Governor Terry Branstad has asked the Iowa Department of Transportation to find $50 million dollars in savings to be put towards road repairs through the Road Use Tax Fund. This is an effort to avoid an increase in the gas tax that has been proposed to improve the conditions of Iowa’s roads and bridges, which are ranked the third worst in the country. Washington County Engineer Jacob Thorius says that Washington County has always been short on road funding, and that the prices for repairing roads grows every year. He tells us that the funding for our roads comes from the Road Use Tax Fund, gas taxes, and property taxes. Lowering commercial property taxes is another item on the agenda for lawmakers this year, which could mean less funding for road repairs, because property taxes currently make up about a third of all of Washington County road repair funding.

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