Connect with us

Utah

How Utah’s pay-per-mile road funding system could translate in Michigan

Published

on

How Utah’s pay-per-mile road funding system could translate in Michigan


Drivers of hybrid and electric vehicles in Utah have the option to pay about 1 cent per mile driven instead of an annual registration fee.

The state is four years into its pay-per-mile pilot program, which can save some drivers money while also making up for lost gas tax revenue for vehicles that use little or no fuel. Eventually, Utah plans to enroll all vehicles in the program.

RELATEDMichigan may test out gas tax replacement using $5M pay-per-mile pilot

Michigan is considering a similar user-fee system to replace its gas tax and address its nearly $4 billion annual road funding deficit. Legislators have proposed spending $5 million to test out a voluntary program over a two-year span.

Advertisement

To draw from Utah’s experience, the County Road Association of Michigan invited Utah’s director of technology & innovation to Michigan to present on the system Wednesday, June 5 in Lansing.

“As transportation changes, Utah asked what’s a solution that’s sustainable for the long term,” said Nathan Lee, who has served the Utah Department of Transportation for more than 23 years.

“For us, our program is an opportunity for people to make choices.”

The average Utah driver pays $2,464 per year between gas and fuel taxes (18 cents per gallon federal and 35 cents per gallon state). That’s way more than the average annual cost of $850-$955 for EV drivers, according to Utah’s DOT.

Michigan drivers pay the same in federal gas tax, and slightly less in state fuel tax (30 cents per gallon).

Advertisement

If Michigan ditches its gas tax, what might a replacement look like?

Currently, Utah’s road usage charge system is only available to drivers of electric and hybrid vehicles. About 20% of eligible drivers have enrolled, though Lee said that rate has been rising since the 2020 implementation.

All drivers of hybrid or electric vehicles have to pay an additional vehicle registration fee annually, as is the case in Michigan ($155 on top of plate and tab fees). Those that enroll in the usage-fee program forgo that fee and instead pay 1.06 cents per mile.

“If you only drive 6,000 miles per year, you’d pay half of the fee you’d pay at registration,” Lee said. “You could drive 15,000 miles before hitting that fee, which is more than what the average driver does.”

Utah legislators initially planned to expand the program to gas- and diesel-powered vehicles as well by 2032, but Lee said he expects that timeline to be pushed back. With 4.5% of vehicles on the road being electric/hybrid, Lee noted there isn’t a significant need to rush it with gas tax still being paid by 95.5% of drivers.

Advertisement

Program participants have the choice to submit a photo of their odometer monthly to report their miles driven to the state, or to allow their vehicle’s technology to automatically report miles.

Lee said there’s technology available to exclude miles driven outside state lines. Those miles account for about 6.5% of miles driven, according to aggregate level data available to the state.

As of May, Utah stopped differentiating where the miles were driven and allowing drivers to exclude their out-of-state miles. Lee said the tech could be useful down the road, and may be ahead of its time.

“The tech works great, it’s just a lot more expensive to collect that information,” he said. “If your idea is about how do I get revenue for roads, the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of money collecting information.”

Utah’s program doesn’t allow commercial vehicles to enroll at this point. Those vehicles already pay gas tax, plus a fee through the International Fuel Tax Agreement that is returned to each state based on miles traveled within their borders.

Advertisement

Lee said there are ongoing conversations and pilot programs looking at ways to ensure commercial vehicles are paying their share of road usage fees in a future where fuel taxes are replaced with different revenue streams.

See how Michigan roads rate from 1 to 10

Details around Michigan’s proposed pilot program haven’t been finalized yet. However, it’s expected the voluntary pilot will start by the end of 2024 and conclude by the end of 2026.

Participants would pay a milage-based fee and receive a refund for any motor vehicle tax or vehicle registration fees paid during the study.



Source link

Advertisement

Utah

Utah man dies of injuries sustained in avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon

Published

on

Utah man dies of injuries sustained in avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon


A man died after he was caught in an avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon over the weekend.

A spokesperson for the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Thursday that Kevin Williams, 57, had died.

He, along with one other person, was hospitalized in critical condition after Saturday’s avalanche in the backcountry.

MORE | Big Cottonwood Canyon Avalanche

In an interview with 2News earlier this week, one of Williams’ close friends, Nate Burbidge, described him as a loving family man.

Advertisement

“Kevin’s an amazing guy. He’s always serving, looking for ways that he can connect with others,” Burbidge said.

A GoFundMe was set up to help support Williams’ family.

Comment with Bubbles

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

_____

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Utah

911 recordings detail hours leading up to discovery of Utah girl, mother dead in Las Vegas

Published

on

911 recordings detail hours leading up to discovery of Utah girl, mother dead in Las Vegas


CONTENT WARNING: This report discusses suicide and includes descriptions of audio from 911 calls that some viewers may find disturbing.

LAS VEGAS — Exclusively obtained 911 recordings detail the hours leading up to the discovery of an 11-year-old Utah girl and her mother dead inside a Las Vegas hotel room in an apparent murder-suicide.

Addi Smith and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, lived in West Jordan and had traveled to Nevada for the JAMZ cheerleading competition.

The calls show a growing sense of urgency from family members and coaches, and several hours passing before relatives learned what happened.

Advertisement

MORE | Murder-Suicide

Below is a timeline of the key moments, according to dispatch records. All times are Pacific Time.

10:33 a.m. — Call 1

After Addi and her mother failed to appear at the cheerleading competition, Addi’s father and stepmother called dispatch for a welfare check.

Addi and her mother were staying at the Rio hotel. The father told dispatch that hotel security had already attempted contact.

“Security went up and knocked on the door. There’s no answer or response it doesn’t look like they checked out or anything…”

11:18 a.m. and 11:27 a.m. — Calls 2 and 3

As concern grew, Addi’s coach contacted the police two times within minutes.

Advertisement

“We think the child possibly is in imminent danger…”

11:26 a.m. — Call 4

Addi’s stepmother placed another call to dispatch, expressing escalating concern.

“We are extremely concerned we believe that something might have seriously happened.”

She said that Tawnia’s car was still at the hotel.

Police indicated officers were on the way.

Advertisement

2:26 p.m. — Call 5

Nearly three hours after the initial welfare check request, fire personnel were en route to the scene. It appeared they had been in contact with hotel security.

Fire told police that they were responding to a possible suicide.

“They found a note on the door.”

2:35 p.m. — Call 6

Emergency medical personnel at the scene told police they had located two victims.

“It’s going to be gunshot wound to the head for both patients with notes”

Advertisement

A dispatcher responded:

“Oh my goodness that’s not okay.”

2:36 p.m. — Call 7

Moments later, fire personnel relayed their assessment to law enforcement:

“It’s going to be a murder suicide, a juvenile and a mother.”

2:39 p.m. — Call 8

Unaware of what had been discovered, Addi’s father called dispatch again.

Advertisement

“I’m trying to file a missing persons report for my daughter.”

He repeats the details he knows for the second time.

3:13 p.m. — Call 9

Father and stepmother call again seeking information and continue to press for answers.

“We just need some information. There was a room check done around 3:00 we really don’t know where to start with all of this Can we have them call us back immediately?”

Dispatch responded:

Advertisement

“As soon as there’s a free officer, we’ll have them reach out to you.”

4:05 p.m. — Call 10

More than an hour later, Addi’s father was put in contact with the police on the scene. He pleaded for immediate action.

“I need someone there I need someone there looking in that room”

The officer confirmed that they had officers currently in the room.

Addi’s father asks again what they found, if Addi and her mother are there, and if their things were missing.

Advertisement

The officer, who was not on scene, said he had received limited information.

5:23 p.m. — Call 11

Nearly seven hours after the first welfare check request, Addi’s grandmother contacted police, describing conflicting information circulating within the family.

“Some people are telling us that they were able to get in, and they were not in the hotel room, and other people saying they were not able to get in the hotel room, and we need to know”

She repeated the details of the case. Dispatch said officers will call her back once they have more information.

Around 8:00 p.m. — Press Conference

Later that evening, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police held a news conference confirming that Addi and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, were found dead inside the hotel room.

Advertisement

The investigation remains ongoing.

______



Source link

Continue Reading

Utah

Ban on AI glasses in Utah classrooms inches closer to passing

Published

on

Ban on AI glasses in Utah classrooms inches closer to passing


AI glasses could allow you to get answers, snap photos, access audio and take phone calls—and now a proposal moving through the legislature would ban the glasses from Utah school classrooms.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Kizzy Guyton Murphy, a mother who accompanied her child’s class on a field trip to the state Capitol on Wednesday. “You can’t see inside what the student is looking at, and it’s just grounds for cheating.”

Mom Tristan Davies Seamons also sees trouble with AI glasses.

“I don’t think they should have any more technology in schools than they currently have,” she said.

Advertisement

Her twin daughters, fourth graders Finley and Grayson, don’t have cell phones yet.

“Not until we’re like 14,” said Grayson, adding they do have Chromebooks in school.

2News sent questions to the Utah State Board of Education:

  • Does it have reports of students using AI glasses?
  • Does it see cheating and privacy as major concerns?
  • Does it support a ban from classrooms?

Matt Winters, USBE AI specialist, said the board has not received reports from school districts of students with AI glasses.

“Local Education Agencies (school districts) have local control over these decisions based on current law and code,” said Winters. “The Board has not taken a position on AI glasses.

MORE | Utah State Legislature:

Some districts across the country have reportedly put restrictions on the glasses in schools.

Advertisement

“I think it should be up to the teachers,” said Briauna Later, another mother who is all for preventing cheating, but senses a ban could leave administrators with tired eyes.

“It’s one more thing for the administration to have to keep track of,” said Later.

The proposal, HB 42, passed the House and cleared a Senate committee on Wednesday.

Comment with Bubbles

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

Advertisement

___



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending