Wasatch County sales tax will rise 0.3% starting next year to expand free public transportation services provided through a partnership between Wasatch County and High Valley Transit, the County Council decided this month.
The sales tax will raise an estimated $3.6 million annually, officials said. While the council will need to find funds to cover a $600,000 transit expense this year, County Manager Dustin Grabau said next year’s tax revenue can go towards making up that expense.
For several months, Grabau had discussed the potential change in public meetings, explaining the county’s current transit system and how it helped the workforce and allowed individuals with impairments, license violations or other complications preventing them from driving to get to important appointments.
Some council members had been skeptical about further funding the service, and some community members have been quick to criticize the free transit service on social media and in public meetings.
“We’ve provided over 230,000 rides through our transit system,” Grabau said. “In May, we provided rides for 3,146 riders, but only in 1,334 trips, meaning that all of those 1,800-plus riders were shared trips.”
From 1-4 p.m., he said, there has been a high demand for microtransit services, according to data collected from May.
This tax will not apply to groceries or gas, he said.
“As we have talked over the last six months, we have put a lot of work into ways which can address transit needs and how it impacts the quality of life in our valley,” Grabau said. “This is not a silver bullet. It doesn’t magically make all of the traffic disappear, but I think it’s one piece in the puzzle for how we preserve our quality of life.”
In past meetings, Grabau talked about how this tax increase and possibly others in the future could be used to provide a bus route through Provo Canyon, expand microtransit services, and create a paratransit service in which people with disabilities can schedule a ride in advance. Other Utah transit taxes that the county can implement do not allocate funds to public safety. Seventy-five percent of revenue from this one will go toward transit, and 25% to public safety expenses.
Not everyone was thrilled with the county’s decision.
In a public comment period before the vote, Jeff Chevalier took some time to voice his concerns.
“Tax increases are not a popular concept, so I’m disappointed that this resolution is on today’s meeting agenda, basically an evening before the Fourth of July,” he said. “I want to strongly emphasize that I’m a strong proponent of public transportation, having used it extensively to get to school when I was growing up and commute when I was living in Europe for 20 years. … What we really have, and you are discussing raising more money to provide more of, are fare-free, on-demand taxi or Uber or Lyft rides that are paid for by county taxpayers.”
He wasn’t in favor of tax dollars going toward those services.
“It all adds up,” he said. “We’re already in a hole, so stop digging.”
Grabau said microtransit services are gaining popularity across the nation because communities can provide better services for the same cost without running empty buses.
Councilor Mark Nelson said he got an email from county resident Angie Richardson, who said she’s opposed because the service only benefits a few people.
“I just wanted to point out that Wasatch County and our tax dollars pay for a lot of services that benefit just a few of the citizens, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” Nelson said. “Many of the people who are using this really need this, and it really helps them. I know for a fact, because I’ve talked to them, that a lot of people using this service who wouldn’t be able to go to the doctor, go to the grocery store and do other essential things.”
The tax passed 4-2. Councilors Luke Searle and Kendall Crittenden were opposed, and Councilor Erik Rowland was absent.
Crittenden said he wanted to further consider the allocation of the tax to transit services and public safety.
Wasatch County Communications Director Joan Gould said paratransit is a high priority.
“There is a lot of interest in a Utah County connection, but likely this funding source won’t provide enough to do so,” she said. “Other uses would be future transit capital savings and potential improvements to the frequency, capacity or destinations of our existing services.”
In the future, Wasatch County may fully annex into High Valley Transit.
“Wasatch County’s transit system is one of the most efficient rural transit systems in the state of Utah, with one of the lowest cost-per-ride on our microtransit and high utilization of our fixed bus route,” Gould said. “No one transportation solution will solve all of our transportation woes, but this is one key piece.”