Gas tax debate moves to Ohio Senate committee Monday

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX/WTTE) — The Ohio Senate Transportation, Commerce, and Workforce Committee is beginning consideration of a 10.7-cent increase in the state's gasoline tax Monday afternoon.

Ohio House members passed the increase last week, along with a 20-cent tax increase in diesel.

However, Ohio Department of Transportation Director Jack Marchbanks is trying to convince lawmakers to pass an 18-cent tax increase.

“People are complaining about potholes and bad roadways, this is just the beginning. If we continue to defer maintenance the roadways will become significantly worse,” Marchbanks said to Jackie Orozco in an exclusive one-on-one interview last week.

The added tax revenue would go to fixing roads and bridges, but ODOT said the lower tax isn't enough to make the roads safer.

It's something that's been ignored for more than a decade, Orozco reported.

“It’s a user fee. Short term pain for long term gain. What we’re talking about is a more mobile, safe system for everyone who drives in Ohio,” said the director.

Marchbanks said 18 cents may sound like a lot, but that number didn't come from thin air.

“Since 2007 people have known, leadership in the Taft administration, the Strickland administration, the Kasich administration have known that we’ve been running a billion dollar deficit for over a decade,” he said.

Marchbanks said an 18-cent gas tax increase will generate $1.2 billion dollars a year, and 98 percent of ODOT's budget can only come from the gas tax. So, he said, the 10.7 cents won't cut it.

“We will not be able to continue to work on the project such as Interstate 70/71 right here in Columbus because 10.7 cents basically turns us into a maintenance organization,” said Marchbanks.

Governor Mike DeWine supports the higher tax, saying it's needed to "do the job right."

"The House-passed bill is far from ideal, but I appreciate the strong bipartisan acknowledgement that our state and local jurisdictions have a major revenue shortage to deal with vital transportation needs," DeWine said. "I plan to work with the Senate to improve the House-passed bill and work toward a final agreement that funds vital maintenance, new construction, promotes jobs, makes our state more competitive, and enhances safety for the driving public."

But not all lawmakers are on the same page.

"I have like 40 percent of my constituents that don’t even have a car,” said Rep. Stephanie Howse.

But ODOT is not giving up and will continue to fight for better roads across the state.

“We are thankful that the Ohio House has agreed with Governor DeWine that investment in our system is necessary that we can’t delay it anymore but we are still of the opinion, we are still convinced in fact that we need 18 cents,” said Marchbanks.

For more information about the proposed gas tax you can visit: https://beta.transportation.ohio.gov/budget.