The Legislature decided this year to divert much of the county's motor-vehicle registration fee - imposed in 2005 to buy land for transportation - to the future west-side route.

Out of every $10 fee, the Mountain View Corridor gets $7.

So when the Salt Lake County Council and the valley's mayors met Tuesday as the Council of Governments (COG), they presided over a shrunken money pot for land that governments will use to widen or construct roads.

Instead of doling out $6.8 million, county leaders will have just $2.1 million.

COG members hammered out priorities for the money Tuesday, giving preference to large-scale projects in communities with rapidly growing populations.

County Councilwoman Jenny Wilson objected at first, saying the application process seems slanted in favor of surging southwest-side communities.

"Everyone in the county will be participating in this," she said. "But it seems very biased to a certain section of the valley."

Wilson ultimately voted with the COG in urging officials to look at countywide benefits before approving projects.

"This is a regional issue," said West Valley City Mayor Dennis Nordfelt. "This is not a city or a county issue. We all use the regional transportation system. We are all affected by the regional transportation system."

COG's list of possible projects - which fills several pages - includes the widening of Interstate 80 from State Street to 1300 East, the upgrade of the I-80 interchange with State Road 201 and the expansion of Interstate 15 from Beck Street to Interstate 215.

jstettler@sltrib.com