Janesville Blog Sees Walker Budget Running Up Local Road Costs

Cogent analysis.

For the first time in its history, the City of Janesville will be charging vehicle owners an annual municipal wheel tax.

Coming on the heels of alarming shortfalls in state aid for local roads from Gov. Scott Walker, Janesville city government expects to raise about $550,000 annually from the new $10 tax to replace the lost revenue.

Of course local taxpayers won't be seeing a corresponding tax cut from the state for receiving less state aid, that's a story for another time. But judging from a recent op-ed and comments made by officials of the local politically active pro-Walker business group, Forward Janesville, the I39/90 interstate expansion will likely cost taxpayers the loss of even more money in local road state aid.

I've been writing about the I-39/90 boondoggle for a while, too. Good to see more people calling it out as wasteful and misdirected.