Commentary by Mayor Andy Cook
No physical, government-owned asset touches our lives more than roads.
As a mayor, I know residents care very much about roads. Unfortunately, cities and towns of Indiana do not have the financial resources today to properly and responsibly maintain our streets.
By the very nature of Indiana’s geographic location, and our industrial base of manufacturing and logistics, Indiana should own and operate a model transportation system of both state and local roadways.
Major Moves has made much headway in this endeavor. But just looking at a map of our surrounding states, we can see they have miles of non-interstate freeways, while Indiana does not. The new U.S. 31 from Indianapolis to South Bend is a great start, and we are most grateful for its presence. But by waiting too many years to actually construct the project, more dollars had to be spent and more businesses had to be relocated than if the work had started years ago.
Today, the Indiana Dept. of Transportation has excellent leadership at the top. The House version – which calls for an indexed gas tax adjustment – would create a permanent solution now. I concur with that recommendation. Indiana’s fuel tax has not been changed since 2003. Also, because of more fuel-efficient cars and trucks, we are all buying less gallons. We are all, therefore, paying a substantial amount less per year in fuel taxes today than we were a decade ago. This “increase” is, in reality, a way to catch up with revenue that should have been going to our roads for years.
It’s also interesting to note that polling demonstrates that drivers are supportive when shown this return on their investment.
Indiana mayors are ready to stand behind this permanent fix this session. Let’s plan for the long-term health of our local roads and streets. Together as state and local governments, we can show our residents a return on their investment in roads.
