Randy Hoops talks with Jim Anderson, former member of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, and Jeff Seifried, Springfield City Council member, about how to meet the state's transportation needs after the failure of a transportation tax issue on the August ballot.
Amendment 7 would have imposed a 3/4 cent sales tax for transportation in Missouri, but 59% of voters decided against it.
Jim Anderson says a multi-faceted approach to funding, including user fees, appears to be what voters want. He says the funding available now will only take care of the existing transportation system. But he says a lot of transportation funding comes from the federal government, and that money must be matched with state dollars. He's concerned there won't be enough funds in the next two to three years to match the federal dollars.
And he worries areas that are growing, that have increased transportation needs, won't be able to have those needs met.
Jeff Seifried says, "roughly 27% of the fuel tax in Missouri is split among the cities and counties," and it's critical for local infrastructure improvements. But revenues are declining . He says, by 2017, we'll be in a maintenance-only mode with MODOT.
