Local governments are seeing the first of the additional local road funding provided by the 2019-2021 budget. Last month Governor Tony Evers announced that local governments received quarterly payments totaling $132,198,446 for General Transportation Aids, Connecting Highway Aids and Expressway Policing Aids from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).
“We’re taking the first steps in providing municipalities with the additional resources they need to prioritize and complete badly needed improvements to local roadways,” Governor Evers said. For calendar year 2020, local governments will receive an estimated $521 million to offset transportation related projects. This is a ten percent increase over the last budget.
January general transportation payments to Wisconsin’s 1,922 local units of government include:
$126,426,597 in General Transportation Aids (GTA);
$3,015,875 to 117 municipalities entitled to receive Connecting Highway Aids; and
$255,975 to Milwaukee County for Expressway Policing Aids.
January payments also includes $2.5 million in Supplemental Transportation Aid to 137 eligible towns, a technical fix to address a town funding formula issue.
“The increase in these payments, combined with the pending $75 million in Multimodal Local Supplement grants, better positions locals,” says Secretary-designee Craig Thompson. “With ninety percent of our highways under local jurisdiction, it’s imperative that we provide necessary support for these critical roads.”
Quarterly payments for cities, towns and villages are sent the first Monday in January, April, July and October. County payments are made in three installments, with 25 percent of the total annual payment on the first Monday in January; 50 percent on the first Monday in July; and 25 percent on the first Monday in October.
GTA help defray the costs of constructing, maintaining, and operating roads and streets under local jurisdiction. Connecting Highway Aids reimburse municipalities for maintenance and traffic control of local roads that connect segments of the state highway system.
Communities also receive state transportation fund revenues for public transit, elderly and disabled transportation, and airport and harbor development. Local communities may also receive state and federal funds for specific highway and bridge construction projects.
A list of local payments is available on the GTA webpage: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/doing-bus/local-gov/astnce-pgms/highway/gta.aspx