Brian Head council directs staff to develop Transportation Utility Fee, eyes business discounts

The Brian Head Town Council on March 24 gave staff direction to develop a Transportation Utility Fee (TUF) for road maintenance while investigating ways to limit impacts on local businesses.

Town Manager Bret Howser summarized two public forums on a possible TUF versus a property tax increase and emphasized that no final decision would be made until the budget adoption process in June. Council members generally favored a TUF for dedicated road funding, transparency, and flexibility; Council Member Larry Freeberg highlighted those benefits, and Council Member Duane Nyen emphasized the TUF's ability to be adjusted as needs change. Mayor Clayton Calloway said he opposed general obligation bonds as a "Band-Aid" solution that would create future problems and expressed skepticism about toll concepts and resort-specific taxes.

Staff noted that a TUF could result in significantly higher fees for businesses and recommended additional direct outreach to business owners; the council directed staff to research discount structures, examine other municipalities' TUF implementations, and prepare detailed impact analyses for the budget workshop. Public commenters generally favored a TUF over a property tax and suggested alternatives such as construction impact fees and dust-control permits.

The council reached consensus to proceed with TUF development and requested staff produce impact breakdowns and outreach plans for business stakeholders ahead of June budget decisions.