The public-transit scuffle

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The Utah Transit Authority has drawn a line in the sand regarding public transit in Davis and Weber counties: If the counties' respective county commissions don't pass a 0.05 percent sales tax "increase," some services could be trimmed or eliminated in the spring -- including, in a worst-case scenario, weekend and evening service of FrontRunner commuter rail.

The commissioners and UTA are staring each other down over the money, and the Legislature is watching from the sidelines. The stand-off was born at the Capitol, when lawmakers trimmed taxes on groceries; that reduction took effect Jan. 1. Since UTA is funded by a portion of the sales tax, having less sales tax money flowing into county coffers means less money is going to fund buses, light rail and commuter rail.

So the Legislature patted itself on the back for cutting taxes, and then told counties they could restore 0.05 percent of the sales tax for UTA service. Salt Lake, Utah, Tooele and Box Elder counties stepped right up. But the Davis and Weber commissions, having been brutalized over voters' skyrocketing property tax notices, balked. They're afraid voters will view the restoration of $7 out of a $52 per capita reduction in taxes as a new tax "increase." And they may be right.

Politics and political calculation don't get any more basic than this.

The Davis and Weber commissioners have been upfront about their fears regarding a possible voter backlash. But while they search for justification beyond mere political skittishness, they may have landed on a valid point: Does the UTA really need the money? UTA's manager, John Inglish, says it does -- in order to secure bonding for construction and right-of-way purchases.

The commissioners say they remain unconvinced, since sales tax revenues are up over last year's projections.

Furthermore, Weber County Commissioners Jan Zogmaister and Craig Dearden said during a recent meeting at the Standard-Examiner that they've been told by UTA that it co-mingles tax revenue from respective counties to pay for projects systemwide as needed, leaving the commissioners uncertain whether the money is being tracked sufficiently and/or allotted equitably.

This is shaping up to be a real gunfight. But it still seems to us that if UTA is able to demonstrate a legitimate need for that 0.05 percent sales tax restoration/increase, commissioners ought to OK the 0.05 percent. It would, we believe, cause a lot less voter discomfort than curtailed FrontRunner service.

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