LANSING, MI (WTVB) – Branch County’s representatives in the Michigan legislature yesterday both said yes to a package of bills that will raise $1.2 billion a year for road repairs in Michigan. The measures that Republican Eric Leutheuser in the House and GOP State Senator Mike Shirkey voted in favor of are headed to Governor Snyder’s desk for his signature.
The new plan raises fuel taxes by 7.3 cents a gallon and hikes vehicle registration fees by 20 percent. The registration fee bill passed the House by a single vote, 54-53. Both of those increases take effect in 2017, and the bills shift money out of the General Fund for roads, along with expanding the Homestead Property Tax Credit.
Governor Snyder said he was pleased that after several years of efforts, lawmakers passed the bills that he called the largest investment in transportation over the last 50 years in the State of Michigan. Snyder also noted it was the first major increase in vehicle registration fees over the last 30 years.
