Scroll back in your memory to the precedented days before the pandemic when we were concerned about things like potholes on the roads we drove to work and school.
Now "fix the damn roads," is back with a vengeance as freep.com reports Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is poised to request a record high amount of money to fix Michigan's potholes.
During her State of the State address tonight, Whitmer is poised to request $3.6 billion for roads -- a record high, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Will it fly? "After the Republican-controlled Legislature rejected her 2019 proposal to increase fuel taxes by 45 cents per gallon, Whitmer also said she is ready to put her support behind legislation to give local governments more options to raise their own money to fix local roads and bridges," the freep reported. "That could include bipartisan legislation introduced in 2019 that would allow counties to levy their own gas taxes on fuel sold within their county and vehicle registration fees on their county's residents, if the taxes are first approved by voters."
For her part, Whitmer said, "While in 2020, certainly, we have all rightfully focused on COVID, we still have been at work moving dirt and we're making progress."
Beyond roads, Whitmer is planning to seek "common ground" with Republicans during her speech at 7 p.m. Wednesday, which will be carried live on WWJ 950. She also plans to pitch a multibillion dollar pandemic relief plan that will prioritize vaccinations and aid to schools and businesses.
Related
Whitmer said that proposal will take up "a big chunk" of her address. She'll also urge approval of a $500 million initiative to upgrade water and water infrastructure.