How to pay for the state’s future infrastructure needs? The answer has eluded lawmakers at the Capitol for the past two legislative sessions. In Madison on Tuesday, State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said problems with the state’s roads have been years in the making.
“So people say ‘well raise the gas tax.’ Well even if you raise the gas tax by a dime in this next budget, there’s not going to be enough new revenue generated to address that issue,” Fitzgerald said.
“It’s not going to be one funding source, it’s going to a mix,” said Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) says the issue needs to be addressed in the next legislative session
Governor Scott Walker has claimed that Tony Evers, the Democrat challenging him for reelection, would raise the gas tax by a dollar a gallon. “So the question is how much do we raise the gas tax, which is the question we continue to ask Tony Evers,” Fitzgerald said. “But he won’t say. He won’t tell you.”
“That’s like fake news,” Shilling countered. “The fact is, we can have a grown up discussion about how we get there without alienating and scaring the voters.”
Shilling and Fitzgerald participated in a WisPolitics event in Madison on Tuesday.