The Utah Transit Authority Board of Trustees has taken the first steps towards approving a 2016 budget.
UTA interim president and CEO Jerry Benson presented the proposal to the board on Wednesday, which includes a plan to upgrade Wi-Fi services on FrontRunner commuter trains. It also seeks to improve bus service by adding routes and increasing frequency of buses on existing routes.
“It’s about a 5% increase in service," he says. "And that’s really just based on growth in the economy and savings in operations.”
Benson says the next step in the budget process will be to gather as much public input as possible before the board finalizes the plan in December.
“Of all the things we do and of all the things that our board of trustees does, establishing a budget and a service plans is one of the most important things," he says. "And we need to make sure it lines up with what the community wants.”
The 2016 budget proposal does not include any funds that would be available if voters approve a quarter of a cent sales tax increase known as Proposition 1. Benson says they’ll come up with a revised budget if necessary.