That's the lament of mayors from Summit County's rural east side as they mull the recently passed $10 auto registration increase.

It would total $400,000 a year ($800,000 if a state match is reinstated) - and, according to Utah law, must be spent for land acquisition for roadways.

In Summit County, that could mean improvements for the choked arterials at Kimball Junction.

But mayors such as Coalville's Duane Schmidt wonder aloud why his constituents should pay for new rights of way on the Park City side.

"To tax our people to help Snyderville Basin, I don't think it's fair," he said. "It won't benefit people on the east side of the county."

For several years, Summit County officials have been considering ways to reroute traffic around the fast-growing hub at the intersection of Interstate 80 and State Route 224. The once-sleepy Kimball Junction is now a burgeoning commercial and residential center that functions as the county's economic engine.

The Summit County Commission unanimously adopted the fee increase March 29 - three days before a state-mandated April 1 deadline - with a caveat that it would not implement the $10 fee if mayors were opposed to it.

Three other counties have formally addressed the issue: Salt Lake and Utah counties adopted the fee; the Davis County Commission voted it down.

And while it's clear that snarled Kimball Junction needs help, Schmidt says towns like his have transportation needs, too - but they don't include land acquisition.

"We need asphalt for potholes and things like that," he said. "If the east side could get some money on occasion, it would be more equitable."

Some of the consternation could be relieved next week, said Commissioner Bob Richer. That's when county officials will meet with mayors at the monthly meeting of the Summit County Council of Governments.

"We haven't had the chance to provide them with all the information," he said. "We've put this on the table. We'll have a discussion. And if it isn't supported, we'll pull the plug."

But, he pointed out, investing in Kimball Junction's transportation system benefits everyone in Summit County.

"Even if you don't live in Kimball Junction, it's still the economic center of the county. It funds all that goes on in the county."

He added, however, that he hoped that mayors on the county's east side would see the implementation of the fee as an "investment in the future" that would be available for towns such as Kamas, Oakley and Coalville as growth expands eastward.

And finally, he noted, the mayors, as members of the county's Council of Governments, can help prioritize how the fund is spent.

csmart@sltrib.com