To the editor,
It has been no secret that the Kansas Department of Transportation has taken the brunt of state budget woes over the last six years. To the tune of $2.7 billion, money has been swept from KDOT into the general fund to cover other deficits and government expenditures. Roads and bridges have suffered from the exodus of funds available for projects that are desperately needed across Kansas. Road projects have been canceled by the dozens across our state and construction companies and their workers have headed across our borders to find jobs.
Roads and bridges are the single most used function of government. The loss of these funds is putting our safety and economy at risk. The same roads and bridges that are traveled by school buses are also traveled by semis that are hauling Kansas’s agricultural and manufacturing products to markets across the world. The longer we continue down this path we are on, the worse off our roads and bridges will be.
Solving this problem is about finding a way to move forward and ensure that we don’t go down this road again. Roads and bridges are significant economic contributors. For every dollar invested in roads and bridges, $5.20 is returned in economic benefits.
The time of transportation funding being swept into the general fund is over — there isn’t any money left to be swept. While the actions of some of our state leaders have angered me in the past, litigating past sessions is not how we will solve this problem. The legislature must act to protect funding for our roads and bridges.
Our state constitution says that revenue from the motor vehicle fuel tax can only be used to fund transportation projects. An increase of the gas tax this session will ensure the long-term health of our roads and bridges. As a taxpayer, I value knowing what my tax dollars are paying for. Passing an increase in the gas tax this session will give Kansans peace of mind in knowing that when they fill up, that money is going right back to the roads and bridges we depend on to lead our lives on a daily basis.
Joan Perez,
Monarch Cement
Company,
Humboldt, Kan.
Member of the Kansas Contractors Association
