State Highway Tax Touted To Speed Local Projects
Posted: October 28, 2012 at 5:30 a.m.
During a break in traffic, construction vehicles pull on to North Crossover Road in Fayetteville, north of the intersection with East Mission Boulevard. If the highway-tax initiative on the general election passes additional widening of Crossover Road is likely, among other projects in Northwest Arkansas.
Backers of a 10-year, half-cent sales tax to pay for highway construction in the state said voters need to step up at the polls Nov. 6 and take responsibility if they want a decent highway system any time soon.
At A Glance
What’s in a Ballot Name:
Here is the ballot title for Issue #1, the half-cent sales tax for highway construction voters will see on their ballots Nov. 8.
FOR a proposed constitutional amendment to levy a temporary sales and use tax of one-half percent (0.5%) for state highways and bridges, county roads, bridges and other surface transportation, and city streets, bridges and other surface transportation, with the state’s portion to secure State of Arkansas General Obligation Four-Lane Highway Construction and Improvement Bonds in the total principal amount not to exceed $1,300,000,000 for the purpose of constructing and improving four-lane highways in the State of Arkansas, prescribing the terms and conditions for the issuance of such bonds which will mature and be paid in full in approximately ten (10) years, which payment in full shall terminate the temporary sales and use tax, describing the sources of repayment of the bonds and permanently dedicating one cent (1¢) per gallon of the proceeds derived from the existing motor fuel and distillate fuel taxes to the State Aid Street Fund.
AGAINST a proposed constitutional amendment to levy a temporary sales and use tax of one-half percent (0.5%) for state highways and bridges, county roads, bridges and other surface transportation, and city streets, bridges and other surface transportation, with the state’s portion to secure State of Arkansas General Obligation Four-Lane Highway Construction and Improvement Bonds in the total principal amount not to exceed $1,300,000,000 for the purpose of constructing and improving four-lane highways in the State of Arkansas, prescribing the terms and conditions for the issuance of such bonds which will mature and be paid in full in approximately ten (10) years, which payment in full shall terminate the temporary sales and use tax, describing the sources of repayment of the bonds and permanently dedicating one cent (1¢) per gallon of the proceeds derived from the existing motor fuel and distillate fuel taxes to the State Aid Street Fund.
Source: Staff Report
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Comments
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NO problem, it is just your money. Let them spend it. Trust these unelected commissioners! Trust your elected officials. They need money and we need to give it to them. We can trust them. Just look at how well our money is being spent in Washington. I mean I don't want to wait another 10 to 15 years to get our infrastructure up to par and when it is up to par we can spend more money on more projects....after all are we not just puppets?
Posted by: DNC
October 28, 2012 at 5:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
a very thorough article Ron Wood.
I agree that we have to vote YES for this bill.
it is a good deal for washington and benton counties especially. to have 1/4 of it spent right here.
everyone here knows it is vital to have good roads but we are also hesitant about raising sales taxes.
this bill does have and end. it is clear that the sales tax increase ends after the 10 years.
it is sad our congress rep from Arkansas were NOT supportive in washington to help us get the federal funding we needed instead they sold out to thier cronies and lobbists there in washington to make obama's stimulus look bad by blocking the infrastructure passage.
the state with the best roads have congress folks that work hard to lobby for them in washington!
Pryor has been supportive all alone. not enough.
write your congressmen and women to tell them we need these roads to attract bussiness and to have a safer and better life
. the way they are now, it is dangerous for our school busses., seniors and traffic is really scary.
i see 3 large 18 wheelers in a row many times. you can't see around them, you can't merge. too many trucks.
please vote YES on #1
Posted by: ladyLiberty
October 28, 2012 at 9:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Before assuming what a great deal this is for NWA because a whopping one-quarter on the money will be spent here, answer this. How much of that money is being RAISED here? I bet it’s more than 25%.
Also, who gets to prioritize these projects? Does the professional service money (in the millions) stay local? No.
The state does not take care of NWA. This is not a good deal. NWA would be better off doing a regional tax. The highway commission is not looking out fur us in NWA.
VOTE NO.
Posted by: TheMadPotato
October 28, 2012 at 12:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Don't be fooled by Tea Party's clamoring for the money to follow the cars. It's been an issue for over 20 years. Presently the independent Ark Highway Dept simply allocates money per Highway District which roughly follow our Congressional districts.
I'm somewhat dumbfounded that Ron Wood failed to mention the Arkansas use tax currently placed on each gallon of gas you buy in Ark.
There's also another source of highway revenue Ron Woods failed to mention, severance taxes. The bill was passed in 2008 which taxed wellhead production and the proceeds were to go to highways and county roads. It yields several million per year.
.
Posted by: cdawg
October 28, 2012 at 1:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
LadLib, again, R. Madison Murphy is chairman of the Arkansas Highway Commission. He is founder and Chairman of Murhpy Oil. His is CEO fo Deltic Timber Corporation. He is Director of BancorpSouth. He is not only drills and polutes the land, he cuts trees by the millions, and he loans others more money to do the same. You think this multi-millionare has your interest at heart. Have you ever heart of the word: (Naive).
Posted by: Moneymyst
October 28, 2012 at 1:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
I am both somewhat pleased to have voted against this tax, and somewhat surprised that I am effectively in agreement with TheMadPotato. (My reasons for my vote are a little different. The measure should have been funded by a diesel fuel tax, as originally proposed and negotiated.)
Cheers.
Posted by: AlphaCat
October 28, 2012 at 1:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
>>This is not a good deal. NWA would be better off doing a regional tax.<
That would likely get voted down as more and more people are learning about the good suit club up in Benton County, the unelected, unofficial Northwest Council and their offspring, the Mobility Authority. Yes, they want to tax the entire region to build a bypass around Bella Vista and another one on the south end of Benton County to connect East-West.
Let Benton County pass their own taxes to build their own roads since over half of them vote tea party Republican and don't believe in taxes for the public good. They send useless Representatives to Washington who cannot and will not score a return of Fed dollars to this district. They sent the useless Hutchinson, then Boozman, now Womack. None of them will do a thing for highways for this district. Springdale had to use local tax money to connect a East-West corridor to I540 since Boozman was useless and couldn't score $20 million for the project when his team was in power. Womack had one thing on his agenda, getting a sales taxes applied to Internet sales to help give Walmart a leg up in the online market. At least his record now includes advocacy for fair taxation.
Washington County can do the same, pass our own taxes and build our own roads. That's what we've been doing for the past 12 years.
http://physics.uark.edu/hobson/NWAT/1...
Posted by: cdawg
October 28, 2012 at 2:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Right on there, cdawg, Wal-Mart runs a thrill up the pants leg of Woemack.
Posted by: Moneymyst
October 28, 2012 at 2:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Well, I must admit I was wrong. Boozman did score $34 MILLION for a street to help Walmart. See link
http://www.progress.org/2005/tcs179.htm
Earmarks, you know, those things Republicans said they were going to do away with.
Posted by: cdawg
October 28, 2012 at 3:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Here is the link I thought I was posting on my 2:33 p.m. post
http://physics.uark.edu/hobson/NWAT/1...
Posted by: cdawg
October 28, 2012 at 7:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Now I'm glad Boozeman is just a sorry as Woemack. Question is if Pryor, Boozman, and Womack were all out laying in my yard, which one would my cat cover up first?
Posted by: Moneymyst
October 28, 2012 at 8 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
This is an unnecessary tax, people are driving less and this would build roads in the rural areas that are slowly depopulating.
Also a regressive tax that hits poor people the most.
Posted by: mcs
October 28, 2012 at 8:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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