Richardville on gas tax: 'not excited'

LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) - There's been a lot of talk in Lansing about increasing the gas tax to fund road repairs. That same proposal would also raise the cost of vehicle registration by 67%. The plan would have raised between $1 billion and $1.5 billion to for road repair.

Gov. Rick Snyder has told 24 Hour News 8 that it's important to put more money toward infrastructure repair -- in fact, he mentioned it in his State of the State Address in mid-January.

And one of the sponsors of the bills that told 24 Hour News 8 in January that the repairs will cost more in the long run if action is taken later rather than sooner.

This week, however, Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville,  who controls much of what happens in the Michigan Senate, seemed to take a lot of air out of the road tax balloon when asked how people are responding to the plan.

"It's got to be causing a lot of angst back home because it sounds like we're going to be raising fees, raising gas taxes, raising taxes -- and all of this for our roads," said Richardville, a Republican.

He said the legislature has yet to come to a consensus about the best course of action.

"The only thing we've agreed on so far is that we have problems with our roads," said Richardville. "I'm fundamentally opposed to increasing the gas tax and I don't think the legislature's going to go along with that. Raising fees? I don't think we are excited about that either."

Richardville doesn't have the final say on the issue. but if the majority leader says that he doesn't think the legislature is "going to go along" and that he is "fundamentally opposed," it is a pretty good guess that this plan is not going anywhere -- even though it is similar to one floated by the governor -- also a Republican --last year.

Richardville also categorically ruled out taking up the issue of building another bridge to Canada again. He said wishes the Snyder luck, but the Senate is not going to get involved.

There will be more from Sen. Richardville and from Vice President Joe Biden on Sunday at 10 a.m. on "To The Point."