should be happy to pay for a transit system that doesn't fit any of my needs. It does funnel people into SLC (which is our goal after all).

Jordan T. | 5:01 p.m. Nov. 29, 2007

I just recently relocated to downtown Salt Lake from Farmington about a month ago, so I don't really have anything to worry about.

UTA bus service through Davis and Weber County's is atrocious. Not near enough busses and routes, and they are constantly running late.

Boby | 6:01 p.m. Nov. 29, 2007

More of you need to be like Jordan T and move to Salt Lake. :)

Rich | 6:31 p.m. Nov. 29, 2007

I'm against subsidizing bus service. Let's spend our transportation dollars where it does the most good -- increasing the number of highway lanes and arteries in heavily traveled routes. Buses and light rail cause as many traffic problems as they mitigate by taking away auto lanes and auto parking. If Walmart and MacDonald's don't pay enough for people to pay their own transportation costs, let those people move closer to work or move to a state that pays the majority of their transportation costs. Rocky Anderson and the Sierra Club have wasted millions of tax dollars and millions of gallons of gasoline burned by gridlocked motorists waiting for the Legacy Highway and future arteries needed to handle our growth.

porky | 12:06 a.m. Nov. 30, 2007

I live in Davis County, and at the last election was going to vote 'for' the transportation tax increase and then I started thinking... about how many years we've been paying a transit tax (yes, longer duration and higher% than SLC) and then asked myself what we had to show for it: NOTHING!!! well, okay, there's the rubberized asphalt that'll go on the long-delayed Legacy "parkway" and commuter rail (have you seen the suggested monthly rates for a pass?!!?!!), both of which are still ayear away. So I voted NO. Now they're crying foul and trying to blackmail us for finally putting our foot down and saying no to taxes. Cry me a river.

Ticked in Weber & Davis | 4:28 p.m. Dec. 2, 2007

We are only a small group of citizens from Weber and Davis counties, but we demand our state representatives and senators to conduct an audit of UTA. They are an entity that is out of control!!!

Question 1 said the added sales tax is for corridor preservation and other transit purposes. Now it appears it is only for transit. We would rather have it only for corridor preservation. We were lied to.

Perhaps it is time to consolidate UTA with UDOT so that all transporation issues are under one roof. The current system is a joke!

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