UTA snubs Utah County transit needs in proposed 2026 budget, County Commissioners push back

Sally Francom | Lehi Free Press

The Utah County Commission has formally voiced its opposition to the Utah Transit Authority’s (UTA) proposed 2026 tentative budget, saying the plan fails to meet the transportation needs of Utah County residents and does not reflect the county’s rapid population growth.

In a letter to the UTA Board of Trustees, approved during Wednesday’s meeting, the Utah County Commission noted that Utah County accounted for more than 43% of Utah’s entire population growth last year (the highest in any Utah county). Yet, the proposed budget includes no funding for new UTA service in the area. Meanwhile, more than $96 million, including $43 million in state and local funds, is allocated toward projects in Salt Lake, Davis and Weber counties.

“The number one issue our community faces is traffic and transportation, and transit is a piece of the solution,” said Utah County Commissioner Skyler Beltran. “The northwest area of our county is the fastest-growing part of our entire state, and investment by UTA needs to be reflective of that. Our residents are feeling the impact, and it needs to be addressed. I live it every day as I live in West Lehi.”

The Commission’s letter expressed particular concern that two previously committed projects, a fixed-route bus service into Eagle Mountain’s City Center and an on-demand service in the Thanksgiving Point area, were left out of UTA’s 2026 plan.

“We’ve pledged our local county transit funds to expedite some of these projects, like the promised fixed bus route into Eagle Mountain’s City Center and the on-demand service in the Thanksgiving Point area,” Beltran added. “We’re working with Trustee Acerson and the UTA team to get these projects done more quickly, and the 2026 budget being considered needs to account for that.”

The letter continues to ask the Board of Trustees to reconsider its project priorities and to continue engaging with Utah County leaders, who have clashed with UTA in the past, including the recent dispute between the state agency and outgoing Lehi City Mayor Mark Johnson over the future TRAX line alignment into Lehi.

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Commissioner Amelia Powers Gardner voiced her support for the effort. “I appreciate and thank Commissioner Beltran for taking the lead on this,” she said. “We need to continue working with UTA to get these projects done.”

The letter concludes by urging the UTA Board to ensure Utah County receives equitable attention and funding for new service implementation. The Commission emphasized that anything less would “continue to disadvantage the fastest-growing population center in the state and undermine public trust in UTA.”

UTA is accepting public comments on the proposed budget through November 7. Residents may view the budget summary here: https://www.rideuta.com/-/media/Files/About-UTA/Budget/2026TentativeBudgetSummary20250919.pdf and comment on the proposal here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=h24_hRG5nkST9o2nnfP3Bn4AiOZpI8tOlSDAh5mgRzpUMU9UOEhJN0JLNkdLRE1USE9GUlRCR1pDNi4u&route=shorturl.