State pins hopes on fuel-tax vote

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The Missouri General Assem-bly has known for years that state roads and bridges need help. A bill on the Aug. 6 general election ballot will ask those that use the highway system to pay for such improvements.|ret||ret||tab|

A half-cent sales tax increase and 4-cent-per-gallon fuel tax increase are designed to generate funds for maintenance, repair and new construction of Missouri's roads, bridges and other transportation modes.|ret||ret||tab|

The proposal, named Proposi-tion B and billed as this year's economic stimulus package by Speaker of the House Jim Kreider, would generate $483 million annually for 10 years.|ret||ret||tab|

Of the $483 million, $332 million would come from the sales tax and $151 million from the fuel tax.|ret||ret||tab|

The new state funds would fall into the Missouri Depart-ment of Transportation's $1.8 billion budget and be used for statewide transportation improve-ments: $364 million would go for state roads and bridges, $61 million for other transportation modes, $52 million for city and county road and bridge improvements and $6 million for biodiesel and ethanol programs.|ret||ret||tab|

The 4-cent fuel tax would cost a person who drives 15,000 miles per year and gets 20 miles per gallon an additional $30 annually.|ret||ret||tab|

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The plan |ret||ret||tab|

Considering that only 35 percent of Missouri's 32,407 miles of state roads are rated in good condition, improvements can be made. Approximately 67 billion vehicle miles are traveled annually on Missouri's roads, the seventh largest state road system in the United States. The question at hand is where the funds will come from. |ret||ret||tab|

"Most of us do agree in Jefferson City that there is a need for more funding to go to transportation," said State Rep. Brad Roark, R-139th District.|ret||ret||tab|

If passed, the tax increases will go into effect Jan. 1, 2003, and conclude June 30, 2013 unless the public votes to continue them. |ret||ret||tab|

At the end of the 10-year period, MoDOT spokesperson Jeff Brigg said, 100 percent of the state's interstate highways would be in good condition. And the percentage of Missouri highway pavement in good condition would increase from 35 percent to 57 percent. |ret||ret||tab|

Also, more than 700 bridges would have been replaced and 14,000 miles of highways would have been resurfaced. |ret||ret||tab|

The economic impact of such work could contribute more than $1 billion in the state's economy, while creating more than 20,000 jobs, according to state and federal studies. |ret||ret||tab|

In Springfield, the plan calls for a widening of West Bypass to five lanes from Chestnut Expressway to Kearney Street and includes the first phase of modifications at the Glenstone Avenue and James River Freeway interchange. |ret||ret||tab|

In aviation improvements, Proposition B will speed up the development of the Airpark South airport in Ozark, said Brian Weiler, MoDOT director of aviation. Already, about $2 million has been spent in land acquisition for that project set to be complete in September 2005. |ret||ret||tab|

The Springfield-Branson Regional Airport would receive funds for land acquisition to preserve access to the planned midfield terminal, according to Rob Hancik, the airport's director of aviation.|ret||ret||tab|

The proposition would generate approximately $10 million for passenger rail, ports and aviation.|ret||ret||tab|

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Accountability |ret||ret||tab|

This new proposition comes 10 years after a 6-cent-per-gallon fuel tax increase was approved by the legislature. That 15-year transportation improvement plan approved in 1992 and tied to that tax increase has since fallen apart due to a lack of funding, which has caused some in Jefferson City to question the new plan. |ret||ret||tab|

"Not every penny that is being collected right now is being used for better roads and bridges and a better transportation system," Roark said. "Why would we need to pass a new tax, when we haven't even fixed the loopholes in the past tax?" |ret||ret||tab|

Rep. Don Koller, D-153rd District, who cosponsored both the 1992 plan and Proposition B, said the first plan failed because the number of projects exceeded the designated funding. The same legislature that passed the proposition also selected the projects it would pay for. That, he said, was "a recipe for disaster. The money was not there to do the projects." |ret||ret||tab|

Roark claims the money generated from such taxes as the current 17-cent- per-gallon fuel tax is being diverted from MoDOT into other state agencies. He said that is again an issue with Proposition B. He opposes it mainly because he thinks there are enough funds in the state's nearly $9 billion general revenue budget to take care of the highway system. "There's a lot of dollars going elsewhere that the general public does not know about and that this bill does not correct it in my opinion," he said. |ret||ret||tab|

The Department of Transportation's revenue from its current 17-cent per gallon fuel tax brought in almost $471 million in fiscal year 2001.|ret||ret||tab|

Roark said the new tax would be "putting the cart before the horse because we have not fixed the accountability problem, and we have not fixed the current action of diverting funds of highway dollars into other government agencies." |ret||ret||tab|

Last year, for instance, the Department of Revenue received more than $60 million to collect the taxes, he said, and the state auditor's office received $600,000 to audit the transportation tax dollars.|ret||ret||tab|

"In reality, they cannot prove that it cost them that much to do it," Roark said. "Those are things that need to be addressed before additional funding." |ret||ret||tab|

Rep. Mark Wright, R-137th District, agrees. "It's basically deja-vu all over again," he said, referring to the 1992 plan. Wright said he opposes Proposition B because it lacks specifics. |ret||ret||tab|

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The difference |ret||ret||tab|

In Koller's opinion there were two changes made that will prevent a transportation plan disaster from happening again. |ret||ret||tab|

First was the hiring of a MoDOT director a position assumed by Henry Hungerbeeler for the department's day-to-day operations. |ret||ret||tab|

The second adjustment was putting the full increase into effect immediately. The previous plan implemented an incremental increase of 2 cents every two years, which meant the full 6-cent increase was not realized until 1996. |ret||ret||tab|

Under Proposition B, the collection of funds will start immediately, Koller said. |ret||ret||tab|

Today, a six-member, governor-appointed Highways and Transportation Commission decides what projects are selected, another move Koller thinks will improve the completion rate of projects. |ret||ret||tab|

Sitting on the commission are Ollie Gates, chairman; Barry Orscheln, vice chairman; Duane Michie, Bill McKenna, Marge Schramm and Jim Anderson, president of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.|ret||ret||tab|

Should it not pass, Koller said another transportation plan wouldn't be devised for another 10 years. "I shudder to think what condition our roads will be in another 10 years," Koller said. |ret||ret||tab|

The only alternative plan, he said, would be a bill in the next legislative session that would form transportation districts in urban areas of Missouri. The districts would impose a voter-approved tax from within. |ret||ret||tab|

The self-supporting districts would then choose the projects to be completed in the district, and MoDOT would provide matching funding of the districts' tax dollars to build roads in those districts. It came very close to passing this session, he said. |ret||ret||tab|

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