County GOP chair supports Mayor Kabat’s call for wheel tax

Some, perhaps, surprising support for La Crosse Mayor Tim Kabat’s new proposal for a city wheel tax.

Kabat announced Tuesday from the WIZM studio (listen here), he would start discussions about putting a wheel tax in place in the city as a way to maintain an aggressive road repair schedule.

County Republican Party chair Bill Feehan told WIZM the plan makes sense. He supports Kabat’s wheel tax idea, in part, because the mayor has prioritized fixing roads and limiting property tax increases during his time in office.

“They’ve been reaching into the city’s reserve to dramatically prioritize road spending over the last several years,” Feehan said. “Because we’ve diminished those reserves, it’s reasonable to have a small wheel tax to start to replenish those reserves.”

Feehan came into the WIZM studio on Wednesday afternoon to discuss that position. You can watch that interview below or listen by clicking here.

Feehan insists there’s a difference between a wheel tax coming from the county and one put in place by the city.

“It’s about what’s reasonable,” Feehan said. “A $20 increase in a wheel tax in the city of La Crosse is focused on the roads that most people using. It’s only a million dollar increase, and that’s a reasonable increase. I’m willing to pay it. I’m a resident of the city.

“Do I want to pay higher taxes? No,” Feehan added Wednesday afternoon on WIZM. “But I’m willing to pay another $20 or $25 a year to help address the situation in the city of La Crosse.”

Some in county government had proposed a wheel tax that would be much higher than Kabat’s proposal, and that money would not necessarily go to where the roads get the most traffic; within the city of La Crosse.