10/16/07 Ogden City Council Notes

By Councilwoman Amy Wicks

The resolution passed by the Council last night does not specifically ask the public to vote in favor (or not in favor) of the quarter-cent transportation tax on this November's ballot. It was originally intended to be a joint resolution, but after being tabled two weeks ago the Council had several discussions regarding the resolution. The Mayor was not in attendance at the meetings where the topic was discussed and wording of the resolution was changed, although he was aware of the agendas for those meetings. Mayor Godfrey was not in attendance at our meeting last night as well, but his representative John Patterson indicated that the Mayor is supportive of the initiative and that the purpose of the original joint resolution of the City Council and Mayor was to show that we are supportive of this initiative. The proposed joint resolution between the Mayor and Council was changed to a simple Council resolution to reflect this lack of consensus.

When the initiative was discussed at a WACOG meeting in March 2007, a motion was made by Commissioner Dearden to allocate 50% of revenue generated to transit projects and 50% to roads. This motion failed due to lack of a second and a substitute motion was made and overwhelmingly supported to spend 80% of the revenue from this proposed tax on roads, and only 20% on transit. Until we have a guarantee that the outcome will be more balanced, I can't support a tax iincrease that may or may not benefit our community.

Ogden's transit and transportation needs are outlined in the text of the resolution (2007-25) below:

A RESOLUTION OF THE OGDEN CITY COUNCIL REGARDING CONSIDERATION OF A BALLOT MEASURE INCREASING THE SALES AND USE TAX BY ONE-QUARTER CENT TO FUND CRITICALLY-NEEDED LOCAL TRANSPORTATION AND TRANSIT PROJECTS AND PROVIDING THAT THIS RESOLUTION SHALL BECOME EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY UPON PUBLICATION AND FINAL PASSAGE.

WHEREAS, transportation and transit infrastructure and good mobility are crucial to the economic well-being of Northern Utah and to the quality of life of citizens, and

WHEREAS, Northern Utah cities and counties are rapidly growing, increasing at double the national average; population is projected to rise in Weber County from 197,000 in 2000 to 306,000 in 2030, and

WHEREAS, vehicle miles traveled (VMT) are outpacing both population growth and national VMT growth, which will result in increased congestion on highways that already are overburdened, and

WHEREAS, secondary streets in Ogden and Weber County are congested and in need of added capacity, and

WHEREAS, funding for mass transit improvements to improve mobility and increase opportunities for growth in both Ogden and Weber County is critical for our future, and

WHEREAS, Ogden has significant transit needs that are anticipated to be addressed through this proposed sales tax increase, and

WHEREAS, Approximately 40% of the current sales tax distribution in Weber County comes to Ogden City and Ogden City accounts for nearly 40% of the County’s population.

WHEREAS, Ogden City’s daytime population increases substantially because Ogden is the County seat and a center of commercial and government activity in the County,

WHEREAS, funding for right-of-way preservation is desperately needed to purchase right-of-way for future roads and highways before prices escalate dramatically, and

WHEREAS, waiting to fund critically-needed transportation projects will mean more congestion and much higher costs in the future, and

WHEREAS, city and county leaders, working with the Wasatch Front Regional Council have established priorities for project funding, including both roadway and mass transit projects, and

WHEREAS, a proposal has been legally placed on the November 6, 2007 election ballot giving voters the opportunity to approve a one-quarter cent sales and use tax increase to help fund transportation infrastructure.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE OGDEN CITY COUNCIL, that if the Opinion Question #1 ballot measure is approved by County residents the Council hereby formally encourages the Weber Area Council of Governments (WACOG) to distribute the funds from the tax increase so that at least 40% of the funds are used for transit projects. Further, the Council encourages the voters of Ogden City and Weber County to voice their opinions regarding the question on November 6th.