By Rep. Jeff Howe
Legislation we passed in 2015 includes a brand-new stream of funding to help small cities throughout our state with road construction and maintenance.
Cities that are not receiving municipal state-aid street funds (mainly those that have a population of under 5,000) are eligible to receive this new funding. This includes seven towns in District 13A. Here is a rundown of what they are scheduled to receive:
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Avon $21,069
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Cold Spring $47,606
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Kimball $17,521
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Paynesville $35,271
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Richmond $23,026
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Rockville $51,780
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Roscoe $7,031
These funds can be used for land acquisition as well as design and engineering work. The money also can be put toward a city’s share in county or state road projects. Construction and maintenance of roads and bridges on projects located at least partially within the city.
This new funding is good news for small towns all across Minnesota, but the overall total is much less than the $282 million the House majority proposed for these cities in the Road and Bridge Act we proposed this session. Much of that proposal (a 10-year, $7 billion package without raising taxes) was derailed by the insistence that we raise the gas tax a minimum of 16.5 cents a gallon, but at least a portion of the small-cities funding was salvaged.
While this gets us pointed in the right direction by leveling the field for small towns with tight budgets, more work remains. Transportation funding – with the focus on roads and bridges – looks to be a headline issue for the 2016 session. I will redouble my efforts to on a bill I authored that was the cornerstone of the Road and Bridge Act. It would place general sales tax revenue already paid on auto parts into what would be a new dedicated fund called the Transportation Stability Fund. Estimates show that would generate approximately $2.57 billion over the next 10 years. I have also authored a bill that would allow voters make the automotive sales taxes constitutionally dedicated to the Transportation Stability Fund.
Some legislators are looking to spend billions of dollars building more light-rail lines inside the 694/494 loop something that I believe should be done with buses. I will continue to make support for existing roads and bridges a higher priority.
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