Due to declining sales tax revenue, the Utah Transit Authority is proposing large cuts to bus service in April. You can read about those proposed cut here. These cuts come after other cuts to bus and TRAX service made in December described here. Transit in Utah’s big problem is that its largest revenue source (sales tax) is fairly volatile. This volatility has led to a series of cuts to bus and TRAX service. It is very hard to encourage the public to use transit when the service is consistently changing in ways that make it less convenient.
The Utah Legislature can stop these cuts from going into effect by allowing Counties to increase the sales tax by a very small amount (say up to 0.05 percent) to create a transit rainy day fund. The money in this fund would only be available to UTA in years when sales tax revenue go down. That way, UTA cannot use up that money paying for other projects during good years.
Please take a minute to contact one or all six of the members of the Senate Transportation Committee and ask them to allow counties to create a rainy day fund to preserve transit service. If there is a specific bus route you rely, or used to rely on, on tell them about it.
Utah Senate Transportation Committee Members:
Senator Steve Urquhart, Committee Chair: surquhart@utahsenate.org work: (435) 668-7759
Senator Brent H. Goodfellow: bgoodfellow@utahsenate.org Home: (801) 968-0626, Cell: (801) 556-4871
Senator Karen Mayne: kmayne@utahsenate.org Home: (801) 968-7756
Senator David P. Hinkins: dhinkins@utahsenate.org Home: (435) 384-5550 Office: (435) 748-2828
Senator Peter C. Knudson: pknudson@utahsenate.org Home: (435) 723-2035 Office: (435) 723-6366
Senator Kevin T. Van Tassell: kvantassell@utahsenate.org Home: (435) 789-0724, Office: (435) 789-7082
Filed under: Citizen Lobbying, taxes, Transportation, Utah Legislature Tagged: | Bill Tibbitts, bus service, TRAX, Utah Transit Authority
The Unemployment in the US is 10 percent for the State of Utah it is 6.7 percent it Increases every time there is Change Day at UTA . I have Friends that would go out Shopping but do the Traffic Grid Lock they do most of their Shopping Online . Taking Buses out of Neighborhood Increases Unemployment, Poverty and Crime.
In December 2009 UTA Cut Back Service to Save $500 Million, Keeps BONUSES Worth $600 Million. Transit System Worse that 15 Year Ago. Utah Transit Authority has no ETHICS.
We will never Pay for the Capital on Trax or FrontRunner.
Catmeow Public Transit
catmeowpublictransit.blogspot.com