Seems only Gov. Walker doesn’t want a Wisconsin gas tax

Walker’s plan falls well short of La Crosse County’s needs

It’s not that anybody’s cheering in Wisconsin for higher gas prices. Many lawmakers, however, seem open to raising the gas tax if only to put a little more money into road repairs.  

Many, but not Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who maintains he doesn’t need a gas tax increase to up local road funding.

Onalaska state rep. Steve Doyle says that additional money for La Crosse County under Walker’s plan – less than $200,000 – won’t go far.

“That does almost nothing,” Doyle said. “It’s not going to resurface half-a-mile of road. It’s less than a drop in the bucket.”

Doyle added that amount won’t come anywhere near addressing the unmet road improvement needs the county has right now, which are estimated at around $60 million.  

The governor’s stance on the gas tax has put him at odds with members of his own party, who have talked about more pennies at the pump as a way to fund long-delayed road repairs in the state.