Taxpayer funded infrastructure is better suited to public needs

The article “Airway heights gets $2.3 million transportation grant,” (CFP 12/08/16) seems benign enough, but a more substance discussion of state money lies behind it. In this divisive political time, it can be rather difficult to have an actual discussion on the merits of any infrastructure plan.

Do we raise money via a gas tax and increase tab fees, do we let private companies take control and create tolls on all our roads, or do we just scrap improvements altogether? It is apparent that this loop project for our area needs to proceed to the second phase.

This funding and project are a great example as to how government should work, putting Americans back to work, with good paying jobs, by using taxpayer money. The Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) is paid for by 3 cents/gallon on the statewide gas tax. TIB gives grants to help communities “enhance the movement of people, goods, and services.”

Everyone who drives a car in our state helps pay for our improvement project.

The private option is not a real option; the employees are not local community members, usually get paid less, have less benefits and would be allowed to create a private toll system, which can interrupt flow of commerce.

This distribution of taxpayer money is exactly what allows us not only to improve our local road projects, but to put our community back to work. I do not believe that the tax revenue from our local gas tax would pay for these improvements alone, we partly rely on the more densely populated areas in our state for these funds.

I hope in these uncertain times, we can see the benefit of infrastructure projects that are taxpayer funded, not greed driven privately funded programs that create local tolls all around our county.

Megan Delaney

Cheney