County Commission won’t stand against proposed gas tax hike
Most Bradley County commissioners say they don’t think it’s their business as a body to tell state lawmakers how to vote when it comes to Gov. Bill Haslam’s proposed fuel tax hike to fund transportation projects.
At the state level, the plan has already raised bipartisan concern over its fairness to low- and middle-income families as legislators grapple with a way to pay for a $6 billion backlog of nearly 1,000 bridge and highway improvements and another $4 billion in new projects.
The governor’s proposed legislation is in flux. The House Transportation Subcommittee recently approved a version which cut out the gas and diesel tax hike, but allowed for funding bridge and highway improvements with state sales tax revenues.
On Monday, Commissioner Dan Rawls and a packed courthouse couldn’t convince the commission to send a message to fight the proposal, which calls for a 7-cent increase on gasoline and a 12-cent bump on diesel sales. Rawls’ measure failed in a 9-5 vote.
Commission Chairman Louie Alford and commissioners Milan Blake, Terry Caywood, Thomas Crye, Mark Hall, Mike Hughes, Charlotte Peak, Howard Thompson
and Bill Winters opposed the measure. Commission Vice Chairman Jeff Yarber and commissioners Bobby Goins, Johnny Mull and Robert Rominger supported Rawls.
“The biggest issue here is the amount of disposable income that is removed from the community, the cost to the community,” Rawls said, citing additional costs to running the county school bus system and railing against the efficiency of the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
He scoffed at proposed tax breaks on groceries, intended to help balance consumer burdens, describing them as “minuscule” compared to the impact of increased fuel costs.
Winters and Hall both noted that a pending $20 million widening project for the State Route 60/ Georgetown Road corridor, which runs through their district, may hang in the balance.
“I have a very tough time voting against the individuals that will be making the decisions for my street, outside my highway, outside where I live,” Winter said. “I think the elected officials in Bradley County that we sent to Nashville will make a good decision.”
Hall called for creating a “happier and healthier” relationship with the state and not creating unnecessary friction.
Peak named multiple bridge, road and Interstate projects backlogged
“Of course, the bill is still in committee so we don’t yet know what the final version looks like.” — REP. DAN HOWELL, R-GEORGETOWN
for Bradley County, highlighting a proposed additional lane for I-75 southbound on White Oak Mountain, near the Hamilton County border.
“I’m sure a lot of you get tired of getting stuck in that traffic and you would like one of those lanes done,” Peak said.
Yarber said it sounded like a lot of his colleagues were afraid the state would cut off the county’s projects if they took a stand against the tax hike.
Bradley County has at least a dozen TDOT projects waiting to happen, estimated at over a combined $125 million.
Rep. Dan Howell, R-Georgetown, hasn’t made up his mind on the matter yet.
“Of course, the bill is still in committee so we don’t yet know what the final version looks like,” Howell said in an email. “I will not commit to vote for or against something until I know what’s in it. But I am encouraged to know the Governor is committed to providing additional revenue for county and city roads.”
Rep. Kevin Brooks, R-Cleveland, could not be reached for comment.