Tri-City Sun

State Representative Timmy Beson voted in favor of legislative proposals designed to allocate more funds annually to local roads without increasing taxes or accruing additional debt. The legislation, consisting of House Bills 4180-87 and 4230, aims to dedicate an additional $3 billion each year for road improvements, with $2.5 billion specifically targeted towards local roads.

Rep. Beson highlighted the necessity of these resources for communities and counties across Michigan that have had to delay projects or divert funds from other essential services to cover road repairs. "Many local roads across Bay County are in rough shape," he stated. "This has been obvious for a long time, but for far too long Lansing has been can-kicking and politicking instead of prioritizing ways to get more funding to our communities to make repairs."

The proposed plan would redirect $2.2 billion from the Corporate Income Tax (CIT) towards road maintenance, with $220 million allocated to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and $1.98 billion directed towards local road agencies annually. Additionally, the plan proposes reallocating funds from expiring or inefficient spending programs to support road infrastructure.

Beson expressed concerns over past corporate incentives that have not delivered satisfactory returns on taxpayer dollars. "We should be putting the priorities of the people over corporate welfare and pork spending," he said.

Furthermore, the bills propose removing the sales tax on fuel and replacing it with a fixed motor fuel tax, which is expected to generate nearly another $1 billion for roads without raising taxes. To ensure school funding remains unaffected by this change, $755 million in sales tax revenue will be allocated accordingly.

The legislation now moves forward to the Senate for further consideration.