Indiana Push Under Way To Change The Way Local Road And Bridge Maintenance Budgets Are Funded
6/17/2012
The Republic/The Journal Gazette
INDIANAPOLIS -- A growing drop in revenue from Indiana's gasoline tax is fueling a push for state lawmakers to rethink how local road and bridge maintenance is funded. Officials with Indiana's cities, towns and counties are struggling. The state gas tax receipts are less than what they received in 2000, and the cost of maintaining roads and bridges has only gone up. State lawmakers have shied away from the problem in recent years, but now that Indiana has built up a budget surplus and is preparing to send tax dollars back to Hoosiers, the discussion is likely to change, The Journal Gazette reported Sunday. Matt Greller, executive director of the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, said studies show that Indiana's infrastructure, particularly local roads and streets, "are woefully underfunded." "The inadequate funding has been a problem for a long time, and it's time to have a difficult conversation," he said. Each side has its own views on the issue, and the only fact all parties seem to agree on is that the current system is unsustainable. "The state is eventually going to have to change the way they tax the use of vehicles," said Rep. Jeff Espich, R-Uniondale. "The gasoline tax is wearing out.” Link, Link
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