Excellent and thoughtful Wasatch Rambler column in this morning's Standard-Examiner, in which Charles Trentelman examines the simmering public transportation problem which the Std-Ex editors last week labeled the"(UTA) Public-transit scuffle".
Trentelman digs right in and allocates blame among and between all entities responsible for this inelegant political log-jam, namely the State Legislature, the Utah Transit Authority, and the Davis and Weber County Commissions. Although Trentelman lays a glove on each of these entities, each in its turn, we particularly appreciated the following Trentelman broadside, mercilessly directed at the august Senators and House Reps on Utah's Capital Hill:
Start with the Legislature.Further down the article, Trentelman does go on to lambaste the UTA and both county councils with equal vigor, as we said; but one thing remains clear after we get through with playing "the blame game," we think:
Last year it felt a need to cut taxes. Why it felt that need is anyone’s guess. There were huge demands for basic government services, teacher salaries, dental care for the poor, roads, mass transit, and more.
Ignoring massive opposition, the Legislature cut taxes.
One of the taxes it cut was the sales tax on some food. Part of that sales tax goes to UTA, which uses the money to pay for things like FrontRunner.
Would cutting UTA’s funds be a problem? The Legislature either didn’t think so or didn’t care. Either way, it said the counties could make up the difference for UTA by raising the sales tax again.
Get that? The Legislature cut taxes to make itself look good, but let someone else clean up the mess. Not exactly a profile in courage.
The UTA has set a January 31 deadline for somebody to get off the dime; and from that time forward, it will likely be "the little people," those who rely daily upon existing public transit, who may bear at least the short-term burden of this intra-agency quarrel, unless somebody involved in this ridiculous public standoff stands down.
And we'll highlight another element of this squabble where we think Trentelman gets it particularly "right": "So there you have them: The three groups we expect to make FrontRunner a success. Thousands of commuters, and every city hoping to revitalize because of mass transit, depend on their foresight, leadership and wisdom."
There are several proposed "solutions" floating about:
The Utah Rattler blog registered its "conservative" take on the issue a couple of days ago, i.e., that the quasi-public UTA should simply raise user fees. That's what real businesses do in the real world, after all; and subsidizing UTA operations with public tax revenue only benefits another special interest group, the Utah Rattler reminds us.
Others, we imagine, would argue the contrary -- that the Davis and Weber County councils should simply "bite the bullet," raise the sales tax a measly 0.05% and continue with UTA rider subsidies. We suppose some would strongly argue that such subsidies confer an over-riding general public benefit, such as urban revitalization, which Trentelman mentions above.
What your blogmeister would like to know is what out gentle readers think about this issue; and it's in that connection that we invite you to chime in and opine here. We'd be particularly interested in hearing alternative solutions to this dilemma, aside from raising more taxes or increasing transit fares. Who knows... perhaps our readers can come up with a proposed solution which will allow all of these warring public agencies to save face.
Hopefully the cat won't get your tongues.
11 comments:
The riders on the Frontrunner should pay the increase in fare.
Why should the rest of us subsidize them?
Besides, it was pointed out by the Weber County Commissioners that there would be no way to trace whether the increase we would be paying would actually go to the cost of the Frontrunner in this part of the state.
This is typical of the way UTA and the Legislature continually refuse to understand each other on the issue of sales taxes.
One alternative solutions to this dilemma would be to get the stupid and incompetent Republican politicians out of the middle of it.
Every thing they touch turns to crap.
no more taxes,
I have no issue with a higher fare. Your statement "Why should the rest of us subsidize them?"
makes future Frontrunner users sound like some kind of lower caste. That may be me and that is an insult to those who are looking to adjust their life to take advantage of this fantastic service. So yu wouldn't like to ride a train to downtown SLC and see a show, a game or link to the light rail system for a casual shopping day in the city.
It's attitudes like yours that keeps these projects from happening and has us forever in gridlock while the government continues to build more and more roads for those damn drivers and their lame ass cars. A transit infrastructure is key to the future development so that development can be integrated into the overall transit layout. Toi do it the other way around like we are doing, building transit infrastructure to serve a hodgepodge of development that was planned around freeways and roads is just plain asimine and ass backwards. You are part of the problem.
Hold on Tec, are you suhhesting that us Ogdenites would consider leaving the safe confines of our town for a trip to Salt Lake for a show, game or shopping?
I dont think that the Godfrey clan is promoting Frontrunner as an escape tool from Ogden, we have so much more to do here in Ogden than the big city.
I will admit that I think you are right that it will be a great way to get the hell out of here to do some real shopping and more activities.
I wonder if our leaders thought that we would skip town when the train gets here? Probably not.
Technically, no new taxes, we should be cherring and encouraging folks that will utilize the Front Runner. We are not subsidizing anyone, were going to hopefully be able to enjoy better air quality, by getting people off the freeway and out of their cars.
If you're inclined to veiw this from a selfish point of view, then look at it from your own health perspective, you will be gaining not losing for the few bucks you fork over. These dollars are much less than what you currently give your health care providers, and your health care providers are doing nothing to improve our air quality, in fact they proffit from our status of some of the most polluted air in the country.
The above post was in noway an endorsement of how UTA has handled things lately, or an excuse of their recent behavior. I do believe we need to get out of our cars alot more, and it is not an opinion regarding our terrible air quality, it's a fact.
THE RETARDED REPUBLICANS created these problems and yet they want to blame everybody else.
Well.. wake up.. You can't have a new program without financing it.
The county commissions should just pony up the dough. The urban revival aspect of Frontrunner is big, very big, along the Wasatch Front. It's almost like the "coming of the railroad."
[grin]
The FrontRunner benefits all of Utah, not just those who ride it. It reduces the congestion and road rage on I-15 between Ogden and Salt Lake. It reduces the demand for gasoline. It reduces pollution. It conveys cash-paying customers and tax-paying wage earners to all the stops it serves. I believe it's the best investment in future quality of life northern Utah has ever made. It is finally a sign that northern Utah may be evolving into a mature society. My disgust with the Weber County Commission has reached a new low. The commission is apparently quite prepared to tamper with the wise public investment the FrontRunner can be.
How about considering raising the gas tax, and applying the proceeds to public transit? This would induce at least some auto commuters to get out of their cars, with the added benefit of reducing highway traffic for those who still must use their own vehicles for commuting or transporting goods.
Oh my Gawd! People listen. We have already been paying for "Front Runner" since 2000 when Weber County passed a mass transit tax and the other Counties did not. Our contribution to the UTA has been between 8 ant 9 Million dollars a year. And this doesn't even scratch the surface. What are those extra fes on your annual license renewals used for? every penny of the 25.5 cents we pay per gallon generates 13 to 14 million for corridor preservation, road construction and maintenance. Fully half of all Utah tax revenue comes form the Federal Government yet we are about 6th highest taxed State in the USA. Why? Because we are cullible, stupid, susceptable to "feather Merchant" pleas for more and more of our money? Time to wise up. Time to cast off the chains of oppressive taxation. There is no end date to the 2000 year tax increase and should our Commissioners and Davis Commissioner fold like a cheap tent there will be no end date on this latest wallet attack either Charlie T. So my great grand children and Charlie Trentleman's and yours will continue to pay forever. Where have you been sleeping "gentle readers"? The Opinion Question 1 had as many people voting against it as for it. A virtual tie - and with so many votes left of the cutting room floor with the "Godfrey Daniel's!!!" votes who knows what the actual outcome was. The recount of hundreds of votes was a hanging chad search for only the Mayorial race.
That brings us to the real reasons UTA is trying to exhort more tax money from Weber and Davis County. So this budding quasi State Governmental massive leech on taxpayers can continue to weasel "forever" taxes from every citizen, not for corridor preservation (we have already paid for that) and not for "local County controls over road widening and construction" (we already are paying for that one too with the highest fuel state taxes/ gallon in the intermountain West since 1997). But finally we learn they want it "to insure future bonding credibility". Talk about disingenuious Utah speak from a bunch of incompetent "Feather Merchants"! They want it to so they can give themselves huge bonuses and pay raises for having "secured the financial viability of future mass transit projects".
Notice there is no discussion of accountabiliy, no discussion of management and efficiency, no explanation of why they want to have another tax increase with no end date (a forever tax). Hmmm where did that idea come from?
I pay attention to ridership of UTA buses. You should too. What I see every day are huge diesel 50+ passenger buses steaming around Ogden with no passengers or at most fewer than six ridership. With the gross mis management of routing and bus inefficiency our UTA "Feather Merchants" posing as managers could literally buy every passenger a new Beamer (BMW) every year and still save us taxpayers some serious cash. Let's see $8,500,000 divided by what? - $60,000 for a new BMW? That comes to 141.67 new Beamers a year. Bet ya Odgen area ridership is less than one hundred forty regulars what do ya bet?
And some of you folks commenting think that is a good deal? Get a grip "gentle readers". this "ain't no good deal this latest Opinion One vote nor the afterbirth of UTA rationalizations for un-needed and unearned cash based upon a bunch of old fart business men and chamber of commerce recommends. And that's all I got to say.
I see ya missed me for a time but have ben very busy trying to run my own blogspot (dbelltax.blogspot.com) Hop aboard if you want to be a part of the solution and not part of the problem. I am not nearly so good as our host Rudi. but I try very hard to keep foks up on property tax issues and a few others along the way. I am trying very hard to work for solutions at every level of government and would very much welcome your keen minds and appreicate your sharp wit. Namaste, D-Bell, aka the minor machman
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