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Mill Creek considers transportation utility fee to shore up road funding
Summary
Mill Creek staff outlined a proposal to consider a transportation utility fee (TUF) to offset declining fuel-tax revenue and rising maintenance costs for the city's roughly 28,000,000 square feet of roadway; no final decision or vote was recorded in the provided transcript.
Mill Creek is considering a transportation utility fee, or TUF, to address a growing shortfall in road maintenance funding, an unidentified presenter said during a monologue about the city's pavement needs. The speaker said the city maintains about 28,000,000 square feet of roads and estimated unit costs at "about $15" per square foot with an additional "about a dollar every 5 to 10 years for maintenance." No formal decision or vote was recorded in the provided transcript.
The presenter framed the proposal around two financing pressures: declining fuel-tax revenue as vehicles become more fuel-efficient and electric vehicles enter the fleet, and rising construction and material costs due to inflation. "You pump gas, you pay for roads," the presenter said, describing the fuel tax as the historical mechanism that has paid for local streets. The speaker added, "Which is why Mill Creek is considering a transportation utility fee, t u f, or TUF, so we can have good roads."
According to the presenter, TUFs are used by other cities in Utah and across the country to "supplement the fuel tax decline." The presenter argued a TUF spreads the cost of roads across all users and beneficiaries — residents, businesses, package deliveries, buses and cyclists — calling that distribution "consistent" and "fair." The stated goal is to preserve well-maintained streets while raising the condition of roads that have experienced deferred maintenance since the city was incorporated about a decade ago.
The transcript contains several quantitative claims drawn from the presenter: the 28,000,000 square-foot network size and the per-square-foot cost and maintenance estimates. The presenter described the per-square-foot numbers as approximations during the same exchange. The transcript does not record supporting documentation, a proposed fee amount, implementation schedule, affected account codes, or any motion to place a TUF on a council agenda.
Next steps were not specified in the provided segment. The presenter described the problem, the possible municipal response (a TUF), and reasons for considering it, but the transcript does not record a recorded action, public hearing, or timeline for a decision.
