As fall sets in, it is all too apparent that the condition of the state’s roads will not be perfect come spring. It never happens.
More than a few bumpy spots and pot holes will need constant repairs, since it would have been impossible to have dealt with all the problems that arose from the round of snow and ice last winter.
None of this is due to the General Assembly’s failure to approve a proposed dime increase in the gasoline tax. It will take a couple of years before we feel the impact of that decision, but don’t be surprised if things get a little bumpier.
As it turned out, we would not have felt the bite of the gas tax this fall Crude oil prices fall as domestic consumption rises and serious problems overseas have less of an impact on the marketplace.
In the mid to long term, domestic supplies will increase and provide more stability, although a substantial amount of crude oil is still produced in bad neighborhoods overseas. It would have been ill-advised to forecast the drop in gas prices, in pushing for a gas tax hike. After all, high prices are only a hurricane away.
But legislators were clearly too cautious in simply putting a band aid on the problem, with a largely symbolic toll increase on Route 1 and then going along with a transfer of money from the Trust Fund to balance the budget.
It is time for the business community, the Markell administration and legislators to come up with a transportation funding plan that at minimum nibbles away at the funding gap. A first step would be a cost of living escalator. That could be followed with an increase of a few cents a gallon for a few years and a look at alternatives such as a mileage tax and gradually moving DelDOT salaries to the general fund rather than the Transportation Trust Fund.
Moving salaries over to the general fund will require tax increases or spending cuts, although backers say the transfer could take place over a longer period of time.
None of these options will win popularity contests. The gas tax remains the most visible tax by a wide margin and it is easy for TV news crews to run a vacuous story featuring unhappy motorists.
The tax can also be fodder for politicians who simply want to say no without worrying about the consequences.
But something has to be done before we see a real crisis. – Doug Rainey
