E-Update Delay 

I want to apologize to you for not being able to send out last week's e-update until today.

If you didn't see it on the news, a large explosion at a Madison Gas and Electric substation in downtown Madison cut off power to the state Capitol on Friday. That caused a massive disruption to our IT system, which made it impossible for me to send out my weekly e-update during that time.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the explosion or subsequent fires, but the incident still served as a powerful reminder of how much we rely on technology to communicate with each other.

 Even though it's a few days late, I hope you still enjoy and find value in reading this edition of my weekly electronic newsletters.

DOT Budget

During the last election, the condition of our roads emerged as perhaps the biggest campaign issue. While we continue to look for ways to make our transportation dollars go further, the simple fact is that we have not devoted adequate funds for our roadways for the past 20 years and it has finally caught up to us. The primary reasons for the funding shortfalls are:

1. Our interstate system was built with federal funds in the late 1950s and early 1960s. These roads are now at the end of their lifespan and must be repaired using state funds. These are expensive projects that do not fit within our normal budget.
2. The decision was made during the Doyle administration to remove indexing from the gas tax, whereby the tax increased with the price of gas.
3. We have relied primarily on the gas tax to pay for our roads. Gas mileage for cars has continually improved, which has caused a steep decline in revenue.
4. During the recession, former Gov. Jim Doyle took more than $600 million from the transportation fund to use in other areas. A constitutional amendment has since been passed to prevent this fund from being robbed for other uses.

I am happy that both sides were able to come to an agreement and that this budget does substantially increase spending on transportation. However, we are still searching for a sustainable source of transportation funding.

Throughout the budget process, I heard from many of you on how you thought we should pay for our roads. It was quite clear the overwhelming majority of you believe that increasing the gas tax is the best way to address the issue.

I wholeheartedly agree that raising the gas tax is a practical short-term solution. Roughly 25 percent of the drivers on our roads are from other states, and the gas tax ensures that those visitors are also paying their fair share.

The Wisconsin State Assembly and Gov. Tony Evers also recognized that proposal as the best option, but we were unable to get it in the budget because several senators said they would not support the spending plan if it included a gas tax increase. 

Because of that insurmountable obstacle, the Joint Finance Committee instead voted to create additional revenue for roads by raising vehicle title fees by $95 and registration fees by $10, which will generate almost $400 million more for transportation projects. 

That is not what I would consider to be an ideal outcome, but I’m even more disappointed in Gov. Evers’ decision to remove from the budget a provision that would have required the Department of Transportation to conduct a study on tolling and mileage-based fees.

In his veto message, Gov. Evers said he struck out that budget item because he objected “to the financing of another study that will show, yet again, that the motor fuel tax is the most effective way to approximate a user fee of roadway use and the most cost-effective way to collect revenue.”

Despite those claims, depending on the gas tax to fund the reconstruction of our roads is simply shortsighted and unsustainable.

Back in 2004, your typical vehicle averaged about 19.3 miles per gallon. Fast-forward 15 years, and we're now at 25.4 miles per gallon. It’s also important to note that vehicles have been breaking fuel economy records every year for the past several years. So, we should expect that figure to keep steadily increasing as the years go by.

Plus, the number of electric and hybrid vehicles being produced is supposed to explode over the next decade or two. In just the last year alone, the number of electric vehicle sales in the United States jumped 81 percent to 361,307. The International Energy Agency also anticipates that by 2030, electronic vehicle ownership across the world will reach 125 million, a significant increase from 2017’s total of 3.1 million. In the United States, it is predicted that 30 percent of all the vehicles on our roads will be either electric or hybrids by 2030.

As you can see, we are going to be in deep trouble if we blindly assume the gas tax is going to be our only option moving forward. We need to think outside the box and come up with several long-term solutions to fix our transportation-related issues. I strongly feel the study on tolling and mileage-based fees would have been a great first step in opening our eyes to other possibilities. Many states have adopted innovative policies and it would be prudent to take a closer look at what they are doing.

Ironically, Gov. Evers also used his veto pen to allocate up to $10 million to install electric vehicle charging stations across the state. Cutting down on fossil fuels is a laudable goal, but with the governor refusing to look at other options besides the gas tax, we are really hamstringing our ability to adequately fund our roadways in the future. 

If we want more electric and hybrid vehicles to use our transportation system, we need to find other ways to pay for our roads. Otherwise, we will be facing the same problems for years to come or be in an even worse situation. It just does not make any sense to me.  

Bird Sanctuary Milestone

The Open Door Bird Sanctuary hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony this past weekend to celebrate the organization making the final payment on its 33.5-acre nature reserve, and I was honored to present an Assembly citation to commemorate the occasion.

Since it opened in Door County in 2011, the Open Door Bird Sanctuary has been a tremendous asset to our area by providing a lifetime home to permanently injured birds of prey and educating the public on avian species and the environment.

I am very impressed that this organization has more than 40 dedicated volunteers who spend countless hours handling the tasks of bird husbandry, education programming, land stewardship and administrative work.

I can't tell you how many schools, senior homes, service organizations, businesses, nature centers and community festivals have been positively impacted by the amazing raptors in the Open Door Bird Sanctuary's care. In 2019 alone, the sanctuary is expecting to conduct close to 100 education programs, reaching thousands of people with their message of positive environmental stewardship.

The Open Door Bird Sanctuary is permitted through the state and federal government to care for the birds and share them with the public for educational purposes. However, the organization receives no state or federal funding and must depend on donations or the occasional private foundation grant to operate.

If you haven't already, I highly recommend that you stop by the local sanctuary to see what they have to offer. It's always a rewarding visit.

 For more information on the Open Door Bird Sanctuary, please visit its website by clicking here.

Upcoming District Events

What: Antique Tractor and Arts and Crafts Show
Where: Liberty Grove Historical Society Museum, 11871 Highway 42, Ellison Bay, WI
When: Saturday, July 27, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, July 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Details: "Arts & crafts fair, delicious food, hayrides and a display of antique farm equipment. Visit libertygrovehistorical.org for more information."

What: Annual Book Sale
Where: Sturgeon Bay Library, 107 S. 4th Ave Sturgeon Bay, WI
When: Saturday, July 27, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 
Details: "Join other book bargain hunters as they search the organized collection of items. Fill a grocery bag full of books for $4. No limit. Proceeds benefit all branches of the Door County Library."

What: Movie in the Park
Where: Waterfront Park Main Stage, 10693 N. Bay Shore Drive, Sister Bay, WI
When: Sunday, July 28, starting at dusk
Details: "Showing 'Aquaman.' Bring a chair or blanket and snag a spot in the park. Movies begin at dusk."