WMUR had a couple of gas taxers on. They want a $0.15 cent a gallon hike in the state gasoline tax, The excuse given is that our roads and bridges are all falling down and in need of money. The real reason is they want the money to finish widening I93 south of Manchester. That project is pretty much at a stand still.
But we had money to replace a tiny little bridge on Three Mile Hill over the Gale River, to replace an elegant steel truss bridge over the Ammonusuc out by Lahout's with a boring highway style I beam bridge, and we were able to repave US 302, I-93, and NH Rt 18. All of this work in just in the last couple of seasons. Far as I can see our roads and bridges are in decent shape up here. Far better shape than anything around New York City.
Another downside, all the revenue dedicated to the highway fund, whether it needs it or not. Give 'em money and they will spend it. There is always something you can do. We would save money if the highway department had to come to the legislature and justify each project they want to do. Give our legislature a chance to veto some of the real pork projects.
Everyone wants earmarked money, money they can count on getting, the schools, the highway, the police, all of 'em want guaranteed money that they don't have to justify to the legislature, the taxpayers, and the press. I don't see why they should get it.
2 comments:
The biggest problem with the Highway Fund is that the legislature has taken money from the fund to pay for state operations that have nothing to do with the highways.
The state constitution mandates that all gas taxes, registration and licensing fees must go into the Highway Fund and that those funds can be used for building and maintaining the state highways and the law enforcement performed by the Department of Safety (state police). The problem is that the legislature found all kinds of new things to spend that money on that had nothing to do with highways and have raided up to 40% of the fund every year to do that. I believe that's in violation of the state constitution. How does Family Court or HHS fall under the auspices of the Highway Fund?
The road contractors and all the highway departments managed to get themselves an earmark, steady money that comes to them every year whether they need it or not. I don't believe in earmarks. Each department should have to justify it's spending plans to the elected legislature. Right now with that earmark, they don't have to justify a thing. All they have to do is spend all the money every year. Which ain't hard to do.
Far as I am concerned, if the elected legislature wants to spend taxpayers money HERE instead of THERE, that's what democracy is all about.
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