In 2018, Utah Legislature passed and Governor Herbert signed into law Senate Bill 136, enabling counties in Utah to enact a quarter percent sales tax to fund transportation needs. On Monday, September 9th, the Uintah County Commission adopted an ordinance to enact the tax which will go into effect on January 1st. According to a Uintah County press release issued Thursday, the tax amounts to 1 cent for every $4 spent and is predicted to generate $1.8 million dollars that will be divided by Uintah County, Ballard, Naples, Vernal, and the Basin Transit Authority. Under SB136, the sales tax can “fund certain transportation needs, including public transit systems like BTA, trails, roads, parking and sidewalks. The money can also be used for airports, which is important because the Uintah Transportation Special Service District has informed the county and the cities that it can no longer afford to manage Vernal Regional Airport due to the ongoing decline in mineral lease funds.” Thursday’s press release emphasizes that the Uintah County Commissioners have discussed this tax at length over several months during open meetings that have also involved elected officials from Ballard, Naples, and Vernal City. “None of the commissioners were eager to enact the new tax,” shares the press release, “but they believe this is the best option available to fund the community’s transportation needs.” Audio recordings for public meetings, including Uintah County Commission meetings, can be found on www.pmn.utah.gov.
