BRINGING GAS TAX HOME: COUNTIES BACK INCREASED SHARE OF TAX

JACKSON - County officials across Missouri, concerned about increasing costs for maintaining roads and bridges, are keeping close watch on a proposed constitutional amendment that would increase their share of state gas tax funds.

The Missouri Constitution presently provides for 15 percent of the state gas tax to be distributed to cities, and 10 percent to counties for maintaining roads and bridges under their jurisdiction. For several years, counties have been trying to convince the state legislature to send voters an amendment increasing their share to 15 percent.

Approval of the measure could bring Cape County an extra $75,000 a year in highway funds.

For the last several years the proposal has died in the General Assembly for a variety of reasons, including opposition from the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department.

But earlier this year, in seeking legislative approval of a 6-cent hike in the state's fuel tax, highway officials indicated they would not oppose a move to increase the counties share of the increase if county officials would not oppose the increase.

Rep. Don Koller, D-Shannon County, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, sponsored a resolution in the House increasing the counties' share of the new money. It passed by a margin of 137-18 on March 11. However, the measure is bogged down in the Senate with adjournment less than three weeks away.

"Obviously there appears to be some questions about it they are trying to work out," said Cape County Clerk Rodney Miller, a board member of the Missouri Association of Counties. "It came close to passing in the past but the highway department has always opposed it. All we are trying to do is take it to a vote of the people.

"They (highway department) are not for it obviously, but they have said they would not fight it."

Cape County Associate Commissioner Leonard Sander, who oversees roads and bridges for the commission, stressed Cape County needs the additional revenue. He hopes it will pass, but remains only cautiously optimistic.

"I've got to see it before I'll believe any more," declared Sander. "We have fought for that type of increase a couple of times and we were left out of it. I am hoping that we do have a better shot at it now than they gave us before, but I'm not really planning on it in a big way."

Presently, Cape County receives almost $200,000 a year from the state gas tax through the County Aid Road Trust (CART). Sander said getting 10 percent of the additional 6 cents, once it is phased in over the next five years, would give the county $75,000 to $80,000 in additional money. The additional 5 percent would generate $75,840 more for Cape County.

"The way everything is, we can sure use the extra revenue and it will probably keep us from having to cut back in the next few years with some of our programs," explained Sander.

Cape County's road and bridge budget is about $1.6 million, but the last few years the county commission has subsidized the budget with interest earned on county general revenue and funds from the capital trust account.

Other counties in the area would also have a large increase in CART funds from the state. New Madrid County would get an additional $93,120, Bollinger County $47,040, Scott County $46,080, and Mississippi County $40,320.

Money distributed to cities and counties from the state fuel tax can be used for general operating costs of the county highway department. Funds are distributed on a formula based on miles of county roads and assessed valuation.

Another source of funds for counties is through the federal off-systems road money, which provides counties 70 percent of the funding for building bridges. At this point, Sander said he is unsure how much additional funds might be available to Cape County as a result of the new federal highway bill passed last year.

Sander said Cape County is prepared to match all federal money that is available to continue building major bridges with the off-systems money.

One project that began two weeks ago is a $204,000 bridge over Caney Fork between Millersville and Oak Ridge.

Another project, waiting approval for bidding from the District 10 state highway office in Sikeston, is a bridge at Whitewater, which will be the largest bridge ever replaced by the county. The bridge will cost about $440,000, with 70 percent coming from the federal government.

"This is a project we've had in the works for sometime," said Sander. "I've chased this from Washington, D.C. to the district office in Sikeston. Hopefully we'll get the go ahead to start on it in the next few days."