Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-03-22
Highway Fund Sources
Are 80 per cent Local
WHAT FUNDS THE STATE RE
oUlRES FOR THE BUILDING
OF HIGHWAYS

The story of the millions and mil
lions that the state expends in road
work or requires the local units to
spend, apparently will not down.
When the legislative committee of the
County Boards Association made it's
investigation of highway expenditures
in Wisconsin, it incorporated in it's re-
port the fact that in the year 1922,
Wisconsin spent $37O00,OOO on high
way Improvement. Without any at
tempt on looking further, many people
seized upon these figures and are con
stantly reiterating the story that the
state is spending and is requiring the
counties to spend this vast sum of
money.
There is no basis for this statement
whatsoever. Attention has been re-
peatedly called to it, but once a gross
error is started on it's way, it seems
necessary to follow it continuously
The facts are these: The state has
been receiving from the federal gov
eminent the sum of $1,7O0,O00 as fed
eral aid for highway construction.
The state was required to meet this
and did so by state general property
tax Of 100000 In addition to that
the statute required the II counties
in the state in the aggregate to meet
this amount, and they raised $1,700, 900
by general property tax in the coun-
ties, or a total in taxes of $4,000, 900
The state aid law makes available the
sum of $785,0OO as state aid to be dis
tributed among the counties, which
sum is taken from the general fund,
and is not raised by general property
taxes as the general fund is made up
of moneys paid by railroads, interur-
ban lines, public utility companies,
inheritance taxes, ETC. The same ap-
plies to the 100000 made available
for special large bridges from the gen
eral fund The state however, requires
the counties to meet the $785, 900 of
state aid by making available $780,
900 which is raised by county taxes
Summing it up, therefore, under
state laws there was made available
by the state, or the counties are re-
quired to make available, the sum of
$4s700,00O for highway purposes and
not $37,O00,0O0 The balance of the
funds raised for road purposes were
raised by the people locally in the
towns, villages, cities and counties,
and the local people are responsible
for raising them and evidently they
are satisfied to raise them or the
county boards would not levy these
taxes. For instance, in 1923 the town
roads fund taxes levied by the town
boards amounted to $10,329,800. The
county road funds amounted to $40,
351, 1000 of which only 100000 was
required under state law Attention
is called to the fact that while the
state aid law required the counties to
raise $1,3OO,O0O, the counties in addi-
ton to that voted $1,914,OOO and in adj
dition raised 1921, 900 Ey bond issues
or total of $14,121 900, as against a
required amount of $1,3OO,OOO.
The major part of road taxes and
expenditures have their source in the
local community. AS the state tax
commission has often pointed to, 70
per cent of our taxes are local-town
city and village-20 per cent are
county, and only 10 per cent are state.
Slightly over one-tenth Of our road
taxes are levied because of state re
quirements and slightly under 80 per
cent because of local action.