North Michigan News

State Representative Ken Borton has voiced criticism following Governor Gretchen Whitmer's announcement of a $2.75 billion plan to improve Michigan roads, which involves significant tax increases. In contrast, House Republicans have proposed a $3.145 billion road funding strategy that does not include new taxes.

Borton expressed his dissatisfaction with the governor's proposal, stating, "The governor proposed a bunch of new taxes today but still couldn’t come up with a plan that came anywhere close to the quality of ours." He mentioned potential taxes on businesses, retail delivery services like Lyft and Uber, towing, heavy truck parking, and internet advertising as part of the governor's plan.

The House Republican proposal focuses on redirecting funds from corporate welfare programs to critical infrastructure projects. It also ensures that all taxes collected at the pump are allocated directly to road funding, potentially adding $945 million annually for local roads.

Governor Whitmer claims her plan would allocate $3 billion to roads; however, Borton noted that $250 million is earmarked for new bussing programs unrelated to road repairs.

Recently, Governor Whitmer released her executive recommendation for the state budget. The proposal includes funding for 800 new state employees and over $1 billion in new government spending but does not allocate additional money toward local roads.

Borton criticized this approach by saying, "The governor likes to say she wants to fix the roads but then refuses to cut funding away from any of her failing programs in order to do it." He emphasized the need for prioritizing local road and bridge repairs over other expenditures such as corporate welfare.