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A new Utah Transit Authority analysis says its long-range plans will ensure that each county along the Wasatch Front receives roughly the same share of transit services that its residents pay for with taxes and fares through 2040.

But it isn't exact, and Salt Lake, Weber and Tooele counties are "donor" counties — paying for more than they receive. Utah, Davis and Box Elder are "recipient" counties, receiving more than they fund, unless plans change.

UTA officials describe the differences as slight.

For example, Matt Sibul, UTA chief planning officer, said Salt Lake County residents will pay 1.6 percent more in taxes and fares between 2001 and 2040 than the value of services and facilities they will receive.

But UTA Board member Keith Bartholomew said the small-sounding 1.6 percent can be a bit deceiving.

He noted that Salt Lake County residents will pay a cumulative $16 billion to UTA over the 40-year period. And when that $16 billion is multiplied by the 1.6 percent difference, "that's about a quarter-billion dollars" that they will "donate" to Wasatch Front neighbors over time.

Sibul said the differences are not set in stone, and UTA performs such an equity analysis every year to allow for tweaking plans to help ensure each county receives a fair share of services.

For example, he said, the analysis shows that unless changes are made, Tooele County would pay 11.2 percent more than the value of services it would receive through 2040 — mostly because of expected fast growth in its tax base in the 2030s.

So he said that shows UTA should seek to add more services than currently planned in that county beginning in about the mid-2030s to bring spending more into balance.

The other donor county, Weber, would pay 2.8 percent more than it would receive in current plans, the new analysis shows. Among "recipient" counties, Utah County would receive 3.9 percent more than it would fund; Davis would get 1.5 percent more; and Box Elder would take in 9.3 percent more.

Sibul said during a UTA Board discussion on the issue last week that the agency tries to keep the differences between what counties pay and receive small, but keeping them exactly at zero is nearly impossible. So it aims to keep differences at less than 5 percent in each county.

He said balancing shares is especially difficult because 24 percent of UTA trips now cross county lines and deciding how to allocate benefits of such intercounty trips on the FrontRunner commuter train or buses can be challenging.

Sibul also said that Salt Lake County officials have not been concerned about the 1.6 percent or so difference in what it pays for and receives, recognizing that it is a destination for many transit users — who ride it there aiming to spend money at jobs, restaurants and entertainment and sports events.

Sibul said the new analysis considers only current revenue sources and currently planned services. It does not include extra money that could come if voters approve increasing sales taxes for transportation.

UTA has said the share it could receive from such a tax hike would increase its revenues by 13 percent, or $39 million a year.

The agency is working on proposals about exactly how it would spend such extra money. Its board last week studied proposals that would boost bus service by 15 percent to 20 percent — including quadrupling bus service after 8 p.m. and upping the frequency on the most popular routes by 30 percent.