The issue came to the fore Nov. 19 when the Summit County Council was asked to vote on $6 million in grants for Park City, High Valley Transit and some of the county’s own projects.
Councilmembers discussed two pots of money: the transportation sales tax, or TST, and the corridor preservation fund. Both monies are supposed to help people get around Summit County more easily.
The council came close to voting down the $6 million in TST grants due to concerns that the process of divvying up the money is too informal.
“I wonder if we shouldn't just approve this now and let it be known that we're not going to approve another one until we have a process — and take the time next year to make sure we have that process,” Councilmember Chris Robinson suggested to his colleagues.
The final vote was 4-1 to approve the grants, since it was too late to make changes to the 2025 awards. Council Vice Chair Canice Harte dissented.
The grant awards are recommended to the council by way of the council of governments, or COG, which is composed of three county councilmembers and all six local mayors.
High Valley got $2 million of the $5 million it requested from the TST for ongoing bus rapid transit construction, a $119 million project in all.
Before voting, the county council expressed concern that other money — previously earmarked for bus rapid transit — had been rerouted to Thaynes Canyon bike paths.
Earlier this year, the COG unanimously approved a request from Park City to reallocate $550,000 in the corridor preservation fund from BRT to Thaynes.
“So one entity had their funds taken away because another entity lobbied for it, and the entity that had the funds taken away was not allowed to weigh in,” Harte said.
Since 2019, the $550,000 has been Park City’s to spend. But until this year it was reserved for BRT in either the Route 224 or Route 248 corridors.
Council Chair Tonja Hanson questioned how the funds had been reallocated Nov. 19, which triggered a larger conversation about both the TST and corridor preservation fund.
County transportation planner Eva De Laurentiis said her department and COG have been discussing how to formalize how the TST and corridor perseveration fund are allocated for at least a year.
“This is a good example where there just maybe was a breakdown of communication amongst our three entities, and where we can improve that coordination,” she said at the Nov. 19 council meeting.
De Laurentiis explained the current process to COG earlier in the week.
“The way the process works is that the applications are submitted to Summit County staff. We review, we put together a recommendation to [COG], [COG] votes on it, and then puts a recommendation to council,” she said Nov. 17. “What we were advising — I think just because, you know, there is some conflict of interest since Summit County is also a recipient of the funds — is that we move to a more panel-like review and discussion.”
That would make TST and corridor preservation more like the restaurant tax and recreation, arts and parks tax that dozens of Summit County nonprofits apply for annually. The TST grant awards for 2025 are below.
Summit County, Park City Municipal and High Valley Transit are financial supporters of KPCW.
