Filling Budget Potholes

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has yet again come up with an editorial that is pathetic.

The Editorial Board likes the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's recommendations to increase driver and car fees, even though it does seem a little excessive.

The editorial, entitled "Filling Budget Potholes," begins with an acknowledgement that it's a bit odd that the fee increases weren't announced until after the election.

The timing may have been suspicious and the suggested boosts are probably too much, but the state Department of Transportation's recommendations for driver and car fee increases in its next budget address a real need: adequate funding for transportation. Right now, there's a big hole in transportation funding, and that hole has to be filled if the state wants the infrastructure it needs - in roads, freeway interchanges and public transportation - to foster economic development.

The timing of the recommendations was suspect because the recommendations, due two months ago, came after the Nov. 7 election. DOT officials say the timing was not political. Maybe, but it looks funny. And inconsequential. Does anyone seriously think that the announcement would have turned the election against Gov. Jim Doyle?

Of course, the DOT would say the timing wasn't political.

Does anyone seriouly think that the DOT would say that it was?

Furthermore, if it really was so inconsequential, then why the delay in announcing the hike in fees?

It's possible that the increase could have ticked off enough voters to have made a difference.

Would that difference have been significant enough to have turned the election in Mark Green's favor?

That's unlikely, but is that a valid reason to excuse the sleazy, dishonest move?

I don't think so.

More important is the amount of the recommended boost. The DOT wants a $25 hike in the annual car registration fee and a $10 hike in the driver's license fee. That's a 46% boost in the car registration fee, from $55 to $80. The department also wants to raise the registration fee for light trucks, to between $80 and $112, depending on their weight.

In the past, the governor has said he supports a $10 increase in the registration fee, and we're inclined to agree with Doyle.

It's true that even an $80 registration fee would leave Wisconsin car owners paying less than their counterparts in neighboring states; in Iowa, registration for a midsize car can be up to $210. But Wisconsin's gasoline tax at 32.9 cents a gallon is among the highest. Furthermore, one of the excuses given for Wisconsin's perennial ranking as a high-taxing state is that the fees are low. If the state keeps raising fees, taxpayers will be hit by a double whammy of taxes and fees that won't be good for a healthy economy, not to mention the family pocketbook. A $25 hike seems excessive.

Still, the state needs to pay for building projects, road maintenance and public transportation, which is a vital element in helping many people get to their jobs. If drivers want potholes filled and roads improved for safe travel, it's going to be costly.

What a convoluted mess!

The Editorial Board says Wisconsinites don't pay as much as citizens of neighboring states, but then it cites the whopping gasoline taxes that place an incredible burden on the people of the state.

Also, the increases are a burden that is more difficult for the poor to carry than the financially blessed. The Journal Sentinel doesn't address that issue at all.

In sum, the increases are bad.

BUT, they're necessary.

The money is needed to cover the costs of maintaing the state's roads.

Here's a thought:

Instead of increasing fees, why not trim some of the budget fat?

Here's another way for the state to spend money more effectively-- Why not award state contracts to the most economical and lowest bidders instead of handing out contracts as rewards for filling the campaign coffers of corrupt Gov. Doyle?

...At the same time, the governor and the Legislature can help future DOT budgets by not raiding the transportation fund to fill holes elsewhere in the state budget, something that has occurred too often in recent years and is one of the reasons for the transportation department's structural deficit.

WHAT?

The DOT budget has been raided to cover other budgetary expenses?

I thought Jim Doyle balanced the budget and without raising taxes.

Wasn't that one of the alleged major accomplishments of his first term?

Read about the Doyle Method of "balancing" a budget.

Drivers should not be taxed by the state twice, once on income and once in fees, to meet the education budget, for example. The fees and the gasoline tax should be reserved for transportation.

Keeping the fund segregated, responsible scheduling of projects and a small increase in fees could go a long way toward meeting the state's needs without doing too much harm to taxpayers.

Which is it?

The Editorial Board argues against the excessive hike in fees after it argued for it.

The way the Board explains it the increases are an unfortunate necessity and the buck doesn't stop with Doyle.