This [gas] tax makes a difference

This [gas] tax makes a difference - in a good way
Some of the results of a recently passed gas tax increase by the Minnesota Legislature were heard last week when the Minnesota Department of Transportation announced transportation project plans for 2008 and several years beyond.

Expected money from the gas tax combined with transportation bonding money and budgeted transportation money allowed MnDOT to move several projects up in the construction time line and for MnDOT to spend additional money on other much needed projects. While Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s bonding bill in 2003 was key in advancing several projects in the state, we can’t ignore the impact of a gas tax increase.

Granted, few of us will line up to say to the state and federal government, “please raise my taxes,” but the gas tax is being increased in increments and it also goes toward roads we travel on every day.

“It’s a good tax if you believe in spending money on roads,” Lyon County highway engineer Anita Benson said. “It’s a good thing.”

It is a good thing. For Lyon County alone, about $270,000 in new money is expected in 2009.

That’s new money that can be used to repair county state aid highways like the stretch of CSAH 10 west from Cottonwood to the intersection with U.S. Highway 59.

While revenue from the gas tax has decreased over the past few years, if the tax stayed the same, counties like Lyon County, Yellow Medicine, Lincoln and others in our region would continue to fall behind in the never ending battle to maintain our local roads. So would cities who rely on a certain portion of state money for their transportation needs.

“We are in a very critical position, and I believe I can speak for every county in the state of Minnesota; we are in a really critical funding situation if we want to keep the roads we have maintained,” Benson said.

The gas tax increase is not the only fix for funding of Minnesota roads.

But the few cents a gallon that went into effect earlier this month was one fix that was desperately needed.