Milwaukee Rising » roads

Ald. Bauman calls Doyle to push road repair funding, not freeways

Gretchen Schuldt — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 11:49:15 +0000

Bauman’s statement is here.

A Milwaukee gas tax?

Gretchen Schuldt — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:31:22 +0000

Ald. Jim Bohl said yesterday the city should consider seeking the autority to levy its own gas tax of a couple of cents per gallon to fund local street repairs. Bohl, during a meeting of the Common Council’s Judiciary and Legislation Committee, said that an audit to be released this week will say the city should be spending about $35 million a year on street repairs instead of the $5 million and some it actually is spending (caution: your correspondent is relying on memory for the numbers).

Bohl made his comments after Paul Vornholt, city intergovernmental relations director, said the city would seek more funding for local road aid in the upcoming state budget. Bohl argued that the state was not going to help the city, and that the road builders, generous to both sides of the political aisle, realized the real money was in building new lanes that eventually will have to be reconstructed, generating more revenue and profit.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is seeking just a 1% increase in funding for local road aids in the 2009-11 state budget. Very little of the projects that qualify for the aid actually get it. Last year, general transportation aid (local road aid) paid for just 22.5% of eligible costs for counties and 18.4% for municipalities.

The wheel tax

Gretchen Schuldt — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:56:25 +0000

The Milwaukee Common Council is going to vote on the idea of $20-per-year wheel tax. The measure thus far has a veto-proof majority, but it is only a one-vote margin and can change.

There is a lot wrong with the idea of taxing residents of such an impoverished city to subsidize streets for huge damage-causing trucks from elsewhere. It is obvious, though, that something needs to be done. City streets are becoming increasingly dangerous because of their poor condition.

Is this the best fix there is? Certainly it would be better if some of the billions the state is going to throw away on unneeded freeway expansion were redirected to local governments for needed street repairs and reconstruction. The land use group 1000 Friends of Wisconsin reported last year that Milwaukee County residents spend $180 million per year on road projects that are eligible for state aid, but that aren’t getting the aid because the state is spending the money elsewhere — on big highway projects.

The state needs to set some new priorities.