Lawmaker pushes measure that would dissolve UTA
This time next year, at least one lawmaker hopes the state — and not the Utah Transit Authority — is operating all the buses and trains that run along the Wasatch Front.
A bill has been proposed by Rep. Wayne Harper, R-West Jordan, that would dissolve UTA, put all the local taxes that fund the agency into the state's general fund, and have the Utah Department of Transportation assume control of systems like TRAX and the bus.
UTA officials, the League of Cities and Towns, and several business leaders are strongly opposed to the measure, HB166. Bruce Jones, UTA's attorney, said if the bill were approved, it could cost the state millions, and possibly delay construction of new TRAX lines and the FrontRunner commuter rail line.
There is also a possibility that current transit services along the Wasatch Front could be impacted, because UDOT has never operated a transit system. Its primary focus is to build and maintain state roads.
"There are many uncertainties," Jones said about the measure. "When you have a major structural change like this, the best case scenario is that there will be significant delays on projects. Delay means a significant cost increase."
In addition, Jones said the measure could impact how UTA gets federal funding for projects, and also the state's bond rating. By putting all of the agency's funding into the state general fund, the state would be assuming billions in debt for projects that have yet to be built, but have been bonded for construction.
"It seems to me that maybe they're trying to fix something that isn't broken and in fact, is working very well," Jones said.
But Harper, who said he has been working on the bill for at least two years, said the measure could streamline how transportation projects are built in the state. Right now, roads and transit are dealt with separately, and sometimes decisions are made to build one project, like transit, when a road would have dealt with congestion better, Harper said.
In December, local leaders in Salt Lake County voted to spend money from a quarter-cent sales tax increase approved by voters during the November election primarily on transit. Some lawmakers were upset at the move, saying that the money should have gone toward roads.
Harper said the bill was not a retribution bill aimed at Salt Lake County.
"We have limited resources in the state," he said. "The purpose of this measure is to combine the two agencies under the executive branch so that transit and transportation needs are prioritized and the best needs of the state are met."
Harper says that nine states in the U.S. have combined transit and transportation authorities. UTA says that only two states have combined authorities. There are over 300 transit agencies in the nation, according to UTA.
If his bill were to pass, Harper said that the new TRAX lines and commuter rail that were approved for construction in Salt Lake and Utah counties last November, would not be impacted. He said his intent was not to impact how the state receives federal funding for transit, either.
UTA is funded primarily through local taxes and federal dollars. UDOT receives money from a number of sources, including the state gas tax, the federal government and some local taxes. On a federal level, transit and roads receive funding from two different authorities.
"I think this has a lot of support," Harper said about his bill. "My intent is not to tell UTA that they've done a bad job. Rather, it's to tell them that in the future, there will be more clamoring for the same funds" and that roads and transit should be looked at together.
The bill is listed on today's agenda for the House Revenue and Taxation Committee, which is chaired Harper and Rep. John Dougall, R-Highland. But on Wednesday, the bill was assigned by House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy, to be heard in the House Political Subdivisions committee. Harper declined to comment about why the bill is on his committee's agenda.
UDOT has yet to take an official position on the bill, but Ken Connaughton, the agency's director of communications, said the measure would create a number of issues that would need to be addressed, including how to operate UTA's transit system and the funding difference between the transit and roads.
UDOT is not behind the measure, he added.
"This would all be new," Connaughton said. "There are definitely logistical issues that would have to be addressed before something like this would work."