Residents and officials in Davis and Weber Counties can voice their views and have their questions answered about a proposed commuter rail that would serve the Wasatch Front.
The Utah Transit Authority and the Wasatch Front Regional Council are sponsoring three forums over the next three weeks.The meetings are not intended as forums to debate a proposed quarter-cent sales tax increase that could be on November's ballot and would help pay for a commuter rail and overall transit system expansion.
Rather, Wilf Sommerkorn, director of Community and Economic Development, said the forums are a way for residents to learn more about what the transit system would be like.
"The idea was to give people an idea of 'If the proposal were put on the ballot and if it were to pass, this is what we would get from that,' " Sommerkorn said.
This week's meeting will be Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Layton City Hall, 437 North Wasatch Drive. On May 4, the meeting will be in Centerville's City Hall, 250 N. Main, and on May 11 in the Weber County Commission Chambers.
At a meeting last month, the Davis Council of Governments referred to an Envision Utah Dan Jones poll showing the majority of residents in the two counties would support a sales tax increase of some kind to pay for a commuter or light rail running from Ogden to Salt
Lake City and possibly Provo. The quarter-cent increase would likely pay for more busing service and acquisition of sections of existing railroad lines.
City Council members in Davis and Weber Counties are invited to attend the information meetings to voice concerns and suggestions, as some cities are considering resolutions encouraging the Davis County Commission to put the proposed tax hike on the Nov. 7 ballot, Sommerkorn said.
Kent Jorgenson of UTA's community relations office said UTA will provide an overview of possibilities of what an increase in public transportation would do, including possible corridors and systems. Jorgenson said he hopes the information will help leaders and voters become more educated when they do make decisions.
"I think community members are interested in improving public transportation and in how that would happen," he said.
You can reach Elyse Hayes by e-mail at ehayes@desnews.com