02/07/2019

Officials Say State Gas Tax Needs To Increase

The last increase occurred in 2005

After two meetings, a committee formed by Gov. Mike DeWine to study options for fixing a shortfall in road construction and maintenance money has come to a consensus that the state gas tax needs to increase. Ohio’s 28-cents-per-gallon gas tax was last raised in 2005, and the upcoming state transportation budget is expected to contain significantly less money for state and local road paving and maintenance work — and no money for additional major interstate projects — without additional revenue.

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan, a committee member, said voters raised the city’s income tax by 0.25 percent for police, fire and roads, tripling the city’s resurfacing budget. “We’re trying to play catch-up,” he said. “So any sort of increased transportation funds that comes out of this really will help our infrastructure in and around the city.”

Dean Ringle, also a committee member and executive director of the County Engineers Association of Ohio, said the group agreed that the gas tax “is the most consistent option of providing a good portion of the funds needed. It’s probably not going to take care of everybody.”

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Akron Beacon Journal.