MISSOURI GAS TAX REVENUES: COUNTIES PREPARE TO LOBBY FOR BIGGER SHARE

JACKSON - Cape Girardeau County officials say they look forward to campaigning this fall for a constitutional amendment that will increase counties' share of the state fuel tax.

After several years of trying, lawmakers approved a resolution sending the amendment to voters this year.

Currently, the Missouri constitution designates 15 percent of the state fuel tax to cities and 10 percent of it to counties. Voters will decide whether to increase the counties' share to 15 percent on the additional 6 cents that was approved by the General Assembly in March. The 6-cent increase will be phased in over five years.

"We're very happy that it did pass," said Associate Commissioner Leonard Sander. "I think by going to a vote we have a pretty good shot at it now. People will not be voting for any more tax, just for it to be more equally divided.

"The tax is going to be there anyway, it is just a matter of whether counties are going to get more of it."

Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep said he plans to let voters know about the impact on Cape County's share of the gas tax. "I think we're happy at least for the opportunity; it ought to be up to the people to decide on," said Huckstep.

"The kind of additional money we are talking about could be a good match on a bridge."

Under the current fuel tax distribution formula, Cape County receives about $200,000 a year through the County Aid Road Trust (CART). The additional 5 percent would mean about $75,000 a year more per year for Cape County when the full 6-cent increase is phased in by 1996.

Sander said the earlier increase is going to provide about $70,000 a year in new CART funds to Cape County.

Funds can only be used for costs related to maintaining and constructing roads and bridges in the county.

Cape Girardeau County Clerk Rodney Miller, who as a board member and past president of the Missouri Association of Counties had worked for passage of the amendment in the past, noted that it had been a long battle to get the issue through the legislature.

The Missouri Highway and Transportation Department had fought the issue before. However, in January, the department pro~mised not to fight increasing the counties' share to 15 percent if county officials would not fight the department's effort to increase the fuel tax from 11 cents to 17 cents.

The 15 percent applies only to the fuel tax above 11 cents. It will also apply to all future increases.

"It has been a long, long time coming. It has been a tough issue to try and move through the legislature," observed Miller.

He noted that several years ago counties felt like they had received a commitment from the highway department to support an increase in their share, but it did not happen.

"I think everyone felt it was time for payback on this," said Miller. "I think it passed this year because of hard-nosed negotiation and hard-rocked politics. It was an issue where everybody stood their ground and were able to find some common ground to get a bill out."

Miller is optimistic that voters will approve the amendment. "I think it offers a fair opportunity, especially for people in out districts and some urban areas, to bring more money in."

Sander stressed that the proposal is not an increase in the gas tax, but rather a reallocation of some of the money.

"I certainly will explain to everybody I can that it won't cost them more tax," he observed. "It is just a more equal distribution of what they have.

"We sure don't want people to think we are pushing for another tax. We just want our fair share of the tax, and I'm sure other counties do too."

If voters approve the amendment, counties would begin receiving a larger share on July 1, 1994. The amendment also provides some additional fuel tax money for the city of St. Louis.