I think most of us will be pretty disgusted to be reminded that the highest executive at UTA earns — with benefits, bonuses and vacation pay — over $350,000 annually. This is more than the governor of the state.
UTA is not a moneymaker. It relies on federal and local funds to operate. Actual fares only account for 20 percent of its revenue. It is subsidized by the local sales tax revenue and the federal government. The argument UTA uses to substantiate the bloated salaries is that they compare our community with similar cities throughout the nation and base pay compared to other states to determine the norm. This is no way to determine how much to pay an executive or any other employee. That's the basic problem with government entities — they often have no regard for the taxpayer who pays their salaries.
When UTA breaks even, that will be the day for a big bonus and extra benefits. In the meanwhile, as the public, we need to make our opinion known that we do not support these ridiculous salaries; we shouldn't approve a sales tax increase to help fund UTA as long as salaries are not moderated.
Darlene Bennett
Salt Lake City