Step up and fund transit
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nd the award for the least-convincing performance in the faux shock and naïveté category goes to ... the Davis and Weber county commissions!
Unless the two commissions do their jobs, commuter rail, when it begins operations in the spring, may run only until 7 p.m. instead of 11 p.m., and not at all on Saturdays. Furthermore, the counties could lose up to 10 percent of their bus service and significant portions of the paratransit service.
That's because the Davis and Weber county commissions have surrendered to political paranoia. The Legislature removed the sales tax on unprepared food, and that will take effect Jan. 1. After that, the portion of sales taxes flowing to the Utah Transit Authority -- which operates the buses, paratransit and upcoming FrontRunner commuter rail -- will be diminished by $2 million in Davis County and $1.8 million in Weber. Absent those funds, UTA will be forced to trim services.
It's important to note that this is a surprise to no one, even though Weber County Commissioner Jan Zogmaister and Davis County Commissioner Bret Millburn claim to have only recently been informed by UTA of the need for replacement tax revenue to make up the loss of the food sales tax.
The county councils and commissions of Salt Lake, Box Elder, Tooele and Utah counties have all passed the requisite 0.05 percent sales tax increase to make up the difference. Why? Because there's an obvious need to do so. People -- voters -- understand. They won't punish commissioners for doing what's necessary. But they might think less of them for being craven on the issue.
The Davis and Weber county commissions have been taking a terrible beating on the subject of property taxes the past couple of months, so they've been shy about restoring the tax revenue to keep UTA service uninterrupted. Yes, the Legislature's action places the onus on county governments to act. That's life. Commissioners should stop with the excuse-making and be sure paratransit, bus service and the long-awaited commuter rail aren't curtailed.
It may not be pleasant, but it has to be done. And, for future reference: It would have been less painful and injurious to their images if they had acted before now, with UTA threats hanging in the air.
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