LAYTON -- Commuter rail along the Wasatch Front is now one step closer to reality, thanks to a new agreement between the Utah Transit Authority and 42 Utah cities.
On Feb. 19, the Layton City Council approved that city's participation in an interlocal agreement that officials say will benefit both UTA and the cities.
"It provides Layton City the right to regulate within the corridor everything except the actual system itself," City Attorney Gary Crane said.
The 93-page pact gives UTA planning and operational authority over the commuter rail system within the cities. It also exempts UTA from administrative and permit fees as it builds a commuter rail line from Brigham City on the north to Payson on the south. Although the deal frees UTA from local regulation in the area, the project will still be subject to state and federal oversight.
The 50-year agreement retains city control outside the rail line, including park-and-ride lots, landscaping and advertising. Crane said the deal also provides for a dispute resolution process in the case of disagreements. Crane said the agreement took months of negotiation and cooperation.
"It is unprecedented for this many cities and five counties to get together like this," Crane said.
The finalization of the document prevents intervention from the Utah State Legislature. Lawmakers had threatened that if UTA and the cities could not come up with an agreement on their own, the state would impose its own solution. The interlocal agreement is necessary for UTA to receive funding from the federal government. Mayor Jerry Stevenson says that if federal funding comes through, construction could begin this fall.