The council has been looking at levying a sales tax to fund a free bus route to Park City, but couldn’t vote on it Wednesday.
Three council members were excused and absent from the meeting, and a fourth had to leave for a family emergency. That left the council without a quorum; any vote requires at least four members to be present.
The vote was rescheduled for June 29. If it passes, the county will charge a 0.25% sales tax, or a penny for every $4 spent, on sales of everything except gas and groceries. Revenue generated would have to be spent on transit or roads.
The council may consider other sales taxes later in the year to fund higher levels of transit service.
The council members present did hear a presentation from the Utah Department of Transportation on its study of routes for a western bypass to reduce highway traffic traveling through Heber City.
UDOT project manager Craig Hancock answered questions about the five designs announced as finalists for the project.
Councilmember Marilyn Crittenden asked why the ideas to alter existing roads in downtown Heber City to improve traffic flow were eliminated. Hancock said it was because of historic buildings. Crittenden then said options still up for consideration would harm the historic North Fields.
“Now we have no option other than to take the North Fields, which is very historical and very important,” she said. “So, I want to understand this process and why these decisions were made this way.”
Hancock described traffic mobility, the Heber City initiative to feature a historic town center, cost and condemnations that would be required as factors in the state’s decision-making.
In May, the council passed a symbolic resolution opposing a design for a road similar to two options UDOT’s still considering. Those options would build a road through the thousands of acres of North Fields open space. The resolution states that the council wants to preserve the “pristine nature” of the North Fields and agricultural character of the area, but it doesn’t carry legal weight.
UDOT will make the final decision on which bypass design to build. A 45-day public comment period lasts until July 22. UDOT has asked for feedback specific to the process of its study.
