WILLMAR –– Duct tape is good for a quick fix for many things but not for roads.
“Unfortunately the Legislature has left us nothing but band aids and duct tape to work on our (transportation) system until they’re able to pass a long-term solution, said Bethany Winkels, from Move MN.
The pro-transportation group was in Willmar Wednesday with a Paul Bunyan-sized roll of duct tape hauled on a pickup.
The group is on a three-day tour throughout the state to emphasize disappointment in the Legislature’s failure to pass a long-term transportation funding bill.
The House, Senate and governor each had multibillion-dollar funding proposals but none of the packages was approved.
The GOP objected to a proposal favored by the DFL and Gov. Dayton to increase the gas tax to provide new funding for transportation.
The DFL objected to the GOP’s plan to use the current surplus funds, bonds and existing tax revenues.
Even though the GOP and DFL in the House and Senate agreed a long-term sustainable solution was needed, “everything broke down over the politics at the end of the legislative session,” said Russ Hess, political coordinator for the Southeast Area Laborers District Council of the AFL-CIO.
Mark Froemke, who represents the AFL-CIO’s western region, said his members are disappointed that lawmakers could not reach a compromise on a bill, which could have resulted in new transportation projects that would have created construction jobs and helped businesses get products to customers.
“You’ve got to come together. You’ve got to sit there and compromise,” Froemke said. “Compromise is not bad. Compromise is good.”
Rep. Dave Baker said he’s also disappointed legislators could not reach a compromise.
“I’m frustrated that we didn’t come together on a transportation plan,” said the Willmar freshman GOP lawmaker.
“It was supposed to be a good year for transportation,” he said. “I don’t want anyone to think I’m happy about this.”
Baker defended the House GOP’s plan that would have used a combination of bonding, surplus revenues and dedicating some taxes currently part of the general fund to transportation instead - including taxes on automotive parts, rental vehicles and motor vehicle leases.
He said he supports a GOP plan to make the automotive taxes constitutionally dedicated for transportation, which he said would generate $300 million a year.
But in light of the state’s surplus, Baker said he will not support a gas tax increase now.
Baker said he did support the last gas tax increase in 2008 and said he’s never promised constituents he would oppose every tax increase.
Baker said efforts to get a transportation bill passed will continue – either for the regular session next year or even the expected special session this year.
Members of Move MN, which is part of the Transportation Alliance, say they intend to keep the pressure on lawmakers until a long-term transportation bill is approved.
“Advocates for transportation are not going to stop because we know that for our economy in Minnesota, for our safety, for the opportunities for our families, transportation is a vital part of all of those equations,” Winkels said.
Winkels said the problems with Minnesota’s transportation system have been “admired long enough” and a solution is needed now.
“Both sides put up packages with huge numbers – billions of dollars for investment,” she said. “Now they need to figure out how to get it done because Minnesotans need these roads. They need these bus connections. We need our kids to be able to get to school safely when they’re walking and biking.”
Meanwhile, the roll of duct tape will be making appearances in other communities.
“We’ve already had calls from others states saying ‘we want the giant duct tape because we have our own battles going on,’” said Hess.
