More choices needed in road referendum

Should marijuana be legalized? And should our potholes be filled? Those two questions could appear before La Crosse County voters on the November ballot. The County Board of Supervisors is being asked to approve specific language for those questions in an advisory referendum. The results won’t lead to any specific change, but could send a message to state lawmakers about our feelings on legalizing pot, and give county board members an inkling of how people feel about road funding. Under the current proposed language, the road referendum would present three options for raising an estimated $5 million in new revenue to fund needed road work throughout the county. But none of those options suggest the county do nothing, and let the state figure out how best to fund our road repairs. The options which could be presented to voters include pursuing a new premier rest area tax, an additional half cent sales tax on a number of “tourist related” goods and services. The second option would be to adopt a wheel tax, which could be more than $50 per car registered in the county. And the final option would be to hike the property tax levy by 15%. But if the option of do nothing isn’t offered, some may skip the question, skewing the results. The board should include the do nothing option, so board members have a clearer view of how we really feel about fixing our roads.