The Highway Jurisdictional Transfer Task Force, which met Tuesday at the Capitol, is weighing proposals from the Utah League of Cities and Towns, the Utah Association of Counties and the state Department of Transportation on which roads ought to be exchanged.
The task force considered whether to change the state's road funding formula, which is based on the amount of traffic on a road.
But Brent Gardner, executive director of the Utah Association of Counties, said any time the state tries to change the formula it takes years, and should only come when new revenue sources are under discussion. The last time that happened was in 1997, when the Legislature passed a law allowing the counties to implement 1/4-cent sales tax increases to fund transportation projects.
Linda Hull, UDOT's legislative analyst, said the state could adopt the federal approach to crafting a formula, but it would be costly, complex and contentious. Anyway, she said, there still wouldn't be enough money to meet all the unmet road funding needs.
"It's the size of the pie, not necessarily the distribution of the pie, that is the question," Hull said.
With that, task force Co-Chairman Rep. Jim Ferrin, R-Orem, abandoned the notion that rejiggering the formula was an answer to the problem.
"I don't sense a whole lot of appetite on the task force to change it," he said.
The task force also briefly considered, then quickly discarded, the possibility of collecting statewide impact fees to fund the road costs.
"I wouldn't touch that with a 10-foot pole," said Rep. Joe Murray, R-Ogden.
UDOT has identified 508 miles of state road its top priority candidates for transfer.
The agency estimates those road segments cost the state $2.6 million each year to maintain and need $3 million for improvements.
The Utah League of Cities and Towns tentatively agreed to assume control of 109 miles of those roads if the local governments' concerns regarding funding and ownership of the roads could be satisfied. The league proposal would account for $692,000 of the annual costs.
The Utah Association of Counties has proposed taking over 127 miles of highway, with an estimated $473,000 in annual costs.
There was some overlap in the two lists.
The task force will meet again Sept. 20. Task force Co-Chairwoman Sen. Carlene Walker, R-Cottonwood Heights, said she hoped to have draft legislation ready by then.
