COLUMBUS – Gov. Mike DeWine’s recommendation to increase Ohio’s gas tax by 18 cents a gallon to maintain roads and bridges has drawn some mixed reactions.
Introducing the governor’s $7.43 billion transportation budget proposal on Thursday to the House Finance Committee, Department of Transportation director Jack Marchbanks said that without more revenue, there will be “no funds for any highway improvement projects” in the state.
If the Legislature approves the recommendations, the proposal would provide the department in fiscal year 2020 with $750 million additional dollars in revenue to pave roads, fix guardrails, fill potholes, clear snow and ice, maintain bridges, and improve safety, Marchbanks told the committee. He said it also will provide local governments with a significant increase in the funding, including $1.6 million for every county in the state.
The increase included in the two-year budget would begin July 1 and would be adjusted annually with the consumer price index to ensure sufficient funding continues.
A senior policy analyst for the County Commissioners Association of Ohio, said Thursday the association supports the proposed increase. Jon Honeck says they think it will help restore a “strong partnership between the state and county governments in addressing infrastructure needs.”
The increase would raise the tax from would the current level of 28 cents to 46 cents, which would still be lower than at least three of Ohio’s neighboring states.
House Democratic Leader Emilia Strong Sykes said in a release that the proposed increase is a tremendous amount of money to working people, families and seniors.
She says Democrats will be evaluating the proposed increase and working with Republicans to determine a path forward that “doesn’t overburden people living paycheck to paycheck.”
How much more will you pay?
2015 Ford F-150 pickup (13,000 miles/yr)… $2.65/week
2015 Jeep Cherokee…$1.91/week
2015 Honda Accord…$1.61 per week
Source: ODOT
“Ohio faces an emerging financial crisis in its funding of state and local highways, roads and bridges, and Governor DeWine is providing strong leadership by attacking the problem head on,” said Curt Steiner, a spokesman for Fix Our Roads Ohio, a coalition of government, transportation and business groups which has called for increased infrastructure spending.
“The new revenue not only prevents a scheduled halt this summer in jobs-producing new projects, but it provides sufficient levels of funding to move Ohio forward for years to come,” he said.
Each county engineer’s office receives an equal share of the gas tax revenue — $4.2 million, ODOT spokesman Matt Bruning said.
Columbus’ share would almost double in the next four years, from $26.6 million without the tax hike in the 2020 fiscal year, which begins in July, to $49.4 million in 2024 if the tax were implemented this year, according to ODOT projections.