Show HISTORY OF THE STATE ROAD commission OF UTAH I 1 1909 1939 dy by H V RICHARDS statistical engineer continued from last week wea the he road commissions blen biennial niall report for or 1921 22 while reci reciting the tha notable berie beneata fito accruing from the new federal law was especially concerned with the inadequacies of state financing in that the bond issue was entirely absorbed IT liquidating the thai indebtedness which tho the new commission had bad lahe inherited I 1 there wore were no other state funds 0 available for highway purposes I 1 from legislative appropriations and the system of financing construction and maintenance through county appropriations for state road purposes rendered the prosecution se of nt a balanced and comprehensive program impossible nevertheless credit la Is due the tha counties tor for their generous gone roua re spun be to tho the pleas ot of the state in a time of emergency during the tha biennium of 1921 22 the tha counties count lea contributed through taxation and bond issues the sum of by far the tha largest appropriation from this source in the states history As a means of relieving the tha counties in part from a burden unduly heavy and of 0 furnishing tho the comm commission isslyn with funds for statewide use the legislature of 1923 1922 enacted a gasoline tax law marking what is undoubtedly the most important milestone in the history of state laws relating to the financing of tho the state highways less priority for costs of administration of the act by the secretary of state and the use with other available funds for paying the fixed charges on the state road bond issues the proceeds were paid into tho the state highway fund tor for unrestricted use by t the e commission except as to limiting appropriations for the road commissions general office administration the tha tax rate per par gallon originally two and ono ona halt half cents cants was increased to three and one halt half cents in 1926 1925 and tour four bonts 1 in 1931 1111 in 1823 1111 theratus the rat rates for motor vehicle registration fees were cut approximately in half and receipts and from the gasoline motor fuel tax were used jointly la in paying fixed charges upon state road bonds until 1930 when due to increase in number of motor vehicles rather than in rates the receipts in the motor vehicle registration fund became sufficient clont for the purpose in 1823 1923 a biennial appropriation from the motor registration fund in the tha amount ot of was made for the a administration expenses of the road commission and in the tha amount of for a revolving fund in financing federal ald aid projects which Is still in use in 1825 1926 a mileage tax was levied upon 1 I use of the roads by common and contract carriers the net proceeds whereof wore were payable to the state road fund the revenue was small the cost of ad ministration excessively high and after somo some amendments which materially teri ally reduced the tax base the law was finally repealed in 1937 release of counties bounties from cooperation beginning in 1911 1914 the receipts from tho the gasoline tax have gradually relieved the counties from rom their financial responsibility and rather A as a rosul result t of administrative procedure CLU 0 on the part of the road commission than in consequence ot ol legislative enactment in 1924 the tom commission mission assumed fifty percent ot of the maintenance costs of state roads and in 1920 tools took over the entire responsibility for mainton anco ance in 1927 tile the commission began bega to assist tha counties of low assessed valuation in the local share of construction costs on federal aid projects to cooperate in the cost of betterments throughout the state road system and finally in january 1933 assumed alt all ibuan caal responsibility other than the legal requirement that the tha counties rights of way which requirement qui rement was removed dy by the Is legislature during the same year financial ro responsibility cooperation on the part of the counties la is now now limited to paying their 0 ob ligat libations ions contracted prior to 1933 however county cooper cooperation atlon in state road work continues to be permissive chapter laws ot of 1837 1037 beginning in 1938 the status ol of state slate county financial cooperation was reversed and a definite pro gram of state aid inaugurated through an annual appropriation of from the ha motor vehicle registration fund chapter laws of 1937 to counties and cities tor for highway purposes ass this distinctly now new development was made possible through the retirement D ol 01 f state road bond issues on schedule and the consa consequent quent release ot of rev denues in tho the motor vehicle reg istra tion alon heretofore committed since ines ISH 1917 to debt service under the acts providing for the administration of this appropriation chapter 10 40 laws of or 1937 as amended by chapter 48 laws at 0 1939 the rood road commission makes the distribution provided by I 1 law aw to counties and cities tor for ex expend ture lure directly by them state highways aro are designated us as class A roads and excluded from any allocation of funds and from th tha formula of distribution to county roads designated as class B roads and city elty streets designated as class 0 roods roads cities ot of the third class and towns may expend their share shara of funds dl directly r estly or may arrange to have the expenditure made either by the county or the road commission chapter 48 laws of 1939 aboya cited relative to administration ot of the appropriation to count counties les and cities amends chapter 40 laws of 1937 with respect to basis of apportionment portion ment the earlier law made first an arbitrary division of the appropriation allo allotting ting 70 perc percent ent to class B roads and 30 percent to class 0 roads the thus allocated to the counties was then to be apportioned by the state road commission one third on the basis of population within unincorporated corp orated areas one third on the basis of county road mileage and one third on the basis of losses sustained by homestead and personal property tax exemptions each co county anty to share pro rata in the proportion thaties that tha tits its part of th the three ethree factors bore to the totals tor for all t the e counties apportionment to the class 0 roads ot of cities was made on the basis of population as deter mined by the latest federal census sin ila making the first apportionment effective march 1 1938 two interpretations of the law were kadets made mad ets as follows 1 no go homestead or personal property tax exemption law having been adopted the allotment to counties w was as apportioned 50 60 50 on the basis of the two remaining factors roud rond mileage and population 2 in the matter 0 apportionment to municipalities consideration was given to the potential claims of some forty places incorporated since 1930 the datlof date ot the latest federal census and it was de decided elded to include all such ancor po rations under the class D B subdivision to receive benefits as county roads under the 1939 amendment the apportionment to both class B and class C roads Is made forty five percent on basis of road mileage forty five percent on basis of population and ten percent on basis of area the unincorporated area of each county and each incorporated corp orated place receiving its pro rata share sit on this distribution the population per the latest federal census continuing to be a governing factor the amendment la Is effective for annual distributions beginning march alarca 1 1040 1940 in accordance cor dance with the terms of the orlo original luxl act the road commission promulgate a rules and regulations providing for uniform accounting ot of funds and enters into a compera with each local authority restricting the use of funds to highway purposes and citing the particular eular purpose and lo 10 location ot of expenditure no funds are re until the cooperative a agreement gre ement has been signed and rot returned arned by the local authority tho the commission furnishes standard plans and specifications specifications and other engineering as assistance latance where desired an accounting system has been provided for the use of units in making return on expenditures tor for class 1113 B and C roads pay menta meats for work performed or materials purchased are identified by warrant number and date classified under engineering construction maintenance and major equipment description and name of road Is required and a description of the patt particular kular activity or purpose tor for which the expenditure Is mado made where roads roada aro are constructed by the commission off the state road kyster with use ot federal fu funds ads aa n operative agreement to la likewise entered into with the local authority setting forth the amount it any contributed by the local authority tho rity that all rights of way required will bo be paid tor for by the local authority and that it will maintain the tha project satisfactorily after its completion federal participation the tha federal assistance which utah enjoys in improving the condition of its highways andian building new motorways motor ways for the purpose of developing the states scenic resources may be divided into two principal classifications under the first are included funds expended directly by various agencies ot of the federal government with or without award ot of contract and often without state or local cooperation such stich agencies are the forest service the national parks service the W P aade A the 0 0 0 and perhaps some others the U S bureau of public roads now named the public roads administration administers construction contracts tor for tho the forest service particularly on a class ot of roads called forest highways which torm form an In interial part ot of the state road system sy stein and also for the national parks parka service W 3 to ila n continued |