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Resolution expressing Common Council support for sustainable transportation funding solutions for Wisconsin local governments
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WHEREAS, local units of government in Wisconsin own and maintain approximately 90% of the public road miles in the state, including city and village streets, county highways, and town roads; and
WHEREAS, Wisconsin's economy-rooted in manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism-relies on a safe, reliable, and well-maintained transportation network; and
WHEREAS, local governments greatly appreciate the one-time infusions of General Purpose Revenue, primarily sales and income taxes, and other revenue provided in recent state budgets, which have enabled the initiation and continuation of the successful and popular Local Roads Improvement Program Supplemental (LRIP-S); and
WHEREAS, despite modest increases from the state over the years, transportation aids to local governments remain insufficient to keep pace with inflation and rising construction costs, leaving many communities funded below 2000 levels in real dollars; and
WHEREAS, local governments throughout Wisconsin continue to struggle to perform even routine maintenance, pavement preservation, and safety improvements, resulting in deteriorating roads and bridges; and WHEREAS, the inaugural inventory and assessment of small bridges between 6 to 20 feet found about 10% of the nearly 17,000 structures to be in poor or severe condition; and
WHEREAS, levy limits and other fiscal constraints prevent local governments from independently filling the funding gap created by inadequate state transportation aids; and
WHEREAS, absent sustainable state funding, many communities have been forced to address their shortfalls by significantly increasing borrowing, deferring essential projects, or imposing local vehicle registration ("wheel") taxes; and
WHEREAS, Wisconsin motorists currently pay among the lowest transportation user fees in the Midwest, while neighboring states and do...
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