A bill passed during Utah’s 2023 Legislative session could open doors to help with the issue of having enough funds for road repairs in the Uintah Basin. SB75, Sand and Gravel Sales Tax Amendments sponsored by Senator Sandall, distributes local sales and use tax revenue from sales made by ready-mix concrete manufacturers to the county, city, and town with a sand and gravel extraction site within its boundaries. The bill requires the county, city, or town to use the revenue for class B and class C roads. This type of bill could be great news for the Uintah Basin as class B and class C roads need repairs and local governments have needed additional funds for the expensive road maintenance that only grows. While the Basin does have sand and gravel businesses, the larger implication is with the passing of this bill it could open the door for other industries to do the same or something similar in the future. If this concept was applied to the oil and gas industry, for example, the Uintah Basin would have a strong funding source for the Highways and roads that are needed due to the constant use of trucks transporting oil and gas products.
