LET'S HOPE SOMEONE REMEMBERS DEAL'S DETAILS

Now that the Missouri Legislature has opened a $2.25 billion revolving credit account for the Missouri Department of Transportation, it will be interesting to see if the collective memories of elected officials and taxpayers last long enough to hold everyone involved accountable.

Gov. Mel Carnahan has already indicated he will sign the legislation for MoDOT to issue $2.25 billion in bonds over the next five years. When he signs the bill -- probably by the end of the month -- MoDOT will have the authority to immediately sell $250 million of the bonds. The highway department will be able to use that money for any projects it wants.

Basically, the Legislature said to MoDOT: Go ahead, buy whatever you need. We know you'll spend the money wisely. Just make us happy.

If MoDOT officials had been smart, they would have replied:

No thanks. There's no way on God's green Earth to satisfy urban folks and rural folks who both think we spend more in one area than another. And, without a pre-approved list of projects, whatever we pick is going to make someone happy and someone else angry.

But MoDOT officials didn't say that. At least Henry Hungerbeeler told legislators up front that some projects wouldn't please everyone, that $2.25 billion isn't nearly enough money to put Missouri's roads back in good shape and that neither he nor the Legislature has a clue where the money will come from to pay back the bonds -- at least not without drastically reducing or eliminating new highway construction altogether in a few years.

What elected officials and taxpayers remember about this costly deal a few years from now will be crucial. Recent experience should have taught us that legislators, highway officials, taxpayers and the governor have very poor memories regarding highway deals. Otherwise everyone would have remembered some of the details of the 1992 deal that gave us the so-called 15-year highway plan.

Now that our memories have been jogged by recent debate over the $2.25 billion bond plan, we recall that the state tax on gasoline and other fuels went up 6 cents a gallon to pay for the 15-year plan. But then we were told the plan was woefully short of funding. So the 15-year package was scrapped. But we kept paying the extra fuel tax.

Then our memories were further jogged a few weeks ago when it was disclosed that a big chunk of the revenue from the extra 6 cents of fuel tax was even going to the highway department. It was going to other state agencies to pay their bills. After an initial outcry, somebody remembered that was the deal all along. We just forgot.

After MoDOT spends the first $250 million of the new bond deal, it will be held accountable -- at least that's what legislators who voted for the plans are saying. For each of the next four years, MoDOT is authorized to sell another $500 million of bonds, but it must submit a list of projects to the Legislature for approval.

That ought to be fun. And interesting.

What if MoDOT comes up with a list that doesn't pass legislative muster? Will it have to submit another list? And another? And another, until enough legislators say OK?

You can see the potential for leverage on the floor of the House or Senate. Legislator A: I'll vote for your anti-henpecking bill if you'll vote for a list of highway projects that puts a truckload of gravel on the road to my house. Legislator B: Why, sure, but I'll want a new freeway to go somewhere in St. Louis County.

Legislators say this scenario will never happen, because next year there will be a total transportation plan hammered out, complete with projects to go around to satisfy every legislator and tax increases for everyone else.

Boy. If anyone believes that, short-memory loss must be epidemic in this state.