Interesting story in the Trib over the weekend about the bill that would create a new Utah Lake Authority.  Again, as we’ve noted earlier, this is another example of special purpose entities the state creates when extraordinary issues crop up (think MIDA, Port Authority, Point of the Mountain Commission).  Keeping our eyes on this one.

Also, I wanted to give you a rundown of the various funding proposals that are being considered in the legislature this year related to planning and dealing with growth, but Miranda Cox Jones at the Wasatch Front Regional Council has done such a good job of compiling them, I’ll just steal her summary and reprint it here! (thanks, Miranda, great work!)

• $232 million to replace the previously authorized bonding for the strategic double-tracking of FrontRunner bonding with cash. This would save over $30 million in interest costs, and would mean that funding will be available in the future for additional transit projects, rather than having those funds committed to paying debt service on bonds. This proposal has been endorsed by the Legislature’s Executive Appropriations Committee.
• $46 million for regionally important active transportation projects. This funding would build upon the $35 million appropriated last year for active transportation. When coupled with a 20% local match, this would allow the completion of priority projects around the state.
• $600,000 in ongoing additional funding to UDOT’s existing Technical Planning Assistance Grant Program which provides transportation planning assistance to local governments.
• $1.05 for technical planning assistance to Utah’s Associations of Governments (including WFRC) for training, grant writing, and other technical assistance to local governments.
• $1 million to fund a statewide growth planning and communications effort which is intended to help gain the public’s confidence in the state’s growth management efforts, and set a clear policy direction for Utah’s leaders to ensure sustainable growth.