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SALT LAKE CITY — A state lawmaker says the small Box Elder County town of Mantua is a speed trap.
Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, said one-third of the town's budget is supported by traffic ticket revenue.
"This is the only place I get complaints about in my district," he told the Senate Transportation and Public Utilities and Technology Committee on Monday.
Hillyard is sponsoring SB100, which would cap the amount of revenue a municipality can collect from traffic tickets at 25 percent of its budget. The committee sent the bill to the full Senate with a unanimous recommendation.
Mantua is a town of 687 residents, according to the 2010 census. The town is not specifically listed in the proposed legislation, but Hillyard says he is sponsoring the bill because he's had many constituents complain about getting tickets there.
Other states have imposed similar revenue caps, he said, including Virginia, Missouri, Oklahoma and Florida.
While there has historically been many fatal car crashes in Sardine Canyon, Hillyard said the concrete barriers that now divide the highway have increased safety in the canyon and strict policing is not as needed as it once was.
Mantua Mayor and Police Chief Mike Johnson says the improved safety in the canyon has nothing to do with the barriers.
"In all the time I spent with the highway patrol, I never saw those barriers on the highway stop any accidents or do away with fatal accidents," he said.
Johnson said police recently ticketed someone for going 108 mph in a 60 mph zone, and that there are frequently cars traveling more than 90 mph there.
Four DUI arrests since Dec. 1, he said, has made the area safer for both Mantua residents and Hillyard's constituents in Logan.
"I think that we're sending a message and getting people to slow down," Johnson said.
Johnson is Mantua's one full-time police officer, and there are three additional part-time officers.
To clear up misconceptions, Mantua financial analyst Lorrie Herd presented the actual revenue generated by the tickets.
Herd said 42 to 43 percent of the revenue goes back to the state. Last year, that left the town with $246,000. The cost of funding the police department and court system takes roughly $229,000 a year, leaving the town with $17,000.
This year, revenue from July 1 through Dec. 31 leaves the town with a net of $23,000, she said. After around $14,000 is taken out to help fund the fire department, the town will have gained a net of approximately $9,000.
If Hillyard's bill passes, Herd says Mantua will have a budget shortfall of more than $100,000.
Contributing: Mike Anderson
Emily Larson is a Deseret News intern studying communications with an emphasis in news media at BYU. Contact her at elarson@deseretnews.com
