Cities, counties look to benefit from fuel-tax measure on Nov. ballot

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A fuel-tax-increase measure on Missouri’s November ballot would funnel millions of dollars annually to cities and counties statewide to fund road and bridge projects.

When fully implemented, the tax would generate nearly $3 million a year in new revenue for local road and bridge construction and maintenance in a four-county area of Southeast Missouri, according to proponents of the measure.

If passed by voters, Proposition D would increase the fuel tax by 2.5 cents a gallon each year for the next four years. At the end of that time, the per-gallon tax would have risen from 17 cents to 27 cents.

Missouri’s gas tax was last raised in 1996.

Among other things, the measure would provide a dedicated funding source for the Missouri State Highway Patrol, said Scott Charton, a spokesman for SaferMO.com, a group working for passage of the ballot issue.

At the same time, it would free up existing gas tax money, which now goes to the patrol, to be used for more state road and bridge construction work, Charton said.

Prop D is expected to bring in $412 million annually in new money. The state would receive 70 percent of that money.

But it’s the added tax dollars — estimated at $124 million a year when fully implemented — that would flow to city and county governments that has local officials touting the ballot measure.

The Cape Girardeau City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a resolution that “encourages all city voters to educate themselves” on the ballot proposal.

The Jackson Board of Aldermen will consider passing a resolution on the issue later this month.

Cape Girardeau city attorney Eric Cunningham said state law prohibits local governments from spending tax dollars to campaign for or against ballot measures.

Cunningham said city officials felt it was best legally to draft a resolution that did not campaign for passage.

“We just did not want to see how close to the line we could get,” he said.

Still, it is clear where local officials throughout Missouri stand on the issue.

Charton said the Missouri Municipal League and the Missouri Association of Counties, which represent local governments, have endorsed the tax measure.

According to the SaferMO website, Cape Girardeau County and the cities in the county stand to receive a combined $1.4 million annually in added fuel-tax dollars.

Cape Girardeau city and county each would receive more than half a million dollars. The City of Cape Girardeau would receive $596,778 and the county, $576,141, the SaferMO group said. Jackson would see the third largest amount at $216,401 a year.

Molly Mehner, Cape Girardeau deputy city manager, said city officials have discussed using the added revenue to repair streets.

Jackson Mayor Dwain Hahs said the added revenue “would be helpful to keep up the streets” in his city. “We could use the money,” he said.

Cities and the county government in Scott County would receive more than $741,000 annually. The county government would receive the largest share at $283,013.

Scott City would receive an additional $71,803 a year in fuel-tax dollars, the group said.

Perry County and its cities would share $480,704 in added revenue, including $140,508 for county roads and bridges and $129,372 for the City of Perryville.

Bollinger County and its cities would receive a combined $336,880 in new revenue. The county government would receive more than $309,000 of that annual revenue. More than $23,000 in added revenue would go to the City of Marble Hill, tax proponents said.

Charton said cities and counties already receive a share of the existing fuel tax to pay for roads and bridges. Prop D would simply add to that revenue stream.

Mehner, the deputy city manager, said the City of Cape Girardeau receives about $1.5 million a year in fuel-tax money. Passage of Prop D would bring that total to more than $2 million a year.

If voters approve Prop D, part of the tax increase will go to fund the highway patrol, Charton said.

Funding for the patrol currently comes out of the existing fuel tax. The Legislature annually approves the patrol’s budget, which is around $240 million to $250 million, Charton said.

So most of the $288 million annually in new money for the state government will go to fund the patrol, he said.

What’s left over would go to fund state road and bridge projects, he added.

In addition, money that in the past was earmarked for the patrol out of the existing, 17-cent tax would now be used to help fund road and bridge projects, according to Charton.

Proponents said the ballot measure would result in more than $400 million annually in increased revenue for local and state roads and bridges.

Charton said the tax measure has the support of Missouri’s two U.S. senators and Gov. Mike Parson.

“It is a nonpartisan issue,” he said.