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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Sixty-one percent of Salt Lake County residents surveyed recently support hiking property taxes to extend light rail to Draper, West Valley City, South Jordan and Salt Lake City International Airport.
The poll of 571 county residents was made by Dan Jones & Associates May 1-4 for KSL-TV and the Deseret Morning News, which reported the results in a copyright story Monday. The survey had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.
"It's going to happen," Salt Lake County Councilman Joe Hatch said of the TRAX expansion plans.
The Utah Transit Authority proposal calls for residents to vote on a property-tax increase that would cost an average of $95 a year on a $180,000 home. The poll question incorrectly said the $95 increase would apply to a $200,000 home.
The tax increase would allow the county to obtain a 30-year bond for UTA to collect $875 million for the expansions. The federal government and UTA would pick up the rest of the expected $1.25 billion cost.
UTA spokesman Justin Jones said the poll showed "people recognize and are ready to do something in terms of actually accelerating the plan and being willing to pay for it."
"I think the survey results are a positive indication that we can't wait another 25 years to build these projects."
In 2000, Salt Lake County residents voted for a one-fourth cent sales-tax hike to build commuter rail, increase bus service and expand TRAX by 2030. If a property-tax hike is put on the ballot this fall, and county residents vote to support it, TRAX will be expanded by 2015, Jones said.
Work on all four lines could begin within a year.
Lloyd Shell said one reason he moved to the Daybreak community in South Jordan was because of plans to build a TRAX line to the area.
"I commuted for like two years exclusively on light rail in Portland," said Shell, who moved to Utah just over a year ago. "It runs like clockwork, it's always on time. It was great."
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
