MORE TOLL NUMBERS AND A PROPOSED ALTERNATIVE

More numbers on the toll and a proposed alternative:

The PBA and others do want safe bridges and do support the maintenance of them. 

The PBA and others do not want the toll on the Pell to go up.  Again, we do not want the toll on the Pell to go up.

However, we believe the core of the issue is that “it is not an income problem, it is a spending problem.”

Millions of dollars in tax revenue has been collected over decades in the name of gas tax, license fees, tag fees, inspection stickers, etc.  All from cars related to driving and collected ostensibly for road and bridge maintenance.

However, these funds went into the General Fund.  There, money becomes fungible.  And over time, more money went to projects and programs other than for road and bridge maintenance. 

That caused RIDOT and RITBA to issue bonds to get funds to do road and bridge maintenance.  Now both RIDOT and RITBA are feeling the debt pinch because of a series of less than optimal decisions over the last several decades.

And that is where the plan to toll the Sakonnet comes into play.  And the plan to put a toll on the Sakonnet has been characterized as “the easiest chicken to pluck.”  And that exactly is another example of the less than optimal decision making that has led us into this exact situation.

Since last September, the East Bay legislatures have asked for ideas on how to pay for bridge maintenance.

We have proposed this before and we submit it again for consideration.

RIDOT and RITBA need/want $38 million each year for the next ten years for the four bridges to Aquidneck Island.  After ten years, both will be out of debt and will have roughly another $100-$125 million to spend on road and bridge maintenance annually.

The state budget is $8 billion dollars.  One half of one percent of $8 billion is $40 million.

It is within the realm of possibility that the General assembly could reduce spending equally across the board in each state sub-budget by one-half of one percent.  This would raise more than enough funds for RIDOT and RITBA.

AND IT MEANS THE TOLL COULD COME OFF OF THE PELL BRIDGE!  YES, IT DOES.

Senator Raptakis and others recently submitted Senate Bill 266 to establish an Office of the Inspector General in the state to combat fraud, waste and abuse.

The fraud, waste and abuse that Ken Block showed us was there.

Let Ken Block and Simplicity and the RI State IG help the General Assembly find $40 million a year to give to RIDOT and RITBA.  This will allow the General Assembly to take the toll off of the Pell and not put a toll on the Sakonnet. 

Many, many entities win from this proposed solution.