SALT LAKE CITY — The future for the Utah Transit Authority laid out to a legislative task force Thursday ranged from losing control over future projects to an outright takeover by the state.
Leaving the agency intact was not among three options offered to the Legislature's Transportation Governance and Funding Task Force. Members will be surveyed about their preferences before a possible vote at their next meeting Oct. 23.
"This is a huge change," said the task force's co-chairman, Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, adding that it would include new access to state transportation funds for transit needs, including a possible quarter-cent sales tax increase in some counties.
The proposals for changing UTA comes after years of concerns being raised about the agency now overseen by a 16-member board of trustees appointed by various government officials and entities.
A series of legislative audits have been critical of UTA, including for the salaries and benefits paid to UTA officials, as well as transit development deals that are the subject of an ongoing federal investigation.
UTA, which has enacted numerous reforms, has signed a nonprosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office and has agreed to submit to up to three years of federal supervision.
Harper, who headed the task force working group that came up with the options, said there was "zero support" in the group for the most extensive change, making UTA a division of the Utah Department of Transportation.
He said he expects the task force to end up advancing to the 2018 Utah Legislature a governance structure for UTA "in between" the other two options, which would largely limit the agency's role to maintaining the current transit system.
The difference between the remaining options are the amount of control the state has over UTA, including whether the state assumes ownership of the existing bus, light rail and commuter train infrastructure, and a share of local option tax revenues.
Either way, the state will make decisions on future transit projects. If the state does opt to take over UTA's infrastructure, it has to assume the agency's $2 billion bond debt, something that could impact Utah's bond rating.
UTA officials attended the task force meeting but did not testify. UTA trustee Bret Millburn, a member of the task force, said there has been "a fair amount of change" at the agency, and he urged careful consideration of the options.
"Yes, the agency has had its challenges just like any other entity," said Millburn, a Davis County commissioner. "But I'm proud to say the organization has stepped up, taken responsibility and is making efforts to move forward."
UTA President and CEO Jerry Benson told reporters after the meeting that no consensus has been reached on the options presented, and he suggested that more may be considered.
"Frankly, I think it's too early in the game to say this structure makes sense or that structure makes sense. It's all in the details," he said. "We're still at a high level, and there's a lot more work to be done on structure."
Benson declined to comment on which of the options he prefers, "except to say there have been a lot of very good ideas raised." He said UTA is open to being looked at critically and has been working closely with the task force.
"I'm not panicked about this process. I think it's overall very healthy," Benson said. "And I think there's no reason to get crazy about different structural models that are being put on the table. Let's study them. Let's not be defensive about them."
Harper said after the meeting there's no question that UTA will be altered.
"There has to be some change with UTA. We know that they are improving, but we know that there's not the trust and confidence that needs to be there for them to access some of the state funds," the senator said.
That's becoming increasingly necessary as federal support for public transit declines, but Harper said he's hearing from fellow lawmakers there first needs to be more state control over UTA.
"We're working on defining what that means," he said.
Another UTA trustee, North Ogden Mayor Brent Taylor, told the task force he supports changing the agency.
"There's a lot of wonderful things about the Utah Transit Authority and the operations there, but I do think there have been some struggles about governance," Taylor said, citing what he called inadequate checks and balances by the board.
Many board votes taken on management proposals have passed with little or no opposition, he said. Last week, Taylor was the sole vote against a revamp of executive retirement plans that are still a better deal than UTA employees receive.
"We support the process, but we're not recommending one option over another," UDOT spokesman John Gleason said. "Whatever option the Legislature decides, we'll be ready to move in that direction."