Last week, Cass County road commissioner Pete Fouriner discussed the plans in the works by the lawmakers of the state’s House and Senate. Similar to the previous road proposal that was voted down in May, this proposed solution seems to have as many cracks and holes as the roads the political leaders are attempting to fix.

We stand behind our previous statements endorsing the need for a solution, but with the added time our political leaders have had to come up with a solution, the complications that accompany the proposal seem too plentiful.

We appreciate the commissioner for providing this update and for looking out for the county’s needs. If Fournier’s prediction that the “lock box” fund will lead to more state road fixes than local road fixes, we believe the proposal is not an adequate solution.

Sen. John Proos’ concern that Michigan residents will travel across state lines to get gas if the proposed 34-cent tax is inacted is a valid cause of trepidation as well.

Living so close to the state line as we do, we are quite familiar with the practice of crossing into Indiana to purchase goods that are more affordable. As Michigan has seen in similar cases with cigarette tax and bottle and aluminum deposits, if forced to pay more, many locals will take their business elsewhere. It is simply too convenient to travel the extra five to 10 minutes if it means saving several dollars, in this case, on a staple that the majority of the population utilizes.

With Michigan’s economy finally bouncing back, we cannot afford to lose such a large amount of business to a neighboring state, and such a risk is even more difficult to support with the risk of funding being disseminated more to state-owned roads than local issues.

Once again, we ask our local leaders to put their heads together to find a stronger solution without so many faults.

 

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of Publisher Michael Caldwell and editors Ambrosia Neldon, Craig Haupert, Ted Yoakum and Scott Novak.