Wheel Tax Paves Way For Better Travel
August 13, 2016 at 3:32 a.m.
Wheel Tax Paves Way For Better Travel
By Dan [email protected]
In the first 17 months, the wheel tax generated $3.6 million in revenue, including $2.6 million for the county, according to records provided by the county auditor.
While the county is the biggest recipient, the revenue also is distributed to the city of Warsaw and 12 towns in the county.
While some taxpayers remain annoyed at the idea of having to pay a $40 tax on a simple trailer, officials with the county and others expressed appreciation for the influx in money and some quietly suggest it should have been done years ago.
For the county, it’s been a game changer.
Road conditions had been deteriorating for years because of insufficient funds and using money normally spent elsewhere. In fact, Commissioner Ron Truex, who proposed the tax to county council, said circumstances in 2014 had reached a crisis level, adding that if the county had not adopted the tax, they’d only have enough money to fill potholes.
Road conditions were so bad that once the money started flowing in, the commissioners instructed the highway department to prioritize the worst roads regardless of whether the list included a balanced approach geographically.
The new revenue allowed the county to double the amount of money used for road repairs.
In 2014 – prior to the tax – the county was able to resurface 38 miles with chip-seal and pave about six miles with fresh asphalt, said Scott Tilden, county highway superintendent.
In 2015, as revenue began to arrive, the county was able to improve 70 miles of road with chip-seal and pave another 17 miles.
This year, the county is expected to do more than 80 miles of chip-seal and almost as many paved miles. The extra mileage, Tilden said, comes from lower asphalt prices, Tilden said.
According to industry standards, a county the size of Kosciusko should be doing about 100 miles of chip seal and 20-25 miles of paving to “keep our roads in a very good satisfactory condition.”
Even with the boost in revenue, Tilden admits, “It’s still a little shy of department goals … but we sure stand a better chance of getting close to it than where we were before.”
County Council President Bob Sanders and commissioner Ron Truex said they’ve received positive reaction from residents.
“We’re not hearing any more complaints,” said Truex. “Everyone I’ve talked to said it’s a small price to pay for the benefit they’re getting.”
“People appreciate results and that’s basically what we got,” Truex said.
“We did 30 years later what we should have done 30 years before,” he added.
While Sanders supported the tax, he still considers it unfair that the $40 charge applies to big and small trailers.
For that reason, he promised to be open to revising the tax law each year. Earlier this year, he proposed to significantly cut the tax and change the charges based on the size of the trailer. The proposal only attracted two votes and died.
Politically, there has been virtually no repercussions for elected officials. The topic did not become a hot issue in the primary and all incumbents in the overwhelmingly Republican field who chose to run again appear poised to be re-elected in November.
“I’m pleased with the funds we’re getting, but if you ask me on a personal basis if I think the tax is fair … no, I don’t think it’s fair. But until we get another way of doing it, this is what we have to live with right now,” Sanders said.
Jim Newcomb, a Lake Tippecanoe resident who often attends commissioner meetings, said he appreciates the change.
He said the cost of repairing his own cars from pot hole damage would likely exceed the cost of the wheel tax.
“I think it’s wonderful. It’s money well spent,” Newcomb said.
The city of Warsaw is the second biggest recipient of wheel tax revenues and received more than $317,000 in the first year, allowing the city to repave Main Street and other surface rejuvenation programs totaling 35 additional miles.
“Nobody wants to enact a tax, but the county certainly stepped up and had the courage to address it,” said Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer. “They understood the importance of it.”
In Winona Lake, the town received more than $117,000 in the first full year and has used that and other funds to speed up plans to reconstruct roads in Muirfield subdivision, a project that would have otherwise been finished in phases, said town coordinator Craig Allebach.
“It’s had a tremendous impact,” Allebach said.
The state is strongly encouraging local taxing units to enact local tax measures before seeking state money and legislative leaders have promised to look for a longterm solution to road funding next year.
As part of that outlook, the legislature expanded options by allowing cities with a population of more than 10,000 people the ability to enact its own wheel tax.
So far this year, nine cities have done so, according to the Indiana Association of Towns and Council.
“The need is clearly there to improve local roads and streets and this is a tool we’ve never had before,” said Matt Geller, executive director of IACT. “We really appreciate the legislature giving us that option.”
The state also has established a new grant program and more than 250 communities have applied. Among those are the county, city of Warsaw and the town of Winona Lake. Winning recipients will be announced within a few weeks.
“It just goes to show how much of a need there is out there,” Geller said.
In the first 17 months, the wheel tax generated $3.6 million in revenue, including $2.6 million for the county, according to records provided by the county auditor.
While the county is the biggest recipient, the revenue also is distributed to the city of Warsaw and 12 towns in the county.
While some taxpayers remain annoyed at the idea of having to pay a $40 tax on a simple trailer, officials with the county and others expressed appreciation for the influx in money and some quietly suggest it should have been done years ago.
For the county, it’s been a game changer.
Road conditions had been deteriorating for years because of insufficient funds and using money normally spent elsewhere. In fact, Commissioner Ron Truex, who proposed the tax to county council, said circumstances in 2014 had reached a crisis level, adding that if the county had not adopted the tax, they’d only have enough money to fill potholes.
Road conditions were so bad that once the money started flowing in, the commissioners instructed the highway department to prioritize the worst roads regardless of whether the list included a balanced approach geographically.
The new revenue allowed the county to double the amount of money used for road repairs.
In 2014 – prior to the tax – the county was able to resurface 38 miles with chip-seal and pave about six miles with fresh asphalt, said Scott Tilden, county highway superintendent.
In 2015, as revenue began to arrive, the county was able to improve 70 miles of road with chip-seal and pave another 17 miles.
This year, the county is expected to do more than 80 miles of chip-seal and almost as many paved miles. The extra mileage, Tilden said, comes from lower asphalt prices, Tilden said.
According to industry standards, a county the size of Kosciusko should be doing about 100 miles of chip seal and 20-25 miles of paving to “keep our roads in a very good satisfactory condition.”
Even with the boost in revenue, Tilden admits, “It’s still a little shy of department goals … but we sure stand a better chance of getting close to it than where we were before.”
County Council President Bob Sanders and commissioner Ron Truex said they’ve received positive reaction from residents.
“We’re not hearing any more complaints,” said Truex. “Everyone I’ve talked to said it’s a small price to pay for the benefit they’re getting.”
“People appreciate results and that’s basically what we got,” Truex said.
“We did 30 years later what we should have done 30 years before,” he added.
While Sanders supported the tax, he still considers it unfair that the $40 charge applies to big and small trailers.
For that reason, he promised to be open to revising the tax law each year. Earlier this year, he proposed to significantly cut the tax and change the charges based on the size of the trailer. The proposal only attracted two votes and died.
Politically, there has been virtually no repercussions for elected officials. The topic did not become a hot issue in the primary and all incumbents in the overwhelmingly Republican field who chose to run again appear poised to be re-elected in November.
“I’m pleased with the funds we’re getting, but if you ask me on a personal basis if I think the tax is fair … no, I don’t think it’s fair. But until we get another way of doing it, this is what we have to live with right now,” Sanders said.
Jim Newcomb, a Lake Tippecanoe resident who often attends commissioner meetings, said he appreciates the change.
He said the cost of repairing his own cars from pot hole damage would likely exceed the cost of the wheel tax.
“I think it’s wonderful. It’s money well spent,” Newcomb said.
The city of Warsaw is the second biggest recipient of wheel tax revenues and received more than $317,000 in the first year, allowing the city to repave Main Street and other surface rejuvenation programs totaling 35 additional miles.
“Nobody wants to enact a tax, but the county certainly stepped up and had the courage to address it,” said Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer. “They understood the importance of it.”
In Winona Lake, the town received more than $117,000 in the first full year and has used that and other funds to speed up plans to reconstruct roads in Muirfield subdivision, a project that would have otherwise been finished in phases, said town coordinator Craig Allebach.
“It’s had a tremendous impact,” Allebach said.
The state is strongly encouraging local taxing units to enact local tax measures before seeking state money and legislative leaders have promised to look for a longterm solution to road funding next year.
As part of that outlook, the legislature expanded options by allowing cities with a population of more than 10,000 people the ability to enact its own wheel tax.
So far this year, nine cities have done so, according to the Indiana Association of Towns and Council.
“The need is clearly there to improve local roads and streets and this is a tool we’ve never had before,” said Matt Geller, executive director of IACT. “We really appreciate the legislature giving us that option.”
The state also has established a new grant program and more than 250 communities have applied. Among those are the county, city of Warsaw and the town of Winona Lake. Winning recipients will be announced within a few weeks.
“It just goes to show how much of a need there is out there,” Geller said.
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