The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1929-02-20
PLAN FOR GAS TAX
FUND WORKED OUT
Method of Distribution Garry.
ing Out Amendment No. 1
is Before Legislature

The plan for carrying out the Gas
oline Tax Amendment adopted at the
election last fall, now is before the
Legislature and assured of early pass
age, according to word received from
st. Paul, today.
The amendment adopted authorized
the use of third of the proceeds of
the gasoline tax on secondary roads
outside the trunk highway system,
but did not provide any method of
distribution other than to place it in
the state road and bridge fund.
Members of the Legislature from
the country districts and others who
worked for the passage of the con-
stitutional amendment have been busy
for some weeks, however, devising a
method of distribution for the gaso
line tax money that will be fair to
all and insure the most efficient use
of the fund made available for sec
ondary roads under the amendment.
The plan agreed upon is embodied
in House File &c, introduced by Re-
preventative Oscar A. Swenson, An
drew Finstuen and some fifty other
co-authors, and an identical bill in
the senate, sponsored by Senators L..
P. Johnson, A. ]. Rockne, liver ]. Lee
and about twenty other authors.
This bill would provide for the use
of the gasoline tax money on roads
that are not included in the present
trunk highway or state aid systems,
as was promised two years ago when
the legislature first took up the pro-
posal for the constitutional amend
ment. In other words, the additional
money which the counties will re-
ceive under the amendment would go
toward the improvement of the $4,000
miles of county and township roads
which now receive no help from the
state, and which so much need i'm
provement.
Under the bill, each county would
receive a minimum of u of one per
cent or a maximum of three per cent
of the fund-about 100000 a year
under the present gas tax-made
available for distribution.
The money would be paid directly
to the county, and the county COM
missioners would have the authority
to determine on what roads in the
county the money would be spent.
To make sure that the money is spent
in the best possible way, the bill pro-
vides that the work must be done I'M
der the direction of the county en-
gineer and in accordance with speci-
ications prepared by him and filed.
Approval of the projects by the
state highway department, such as is
required under the distribution plan
of the one-mill tax, would not be
8 necessary. The question of where
each county. should spend its. share
of the fund could best be solved by
the local officials, guided and direct
ed by the county engineer, authors
of the bill believed.
The bill contains a provision de-
signed to insure assistance from the
township for the improvements that
would be made. The township would
have to pay from 10 to 80 per cent
of the cost of the improvement, the
exact amount to be determined by
the county board. But in unusual
cases where this would be too great
a hardship on the township, this pro-
vision might be waived by the county
board.
Another provision would require
from 20 to SO per cent of the fund
received to be used for maintenance
purposes.
Pressure has been brought to bear
on US to have the money used on the
state aid road SYSTEM" Representa-
tive Finstuen said. eve have had
quite fight to hold our position that
the money should go to roads outside
both the trunk highway and state aid
systems, as was promised two years
ago when the bill submitting the
amendment was passed and as the
people understood during the cam
paign last fall. However, we have
succeeded in maintaining this posi-
ton, and I believe the bill will go
through this way.
eve wish that the friends of the
county and township roads that have
heretofore received no aid from the
state-roads which constitute more
than 80 per cent of our road system
would let their representatives and
senators in the legislature know that
they endorse the plan proposed for
the distribution"