Mayors Push for Gas Tax Hike

Algonquin Village President John Schmitt offered the following comment on this post:

It is unfortunate that some research was not done before publishing this blog.

The Mayors and Village Presidents of the McHenry County Council of Governments does indeed support a fully funded capital bill that has a regular source of revenue.

Our roads, bridges, and mass transit are in disrepair and new projects to satisfy commuters and new commerce are not built.

While that is all true, the Caucus spoke without doing their due diligence by confirming support for a gas tax increase.

I have spoken to many of the community leaders of the county and found that we all know that while a source of regular funding for capital is necessary, supporting a $.25-40 gas tax has yet to be debated to determine the best and least impacting revenue source.

Therefore, the big STORY of the blog is false.

Take every name of every mayor from McHenry County off this story as none have yet agreed to support or endorse any specific source of revenue for a capital bill.

Here is how the Illinois News Network is reporting a move by Chicago area metropolitan mayors calling for a large–20 to 30 cents per gallon–Motor Fuel Tax hike:

MAYOR EMANUEL AND METROPOLITAN MAYORS CAUCUS CALL FOR STATEWIDE TRANSPORTATION CAPITAL BILL

Statewide Increase in Taxes and Fees Would Provide Sustainable, Recurring Revenue to Support a Transportation Capital Bill

 Mayor Rahm Emanuel today joined members of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus to call for a statewide capital bill to pay for critical transportation infrastructure needs, funded largely through an increase in the state motor fuel tax which has remained flat for gasoline since 1990.

Illinois has not passed a statewide capital bill since 2009 [when it was sponsored by Lake County Republican Robert Churchill].

“For Illinois to maintain its status as the transportation hub of the nation, we need to make major infrastructure investments to support our transportation systems,” Mayor Emanuel said. “In addition to critical funding to replace aging roads and bridges, sustained, flexible revenues need to flow directly to public transit.  As the backbone of our larger transportation network and a stimulator of economic development, transit needs a dedicated, reliable revenue source so that we can continue to modernize and grow the system.”

According to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), the region needs $24 billion in added revenue through 2050 to maintain the current system, without addressing the backlog. In addition, CMAP estimates that another $32 billion is needed to improve the condition, enhance and expand the current system. Decades of underinvestment have created a significant backlog of projects to reach a state of good repair.

Federal and state revenues that support transportation investments have not kept up with costs or inflation. Recent signals from Washington point to growing reliance on state and local revenues to fund these needs.

The state needs to raise revenue for infrastructure, and a 20 to 30 center per gallon increase in the motor fuel tax and other traditional transportation funding sources is a reasonable and widely-supported place to start.

Other states and regions are far ahead of the State of Illinois and metropolitan Chicago in raising revenues to support infrastructure projects. About half of the states including Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa and Ohio have raised transportation revenues since 2012, while Illinois’s gas tax has been at 19 cents per gallon since 1990. Every five cent per gallon increase in the motor fuel tax results in approximately $20 million more in City revenue and over $250 million statewide.

The northeastern Illinois region is the economic engine of the state, accounting for 80 percent of the economy and two-thirds of its population.

The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus represents 275 communities and over 9 million residents of northeastern Illinois.

The proposed capital bill is based on five principles:

  • Sustainable funding to create reliable, stable revenue streams that are not speculative or inadequate.
  • Multi-modal transportation across not only the region’s road network, but also its transit, bicycle, and pedestrian networks.
  • Return on investment ensuring that investments reflect where the funding comes from.
  • Performance, ensuring vendors are held accountable for delivering.
  • Benefits-based to reflect all transportation users’ contribution to improving our infrastructure, no matter how they travel.

“All funding options need to be on the table,” Mayor John Ostenburg, Chairman of the Mayors Caucus and Mayor of Park Forest said.  “Revenue sources that have traditionally funded roads and transit in the past can support our needs today.  However, with the continued emergence of new transportation technologies, they won’t last long.  We need to have the courage and foresight to experiment and pilot new sources of revenue for infrastructure.”

The proposal has bipartisan support from members of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus including:

  • Mayor John A. Ostenburg, Village of Park Forest
  • Mayor Vernard L. Alsberry, Jr., Village of Hazel Crest
  • President Gail Johnson, Village of Oswego
  • Mayor Robert J. Nunamaker, Village of Fox River Grove
  • Mayor Robert O’Dekirk, City of Joliet
  • Mayor Jeffery D. Schielke, City of Batavia
  • Mayor Gerald R. Bennett, City of Palos Hills
  • Mayor Jim Holland, Village of Frankfort
  • President Lawrence R. Levin, Village of Glencoe
  • Mayor Joseph Mancino, Village of Hawthorn Woods
  • Mayor Joseph T. Tamburino, Village of Hillside
  • Mayor Timothy Baldermann, Village of New Lenox
  • Mayor Paul S. Braun, Village of Flossmoor
  • Mayor Rodney S. Craig, Village of Hanover Park
  • President Karen Y. Darch, Village of Barrington
  • Mayor Don DeGraff, Village of South Holland
  • Mayor Richard C. Irvin, City of Aurora
  • President Robert “Bob” Kolosh, Village of Thornton
  • President Al Larson, Village of Schaumburg
  • President Richard Mack, Village of Ringwood
  • Mayor John Mahoney, City of Palos Park
  • Mayor Brian Sager, City of Woodstock
  • Mayor John Schmitt, Village of Algonquin
  • Mayor Aaron T. Shepley, Village of Crystal Lake
  • Mayor Jeffrey T. Sherwin, City of Northlake
  • Mayor Annie Coulter, Ford Heights

“CMAP applauds these leaders for working together to address the urgent need for transportation funding in our region,” Joseph C. Szabo, CMAP executive director said. “We are at a crisis point, and increasing the gas tax is a crucial first step. We owe it to the public to make sure we achieve a lasting solution – one that is sustainable, flexible, and user-based – to ensure we can invest in the best possible projects and help our communities prosper.”

Under Mayor Emanuel, Chicago has invested billions in improving its transportation infrastructure but without state a state capital bill and serious state funding needed, repairs for roads, bridges and public transportation networks in the city, in the region and across the state continue to pile up. The City has been aggressive at creating and using TIF dollars to fund transformational projects like Red and Purple Line Modernization. Though the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has seen unprecedented investment under Mayor Emanuel—more than $8 billion in modernization and improvements projects—much of the CTA’s infrastructure is decades old and needs rebuilding or replacement. Mayor Emanuel also pushed for the creative use of the TIFIA loan program to fund the construction of the acclaimed Riverwalk that has fueled the boom along the Chicago’s river fronts. The Riverwalk has proved to be a phenomenal success and revenue from vendors is exceeding projections and helping to repay the loan.


Comments

Mayors Push for Gas Tax Hike — 15 Comments

  1. Shepley is such a fraud.

    Never had a real job or employed anyone.

    CL’s revenues have grown exponentially over the years, expenses have grown faster, taxpayers lose.

    He could not manage a kid’s lemonade stand.

  2. Part of the problem is that out of every #100,000, $60,000 or more goes to the pockets of corrupt politicians!

  3. Illinois has the highest tax on cell phones, now they (those mayors)want to have the highest gas tax?

    Why are ‘they’ trying to empty the State?

    BTW anyone notice that Lauren Underwood’s campaign fund has surpassed the four million mark?

    Receipts = $4,884,011.28 and disbursements = $4,744,660.42

    Running for Congress and winning takes a lot of money.

  4. Kudos go out to Illinois Pols, for dependably come up with ever-stupider ideas, to solve their previous stupid ideas.

  5. Did billionaires such as Soros or Steyer provide any campaign money to the lady Lauren?

  6. Shepley has taken millions in salary from a non-profit hospital and can afford the tax.

    Of course he probably doesn’t pay for his gas anyway.

    Will the misery in IL ever end?

  7. Isn’t this how the homosexual running France, Macron, just got piped by nationwide protests?

    I completely agree with “Jim” — Shepley is a fraudster, or what my olng-departed Great granddad would call a base caitiff!

  8. The proposed capital bill is based on five principles:

    Sustainable funding to create reliable, stable revenue streams that are not speculative or inadequate.
    Multi-modal transportation across not only the region’s road network, but also its transit, bicycle, and pedestrian networks.
    Etc.

    What about the principle that you pay for what you use? Why not have the users of transit (buses, trains), bicycles pay up for their infrastructure? Buses, train cars, locomotives, tracks, bus stations, train stations, bike paths, sidewalks.

  9. Just a couple of days ago I was thinking that Brian Sager has been mayor of Woodstock for far too long.

    Come on, you Groundhogs.

    Reclaim your city.

  10. So tired of these politicians giving themselves raises, NOT balancing the Illinois budget, charging people higher taxes to cover there greedy asses!!

    DRAIN THE SWAMP!

    FIRE them ALL!

    Get some good honest people in office who actually CARE about our towns!!!

  11. Do we need a mayor in crystal lake?

    Is he suppose to be our employee?

    Is he suppose to work for us?

    no one is helping us decrease these taxes in crystal lake!

    it constantly goes up and up.

    Whoever voted for the democraps they get what they deserve now dems own the state now and they are going to find money anywhere they can.

    time to leave

  12. It is unfortunate that some research was not done before publishing this blog. The Mayors and Village Presidents of the McHenry County Council of Governments does indeed support a fully funded capital bill that has a regular source of revenue. Our roads, bridges, and mass transit are in disrepair and new projects to satisfy commuters and new commerce are not built.

    While that is all true, the Caucus spoke without doing their due diligence by confirming support for a gas tax increase. I have spoken to many of the community leaders of the county and found that we all know that while a source of regular funding for capital is necessary, supporting a $.25-40 gas tax has yet to be debated to determine the best and least impacting revenue source.

    Therefore, the big STORY of the blog is false. Take every name of every mayor from McHenry County off this story as none have yet agreed to support or endorse any specific source of revenue for a capital bill.

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