Incoming Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons has made it clear that he's not interesting in raising taxes-- but the Associated Press reports (sorry, no link) that new estimates from state transportation officials are prompting tough questions about whether this is a tenable stance:
Nevada transportation officials presented state lawmakers with a list of road-building projects they want to start by 2015 but added Thursday that they're are $3.8 billion short of the funds needed for the work.
Gibbons won't accept a gas tax hike to close this funding gap, and his current budget proposal would even reduce funding for transportation needs:
The Nevada Department of Transportation, which gets no money from the state's general fund, made a budget request to spend $1.4 billion in gas taxes, fees and federal funds over the next two years, a nearly 4 percent reduction from its
current budget.
The question of the year may be whether Gibbons' alternative ideas for funding transportation-- primarily, engaging in public-private partnerships-- will be a workable and politically acceptable means of shoring up the state's transportation infrastructure. Stay tuned...
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