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Vermont |
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8/23/07-Gov. Jim Douglas said he is open to the idea of borrowing money to help pay for repairs and upgrades to roads and bridges.
The Republican governor said the only caveat is that the borrowing not expand the state’s bonded indebtedness. He said if transportation work is more urgent to tap bond proceeds, the state would need to defer something else, The Associated Press reported.
In the wake of the Minneapolis bridge collapse earlier this month, talks in Vermont have picked up for how best to pay for road and bridge work in the state.
The top Democrat in the Vermont House says “all options are on the table.”
House Speaker Gaye Symington, D-Jericho, says the state’s transportation system is in a crisis. House and Senate lawmakers need to put aside politics and focus on how to pay for repair work that the state estimates will cost $140 million annually to fix, Symington told the Rutland Herald.
One possible solution is to increase the state’s fuel tax rates. Another option is to change the way the fuel tax works by taxing fuel as a percentage of the sale.
House Minority Leader Steve Adams, R-Hartland, said he is against higher fuel taxes. He cited the effect on low-to-moderate income residents already having a tough time with fuel prices and other rising costs, The AP reported.
Instead, Adams backs a Vermont Agency of Transportation proposal to tap existing state revenue for road and bridge work.
The transportation funding issue likely will draw a lot of discussion once the 2008 regular session begins in January.
8/15/07-The top Democrat in the Vermont House says “all options are on the table” as the state searches for how to pay for repairs and upgrades to roads and bridges.
House Speaker Gaye Symington, D-Jericho, says the state’s transportation system is in a crisis. House and Senate lawmakers need to put aside politics and focus on how to pay for repair work that the state estimates will cost $140 million annually to fix, Symington told the Rutland Herald.
She is refuting allegations from Republicans in the state that she is considering higher fuel tax rates to pay for the work. Symington and other Democrats say increasing the state’s 20-cent-per-gallon gas tax and 26-cpg diesel tax is just one of the options worth considering.
A one-cent fuel tax increase would amount to an additional $3.5 million in revenues for the state.
House Minority Leader Steve Adams, R-Hartland, said he is against higher fuel taxes. He cited the effect on low-to-moderate income residents already having a tough time with fuel prices and other rising costs, The Associated Press reported.
Instead, Adams backs a Vermont Agency of Transportation proposal to tap existing state revenue for road and bridge work.
Republicans in the statehouse aren’t the only ones to distance themselves from talk of a fuel tax increase. Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin, D-Windham, left no room for debate about how he feels about the issue.
“Who wants a gas tax?” Shumlin said to the Herald. “I don’t want a damn gas tax.”
The issue likely will draw a lot of discussion once the 2008 regular session begins in January.
The Republican governor said the only caveat is that the borrowing not expand the state’s bonded indebtedness. He said if transportation work is more urgent to tap bond proceeds, the state would need to defer something else, The Associated Press reported.
In the wake of the Minneapolis bridge collapse earlier this month, talks in Vermont have picked up for how best to pay for road and bridge work in the state.
The top Democrat in the Vermont House says “all options are on the table.”
House Speaker Gaye Symington, D-Jericho, says the state’s transportation system is in a crisis. House and Senate lawmakers need to put aside politics and focus on how to pay for repair work that the state estimates will cost $140 million annually to fix, Symington told the Rutland Herald.
One possible solution is to increase the state’s fuel tax rates. Another option is to change the way the fuel tax works by taxing fuel as a percentage of the sale.
House Minority Leader Steve Adams, R-Hartland, said he is against higher fuel taxes. He cited the effect on low-to-moderate income residents already having a tough time with fuel prices and other rising costs, The AP reported.
Instead, Adams backs a Vermont Agency of Transportation proposal to tap existing state revenue for road and bridge work.
The transportation funding issue likely will draw a lot of discussion once the 2008 regular session begins in January.
8/15/07-The top Democrat in the Vermont House says “all options are on the table” as the state searches for how to pay for repairs and upgrades to roads and bridges.
House Speaker Gaye Symington, D-Jericho, says the state’s transportation system is in a crisis. House and Senate lawmakers need to put aside politics and focus on how to pay for repair work that the state estimates will cost $140 million annually to fix, Symington told the Rutland Herald.
She is refuting allegations from Republicans in the state that she is considering higher fuel tax rates to pay for the work. Symington and other Democrats say increasing the state’s 20-cent-per-gallon gas tax and 26-cpg diesel tax is just one of the options worth considering.
A one-cent fuel tax increase would amount to an additional $3.5 million in revenues for the state.
House Minority Leader Steve Adams, R-Hartland, said he is against higher fuel taxes. He cited the effect on low-to-moderate income residents already having a tough time with fuel prices and other rising costs, The Associated Press reported.
Instead, Adams backs a Vermont Agency of Transportation proposal to tap existing state revenue for road and bridge work.
Republicans in the statehouse aren’t the only ones to distance themselves from talk of a fuel tax increase. Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin, D-Windham, left no room for debate about how he feels about the issue.
“Who wants a gas tax?” Shumlin said to the Herald. “I don’t want a damn gas tax.”
The issue likely will draw a lot of discussion once the 2008 regular session begins in January.