Michigan faces plenty of challenges. A report released last week tells us what one of the biggest ones will be: our roads.
The report from the Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation Funding estimates that Michigan will need to double the money it spends on our roads and bridges. The total estimated price tag? More than 6 billion dollars annually.
This is a huge hit. It’s double what we are currently spending. And one thing is certain, we can’t take it out of our fuel taxes.
Rich Studley from the Michigan Chamber of Commerce stated it right:
“One of the things we’re learning is that a transportation funding system based on motor fuel taxes is increasingly obsolete. … I don’t think anyone on the task force is under the illusion the problelm is a small one or wil be easily resolved.”
No matter who gets elected in November, they’re going to face this challenge.
Ignore the problem? I don’t think so.
Of course, some might try to ignore the problem or postpone a solution, waiting for better times. Unfortunately, that is not an option. Our business and industry depend on our roads. We need this infrastructure in place if we are to reshape a new Michigan.
Can’t we just shift money?
The needs in our state are double what we’re spending now. Pitting one region against another will not solve the problem. So the question is, what kind of leader can help us meet this challenge together?
With a price tag like this, there will be plenty of disagreement. I have proposed a solution, including looking at truck weights. And let’s face it, others will bring their solutions as well — this is going to take some tough negotiation. And new ideas.
A problem this tough takes a different kind of leadership.
The answer to the 6 billion dollar question depends on the leadership we send to Lansing. So then, do we elect people who will keep on with the same approach we’ve been following with all its partisan deadlock? Do we turn to some ivory-tower brash new idea? Frankly, these are the answers we get when we talk to ourselves.
It sounds so obvious, but the great virtue of business is that you learn how to build practical solutions with people who may be very different. That’s the same lesson I’ve applied these last 7 years on the Caledonia school board. We’ve made it work by working together. I believe this type of practical leadership is the sort that Lansing desperately needs.
