Sandwiched between Salt Lake and Weber counties, Davis acts as a north-south commuter conduit - and the county's east-west roads have clogged due to steady residential growth.

The added tax - it would fund corridor preservation, congestion mitigation and expanded capacity for regionally significant transportation facilities - has broad-based backing.

The county's Council of Governments, made up of its 15 municipal mayors, has thrown its support behind the measure, as has the Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) and the Davis County Chamber of Commerce.

"We feel it's one of the most important things we can do," said South Weber Mayor Joseph Gertge, who heads up the mayor's group, adding that rising land and road construction costs drive the need to "get cooking on this and get it on the ballot."

West Point Mayor John Petroff, who serves as WFRC chairman, applauded commissioners for approving a $10 vehicle registration fee in March. Those funds will also funnel toward transportation solutions.

"Davis County is booming," said Chamber of Commerce President John Pitt.

"The downside is gridlock" - but a good transportation system will benefit the individual as well as foster future business growth, Pitt said, adding that the chamber favors both the $10 fee and the quarter-cent sales tax.

"It's a minimal investment that will save us money in the future," he said.

If voters approve the tax bump, there are 30 to 40 projects that qualify for the funding - a list that will need prioritizing, according to WFRC Executive Director Chuck Chappell.

In other county business, commissioners approved a daily $10 "pay-for-stay" jail fee, to be paid by inmates doing time for misdemeanors.

Keith Major, business manager for the Davis County Sheriff's Office, said that other counties along the Wasatch Front now levy a similar fee, as mandated by recent legislation.

When inmates leave the jail, they set up a way to pay, and the bill ends up in collections if they fail to meet the obligation, Major said.

At the end of three months, Major figures Davis County will have about 100 people in the pay-for-stay program and predicts that only 5 to 10 percent of those costs actually can be collected.

"You're dealing with a segment of the population that doesn't have much," Major said. "They don't live on the east bench."

Speaking of outstanding costs, commissioners also approved an $88,535 change order for extra work needed on the Davis Conference Center parking lot.

A miscommunication between Layton City departments caused the error, said Barry Burton, the county's assistant community and economic-development director.

cmckitrick@sltrib.com