Voters have voice on state transportation spending

On Nov. 2 residents of Lincoln County will have the opportunity to vote on a specific piece of public policy. That's because the Lincoln County Board voted to place the following advisory referendum question on the fall ballot: Should the Wisconsin Constitution be amended to prohibit any further transfers or lapses from the segregated transportation fund?

The Lincoln County Board, along with 53 other counties in this state took a leadership role to give its citizens a voice on how transportation funds should be spent in this state.

In less than a decade, more than $1.3 billion has been diverted from the transportation fund to fill shortfalls in Wisconsin's general fund. Yet the money in the transportation fund comes mostly from the gas tax that we all pay at the pump and from vehicle registration fees. This money has historically been dedicated for transportation programs and projects.

These recent raids have not fixed any existing problems but have created new ones. For example, Wisconsin's general fund will face yet another shortfall in the