BRADENTON, Fla. - The Louisiana Transportation Task Force plans to ask potential gubernatorial candidates where they stand on new funding mechanisms to deal with a $12 billion backlog of needs.
The task force, which met for the first time Sept. 10, said it may also support an amendment on the upcoming ballot that would allow state funds to be invested in an infrastructure bank for transportation projects.
The panel is charged with studying new ways of funding state and local road projects in the wake of declining federal and state dollars in established sources, such as gas taxes. Its recommendations are due to legislators by Jan. 15.
"We have to think out of the box and be innovative," said Rep. Karen Gaudet St. Germain, D- Plaquemine, chairwoman of the task force and the House Transportation, Highways, and Public Works Committee.
While Louisiana voters won't decide their next governor until October 2015, well after the task force report is submitted, the panel should hear from announced candidates "to share their plans for the future," said Sen. Robert Adley, R-Benton.
This would give the public an opportunity to hear about where candidates' stand, said Adley, vice chairman of the task force and chairman of the senate's transportation, highways and public works committee.
Gov. Bobby Jindal is not eligible to run for re-election because of term limits, and at least three candidates have publicly declared their intent to run so far - Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, a Republican, U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., and State Rep. John Bel Edwards, D-Amite.
Previous panels that examined transportation funding did not include potential candidates in their deliberations, said Adley.
While stressing that he was not trying to interject politics into the task force's process, or support any one candidate into, Adley said, "We are in a world of politics here."
Task force member Ken Perret, president of the non-profit Louisiana Good Roads and Transportation Association, said there is no single bullet for solving the funding problem but the panel could support issues such as constitutional amendment No. 4 that will appear on the November ballot.
The amendment would allow the treasurer to invest state funds to capitalize a state infrastructure bank for eligible transportation projects.
"This is a good use of our public funds," said Perret.
Funding for the bank would come from the same funds the state already allows the treasurer to invest, said St. Germain, who sponsored the infrastructure bank bill calling for the constitutional vote. "We, as the state, would be investing it back in ourselves," she said.
In an upcoming meeting, the task force is expected to ask a Virginia Department of Transportation representative to discuss that state's comprehensive transportation funding plan enacted in 2013.
Virginia's funding plan had a number of novel features, including replacing the state's motor fuels tax with a 3.5% sales tax on gasoline and a 6% sales tax on diesel fuel, and increasing the state and local sales tax to 5.3% from 5%.
The next task force meeting date was not announced.
