An increase in the Minnesota gasoline tax may speed up several area road projects, but motorists say with gas prices already climbing, it's not a fee they're eager to pay.
State legislators are considering raising the gas tax a nickel a gallon and eventually moving up to 10 cents before putting it on an automatic increase to keep up with inflation. The current gas tax of $0.20 a gallon was last increased in 1988.
Funding from the gas tax would help complete reconstruction of Polk County Road 17 east of East Grand Forks, overlay of County Road 1 near Fertile, Minn., and resurfacing of County Road 66 north of East Grand Forks, according to Rich Sanders, Polk County highway engineer.
"Those three projects would get moved up," Sanders said. "(Polk County Road 17) is always on the back burner because there isn't enough funding to do it right away."
Polk County will get $600,000 more in highway funding if the gas tax is increased a nickel a gallon and $1 million more if it's increased by a dime, he said.
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"Just to get us up to funding levels where we should be, you'd need a gas tax increase of 27 cents," Sanders said, citing reports from the Minnesota County Engineers Association and Minnesota Association of Counties.
With the cost of oil going up, the cost of projects is going up, Sanders said. That means the money doesn't go as far, and it takes longer to get work done.
"With (current) levels of funding, our five-year plan gets turned into a seven-year plan," he said. "We're doing less projects."
But to Eric Andreasen, Minnesota roads seem OK. Andreasen, East Grand Forks, said he's opposed to the tax hike.
"Bad idea," he said while filling up his tank Tuesday. "Gas is high enough already."
Josh Marcelin, Grand Forks, agreed.
"It would be nice to see some improvements, but that's a lot of money," Marcelin said. "Especially on gas. It keeps going up, too. So another 10 cents would be expensive."
Joe Corradi, Oslo, Minn., said officials should tax something else he "won't notice as much."
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"We'll be paying over $3 a gallon again, and probably it won't go down again," Corradi said. "Ouch; it's a lot right now."
Reach Ricker at (701) 780-1104, (800) 477-6572, ext. 104, or aricker@gfherald.com .
