(The Center Square) – Members of the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee asked for more details on road projects as they took their first look at Gov. Bill Lee’s $59.5 billion budget Tuesday.
The governor has allocated an additional $1 billion in new funds. The state is also redirecting another $80 million from the general fund collected from tire sales, Jim Bryson, commissioner of finance and administration told the committee.
The money would advance the state’s 10-year road improvement plan and add new projects, Bryson said.
Sen. Page Walley, R- Savannah, said he was more concerned about the deterioration of existing roads.
“One of the frequent, frustrating comments I get, we live on the Mississippi state line, where I grew up,” Walley said. “Used to be when you drove into Mississippi, you knew it, because of their inferior roads. Now you drive into Mississippi and you know it, because their roads are superior.”
Bryson said he couldn’t speak to the mix of new versus maintenance plans but said that when $30 billion for roads is discussed, fixing existing roads is the majority of that.
“We have a lot of road maintenance because these roads were designed and built, sometime 70 or 80 years ago,” Bryson said. “The issue you are talking about is one of the prime motivators behind this investment in our roads.”
Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, said it’s also a question of transparency.
“Our regional TDOT offices have their own budget, which is one of the best kept secrets in the state, I think” Yager said of the Department of Transportation. “I know we spend probably in excess of $60 million dollars for those budgets and those offices and we’re having a very difficult time finding out the line items. This is a real issue, this money, no one seems to know where it goes.”
Sen. Jeff Yarbro said he was concerned that the state is putting “financial Band-Aids” on the issue.
“How sound is our basic underlying highway funding if we keep needing to take these huge sums from the general fund?” Yarbro asked.
One of the issues is the gas tax has been growing more slowly than the cost of construction and money is needed, Bryson said.
“The $80 million we are proposing to take from the tire sales, general fund money, into the transportation fund, is a first step in that direction,” Bryson said. “I don’t think anyone believes that solves the problem but I do think it is a step in that direction and that is where we are today.”
The Senate and House of Representatives are holding a series of hearing on Lee’s spending plan this week.