

Other View: Walker's road budget borrows too much

3:14 PM, Apr. 1, 2013  |  Comments
Gov. Scott Walker's proposed budget borrows nearly $1 billion for road projects.
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Wisconsin seems to be in a better place financially this year compared to 2012.

Even so, we're confused about why Gov. Scott Walker included in his budget a plan to borrow nearly $1 billion for road projects. We thought Wisconsin couldn't afford things like this.

If course, we want Wisconsin's roads to be safe and convenient to use. We appreciate Walker's focus on maintaining our infrastructure instead of initiating new projects.

But $1 billion is too much money right now, and lawmakers in both parties are right to be skeptical about borrowing that much.

Walker's transportation budget isn't all about spending, though money for the Zoo Interchange and the Hoan Bridge in the Milwaukee area are included. He also is asking for a review of the projects that state has in the works over the next few years.

We applaud that effort to find savings, because surely there are projects that can be delayed or scaled down. But those savings can't make up for the massive amount Walker wants to borrow.

To fund the projects, Walker also proposes using money from the general fund and moving transit expenses out of the transportation fund. That means there would be less money in the general fund for things like schools. That seems short-sighted.

Finally, one of the ways the Department of Transportation will try to save money is by hiring more workers instead of contracting out their jobs. If it actually does produce savings for the state to have more engineers on staff, it's worthwhile.

In the end, Walker's plan to borrow $994 million isn't a good deal for taxpayers. It's wise to invest in the future, but not at a pace that sets us up for failure down the road.

- Appleton Post-Crescent

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