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Show SOLUTION RECOMMENDED Foundation Points Out Weakness ' In State's Local Road Program Lack of adequate planning and engineering services are the principal weaknesses in Utah"s local road program. This was the conclusion reached by Utah Foundation, the privat non-profit tax research organization, in a recent study of local road and street administration in Utah. Foundation analysts point out that competent engineering engi-neering would prevent the use of faulty materials and would assure adequate base design on the construction of roads and streets. Long range planning would minimize the waste incurred through the construction of the wrong type of road for a given location, thus reducing maintenance costs and making more funds available availa-ble for new construction. Few local road departments at present pres-ent operate under engineering supervision or utilize engineering assistance in the construction of their road, according to the study. Too Many Fingers Another major problem cited by the report Is the large number num-ber of separate operating units involved in the expenditure of the road funds in Utah. The study stu-dy points out that there are 210 separate governments in Utah, involving more than 1,000 locaj officials, that may spend money for road purposes. In order to reduce the overlapping over-lapping and duplication created by this situation, the study suggested sug-gested that the legislature might make counties responsible for road work done in towns and turn over to the counties state aid now going to towns. Such a move would reduce the number of separate local operating agen-cies agen-cies in the state from 210 to 118. Such arrangements by the counties coun-ties and towns and even some third class cities now exist on a voluntary basis in some localities. locali-ties. Coordination Suggested With respect to the prorSem of overlapping and duplication in road activities' by the municipalities municipali-ties and counties, the Foundation points out that much of it could be overcome if the various governmental gov-ernmental units would coodinate their construction and malnten ance activity In advance. The re- port suggests that one means of accomplishing this is by the formation for-mation of councils in each county coun-ty at which representatives of the municipalities, the county, and the State Road Commission could discuss their problems and plan in advance the coming construction construc-tion and maintenance work. The study notes that a complaint com-plaint of many city residents is that they must pay twice for local lo-cal roads and streets. City residents resi-dents point out that city property proper-ty owners are subject to the county coun-ty road tax as well as their own city tax for streets' and sidewalks. side-walks. County residents on the other hand pay only the coun' ty tax for roads. Tax Equity In order to correct this tax inequity, a plan is suggested which would include: 1. The support of all roads of county-wide importance, even if they happen to be within incorporated incor-porated municipalities) by a county tax on all residents of the county. 2. The support of local access roads which benefit only county residents by a tax on property outside of incorporated cities. 3. The requirement that all special improvements in the county, such as paving local access ac-cess streets and the construction of curbs and gutters, be financed through special Improvement districts dis-tricts as is now the case In cities. Other important local road and street topics discussed in the Utah Foundation report Include: 1. The constitutional question regarding the legality of the State's sharing highway-user revenues with local governments. 2. the encouragement of construction con-struction and Improvements of local roads as' opposed to spending spend-ing most of the available road monies for maintenance. 3. The lack of engineering data regarding Jocal road needs and the difficulty of determining whether local governments at present are receiving too little or two much as their share of available avail-able highway-user revenue. 4. The possibility of adding a fourth factor vehicle travel to the allocation formula for distributing dis-tributing state aid to local governments. gov-ernments. Such distribution Is now based upon population, road mileage, and land area. . |