From the Vincennes Sun-Commercial:
Officials say finding more money to help to pay for road repairs will be at the top of their agenda as they prepare the city’s 2013 budget.
And it should be.
Constituents connect most directly with their elected representatives by way of the streets, and if the streets are in poor condition then the relationship between the two can be a rough one indeed.
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Money for street repair and maintenance has primarily come from the city’s share of the state gasoline tax, to be supplemented as local governments deem appropriate by whatever other tax monies may be readily at hand to be re-routed for road work.
Over the years, as cars and trucks have gotten more fuel efficient — and as gas prices skyrocketed and consumers became more economy-minded in their driving habits — gas-tax revenues declined.
At the same time, as a result of new state legislation and the recession, local governments have less tax money to spend, and while that may be just fine with some residents, the fact is street repairs require government to spend money.
Where to get that money is the challenge.
The city council was considering increasing the tax rate for the Cumulative Capital Development Fund but, not wanting to add more to property owners’ tax burdens, opted in the end not to do it.
Scott Brown, chairman of the council’s Budget and Finance Committee who wasn’t at the meeting when the rate increase was voted down, said that if the council “could have designated that fund entirely for road repairs, that would have been good.”
Our question is: What stopped members from doing just that?
That fund was established years ago to raise property-tax money for specific projects, and while the amount of money it would have raised would have been small, it would have meant some new money for street repairs.
Being a property taxpayer ourself, we’re uncomfortable when talking about having to pay more and appreciate the fact that council members and the mayor professed concern for the balance in our checking account.
On the other hand, we travel the streets just like everybody else and know the wear and tear rough roads can have on vehicles — and that the costs of new tires and front-end alignments and other repairs can be a sort of tax paid for driving on bad streets.
One way or the other, we all end up having to pay.
It’s a dilemma for local officials, that of trying to please constituents by fixing streets but without raising their taxes or taking money away from some other worthwhile purpose — such as cleaning up the Gimbel Corner.
We don’t envy council members their labors as they put together next year’s budget.
http://suncommercial.com/articles/2012/07/31/opinions/opinions/doc5018986b6840d625341929.txt
