DEARBORN — The governor, state legislatures and municipal officials are urging residents to back Proposal 1, a Michigan Sales Tax for Transportation amendment that will appear on the May 5 ballot. 

The measure seeks to amend the state constitution by increasing the sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent, while exempting fuel purchases, in an effort to repair the state’s deteriorating roads, highways and bridges.

Proposal 1 would raise $1.2 billion in new transportation money annually.  Under the state constitution, it would translate to every penny at the pump being allocated to transportation. 

In March, Governor Snyder held a press conference in Dearborn, with Mayor Jack O’Reilly, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, Detroit Fire Commissioner Edsel Jenkins and other Southeast Michigan leaders in attendance to back the initiative. The conference focused on the economic setbacks that have been tied to Michigan’s crumbling roads. Snyder noted that corporations and businesses have no desire to invest in the state due to dire road conditions. Emergency response times have also been negatively impacted by the rough roads.

The governor noted that under Michigan’s current system, only 19 cents per gallon goes toward road funding.

“We need to do something, doing nothing is not an option,” Snyder said. “What we have doesn’t work well, so we have to fix it. You’re paying 19 cents a gallon that’s going to transportation. The balance of those taxes is retail sale tax, the 6 percent sales tax you pay on other goods and services.  What this proposal does is say… let’s increase that 19 cents to something that will actually raise the $1.2 billion and make a good system where what you pay at the pump goes to transportation.”

The data on Michigan’s roads

Years worth of the lack of funding and harsh weather conditions have turned Michigan’s roads into some of the worst in the country.

According to a report completed in January 2014 by TRIP, a national transportation research group, more than a quarter of local and state maintained roads and highways have pavement surfaces in poor or mediocre condition.

Some areas are obviously worse than others;  In the Detroit area, 35 percent of major local and state-maintained roads were rated in poor condition and 22 percent were rated in mediocre condition. Only 31 percent were rated in good condition, while 12 percent were rated in fair condition.

In Lansing, 10 percent of major roads were rated in poor condition, 39 percent were rated in mediocre condition; 46 percent in good condition and six percent were rated in fair condition.

Roger Martin, a spokesman for Safe Roads Yes on Proposal 1, told The Arab American News that road conditions, especially in the Detroit-Dearborn area, have become unbearable. 

“I think we all understand that our roads have gone from bad to worse to dangerous,” Martin said. “I was just in Dearborn and southwest Detroit and the roads are just horrible. We haven’t raised the state gas tax in 17 years; we’ve raised it one time in the last 31 years. It’s time to invest in our roads and our infrastructure again to get them safe.”

The TRIP report also revealed that the poor roads have also become costly for motorists, who have to pay for vehicle repairs caused by driving on the inadequate surfaces. Residents are spending a total of $7.7 billion annually on vehicle depreciation, tire wear, increased fuel consumption and traffic crashes. 

Michigan’s bridges are also in dire need of reconstruction. Twenty-seven percent of bridges in the state do not meet current bridge design standards due to narrow lanes, inadequate clearances or poor alignment.  

According to Martin, 1,754 bridges in the state are considered  structurally obsolete. Just last month, deteriorating concrete at the I-94 and I-75 interchange in Detroit forced the Michigan Department of Transportation to install temporary bridge supports. 

The bridges in the state have continued to blindside state officials due to rapid deterioration. Just last week, a key bridge in northern Macomb County, located on 32 Mile Road, was abruptly closed for an indefinite period after an inspection revealed that it was no longer safe for motorists. 

Martin urges residents to vote YES on Proposal 1, because otherwise road and bridge repairs could begin to reach a dead end. 

The state is already investing significantly less on road repairs compared to other states. Per capita, Michigan sits at just $154, compared to Ohio at $214; New York at $239; Minnesota at $275; Indiana at $289; Wisconsin at $302; Illinois at $412 and Pennsylvania at $530.

“The bottom line here is, a yes vote means our roads get fixed,” Martin said. “A no vote means they don’t. No means we keep the crumbling and dangerous roads and bridges that we have today. The chances of the governor coming up with a better solution are extraordinarily slim. That’s not me saying that; it’s the governor and legislatures saying that.”

Since the Safe Roads Yes on Proposal 1 campaign has gone into full swing, with TV, radio and digital ads making the rounds, some residents have expressed concern that a sales tax increase of one percent could negatively impact lower income families. However, a section of Proposal 1 does aim to assist struggling working families with a State Earned Income Tax Credit to off set that increase.

If proposal 1 passes, $260 million will be divided annually among lower class families. Married couples who have full-time minimum wage jobs and two kids would net an additional $177 more in their pockets. 

Married couples with two kids and one parent with a full-time minimum wage job, and the other parent with a part-time minimum wage job, would see $465 more in their pockets. 

A single parent with two kids who is working a full-time minimum wage job and makes less than $16,626 would see the largest benefit, with $608 more in their pocket annually.

Martin noted that the Michigan League for Public Policy, an organization that advocates for lower income Michigan workers, has approved proposal 1 for a YES vote after carefully examining the measure. 

It also appears that party politics have been put aside in favor of getting the proposal off the ground. The measure is being backed heavily by both Democratic and Republican legislators. 

As of the end of March, more than 150 organizations across the state have stood behind Proposal 1, including the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, the Michigan Environmental Council, the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, the County Roads Association of Michigan and the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association. 

“This was put on the ballot by an overwhelming bipartisan vote,” Martin said. “We have the sheriffs, police chiefs, fire fighters, mayors, senators and former senators who have endorsed this proposal. There is massive support across the state. This is our last best chance to fix the roads for many years to come.”

If the measure passes on May 5, the state legislature would appropriate the funds based on a state formula under the Public Act of 1951, which dictates how funds are spent. Funding would be distributed to the state, counties, cities and townships. 

Despite the urgency by legislators to back Proposal 1, residents still appear divided by the proposal. A poll released by EPIC-MRA found that 7 out of 10 Michigan voters would vote NO if the election was held now. 

For more information on Proposal 1, www.saferoadyes.com.