This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
PROVO - Proponents of Utah County's quarter-cent sales-tax increase for commuter rail are making one last push to get voters on board.
Barely a week before Election Day, the Provo-Orem Chamber of Commerce voiced unanimous support for the tax boost this week during a news conference at the Historic Utah County Courthouse.
"If we can't keep our highways and corridors open, our economic output will come to a halt," warned Provo-Orem Chamber President Steve Densley.
If passed, the quarter-cent sales tax hike would fund commuter rail from Provo to the Point of the Mountain.
A temporary commuter-rail line could be running as early as 2011, with a permanent line finished by 2015.
Proponents said Monday commuter rail is the only option to shuttle people through Utah's second-most populous county in 2011, when Interstate 15 will be shut down to two lanes for reconstruction.
Utah County's stretch of I-15 already suffers serious congestion problems. Eleven of the state's 20 worst traffic spots are in Utah County, according to a study released last week.
Densley said he is optimistic about voter support - "I have not received one single e-mail or call in opposition to this," he added - but remains concerned with the ballot language.
Guiding legislation for the proposed tax increase requires the issue appear as an opinion question.
"We were hoping we could get it on as Proposition 3, to match Salt Lake County," said Thone Heppler, who heads the public-awareness campaign for Utah County's transportation measure.
Salt Lake County's Proposition 3 also calls for a quarter-cent sales tax bump for transportation and could provide funding to link commuter rail with Utah County.
Crews already are building a line from Salt Lake City to Ogden.
Salt Lake County's proposal does not have to appear as an opinion question because it is a result of new legislation. In 2000, voters in Salt Lake, Weber and Davis counties approved the same tax Utah County is now considering.
Backers of the Utah County measure summoned reporters Monday to make clear what the ballot item means.
If voters sign on, the tax revenues would be divvied up as such: 87 percent for commuter rail, 8 percent for road projects, and 5 percent for public transit.
A yellow voter information card going out this week notes economists estimate the new tax would cost the average family $96 a year.
"Seldom [do] you see me stand here and advocate for a tax increase," Provo Mayor Lewis Billings said. "But it will cost us so much more if we don't act now."
Billings warned any delay would mean a higher price tag later and a lower quality of life.
"Those who have studied it know we have to pass this issue now," Heppler said. "I don't think anybody likes taxes - me included - but we need to look forward to solving this problem."