Town seeks more money for its roads

State transportation money to maintain roads is so lacking that Town of Belgium Chairman Tom Winker is on board with raising taxes to help fund it.

Winker at this month’s Town Board meeting said he told a state official he would support raising the gas tax given the Midwest has the lowest fuel prices.

“I know it’s a dirty word, but we need to be on a level field with all our neighboring states,” he said. “I said there would be nothing wrong with raising it a dime. We need transportation money.”

To that end, the town approved a resolution calling for adequate revenue growth for long-term state and local transportation programs through general purpose revenue and borrowing, adjusting user fees and other revenue mechanisms to sustain purchasing power and to adequately fund state and local road systems.

The 2023-2025 state transportation budget, Winker said, was $566 million short. The 2025-2027 budget is $580 million short.

In addition, inflation has risen by 32% in the past decade.

“Inflation has really ruined transportation,” Winker said.

“We compete against education, health care and tax reduction. Which one of those three do you guys think we’re going to beat? I can tell you. None of them,” he said.

“We need to have a transportation budget that stands alone down in Madison.”

Winker cited three major state industries that rely on transportation — timber, tourism and agriculture.

“Without roads we don’t do any of those three,” he said.

The resolution will be sent to Rep. Rob Brooks, State Sen. Dan Feyen, the governor’s office and the Wisconsin Towns Association.

This isn’t Winker’s first foray into the quest for transportation money. In 2017, he led the Just Fix It campaign that yielded more money for roads.