Pay now, save later
There are no comments for this page [ Add Comment ]Sunday, March 18, 2007
Politicians rarely suffer the wrath of voters after taxes aren't raised. But a curious thing has been happening in Davis County, and Weber County commissioners would do themselves a favor to pay attention.
On Tuesday, Davis County commissioners voted unanimously to increase auto-registration fees by $10 per year. It'll mean about $2 million out-of-pocket for Davis residents who drive cars, trucks and motorcycles. Funny thing is, most people wanted this to happen.
Why? Because they're realists. They see exploding residential and commercial development all around them. It takes longer to drive from here to there than it did a year ago -- no matter where here or there might be. And they know that extra $10 per year will be used to snag matching funds from the state to purchase rights-of-way for new roads and expansion of existing roads.
As new county Commissioner Bret Millburn explained, "I don't like to spend a couple of bucks out of my pocket all the time. But I'm willing to sacrifice a pizza once a year versus what I will sacrifice later if we don't do this."
That's the kind of public reaction Millburn and the other commissioners have been getting all along. People want better roads that will handle the growing numbers of cars and trucks swarming the county. Davis residents also understand that the extra $10 registration fee is a user fee that only affects those who drive their vehicles on Davis roads.
The bump in fees will kick in come July 1. Next it will be up to the county's Council of Governments to draw up a priority list of projects for corridor preservation. Likely candidates are north Legacy from Farmington to the Weber County line, U.S. 89, 2000 West between Syracuse and Clinton, and Glover Lane in Farmington. Once that's done, the list will be submitted to the County Commission, which can accept or reject the recommendations. The next step: the county bellies up to the bar for state matching funds.
As we've noted on previous occasions in this space, the benefit for Davis drivers and taxpayers is inarguable. Take, for example, the estimated cost of purchasing, today, the rights-of-way for Legacy North between Farmington and Weber County: It could be done for about $100 million. No one can be certain, but it's likely the cost could balloon to $230 million in a decade; and that could be more if, in the meantime, lots of homes and businesses are built in the pathway.
That $2 million per year, even if it's doubled to $4 million via matching funds from the state, won't lock up all the land for Legacy or most other projects. But it could make a dent in the gigantic future costs of undertaking any significant road-building or -widening venture. And, that being the case, it may mean some roads get attention sooner from the state -- since the overall prices will be lower. That's good news for all Utahns, not just Davis County drivers.
We hope Weber County commissioners will give serious consideration to doing the same. The price of land isn't getting any less expensive.
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