Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1921-10-29
WHERE THE MONEY COMES
FROM FOR HIGHWAYS
Good Roads Association Of Wisconsin
Answers the Query: Who Pays
for Road Building!"

building season is drawing to a
close the following article about the
source of our highway funds is
timely.
State road taxes are a very small
share of our total road taxes.
County road taxes required to be
raised by law to meet state funds
also make up small share of the
total road taxes.
The common impression that the
state directly or indirectly requires
levy OF heavy road taxes is
wholly without foundation.
Most of our road taxes are raised
by the local units of their own free
will.
Eliminating town roads, there
are three major sources OF road
funds in Wisconsin; the federal
government, the state and the
county. Under what is known as
the State Trunk Highway Act of
1917, amended in 1919, there are
funds available from three sources
tor highway construction in a given
year: the federal government allots
Sl, 700 900 to the State of Wiscon
sin for road building; the state
must and does raise an equal
amount by general property tax
amounting to slightly over one
third of a mill The counties
raise an equal amount by a county
general property tax.
Under the State Aid Law the
state each year appropriales for
road building the sum of S785 900
to be distributed among the coun.
ties. This money is taken from
the general fund which is made up
of railroad and public utility taxes
income taxes, etc, and does not
come from general property tax.
The counties are required to match
this on 40 90 basis, raising ST.
Isl, 500 by general property tax.
In addition TO the above the state
every year allots from the general
fund 100000 for special bridge
work. Stunning up the entire matter
we find the following:
! There is state property tax for
roads of 81 100000. The counties
by law are required to raise S2,.
i 877, 500 to meet state funds allotted
to them and usually do this by
general property tax. The state
from the general fund allots $685.
900 for road and bridge work, but
this does not come from a general
property tax.
The query is Immediately raised
that if the state requires us to raise
only S7,162, 500, how is it that this
year we are spending S24 900, 900?
There are two reasons for this,
the first being that the war held
back road construction, and this
year we are spending money which
usually would have been spent in
1918, 1919, and 1920. The un-
expended construction balance
January lst, 1921 was 81 ,34o, 700.
The big reason is the fact that
the counties are voting large sums
of money which they are not re-
quired to vote by state law. For
instance, this year 81 900 900 was
spent under local county bond
issues. Beyond and above that.
the counties at their annual meet
ings in November 1920 voted funds
far in excess of the state law re-
quirements. Under state law they
were required to raise S5,737 ,448
for highway construction and in
addition to this they voted TO raj
So, 2O5.737 or 100 per cent more
than they were required to vote.
This proves beyond a question
that a large pa I of our road taxes
are raised by the local units of
their own free will and are not
chargeable to any state law.
/ So far as the automobile licences
are concerned they are practically
all returned to the counties for
maintenance. After deducting the
State Secretary cost of administra-
ton, which amounts to less than
$3.50, 900 year and the highway
departments cost of administra-
tion which amounts to Sl65, 900 a
2 ..no. 4La baIar~a - aIIxsm1 a. 49,