Rozenboom Talks Energy And Roads
Sen. Ken Rozenboom (R-Oskaloosa) address a packed house at Eggs & Issues. (file photo)
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The 2015 version of the Iowa Legislative session kicks off this week. On Tuesday, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad will deliver his Condition of the State address to a joint session of the legislature. Included will be the Iowa Supreme Court and other high ranking elected officials.
Iowa state senator Ken Rozenboom will be on hand for the address. Rozenboom represents Mahaska County in the Iowa Senate for District 40.
Appropriations is something that Rozenboom will have firsthand experience with being on the Appropriations Committee. That committee determines “how much money we spend and how we spend it,” says Rozenboom.
“Before we leave Des Moines in May, hopefully, we’ll have a balanced budget. I suspect it won’t be one I agree with, because Senate Democrats and House call the shots on that,” says Rozenboom.
Rozenboom says that Branstad has put road and infrastructure funding at “front and center”.
“Republicans don’t like to raise taxes, and I don’t like to raise taxes,” said Rozenboom. “For many, the argument has been, we have enough money, 7 billion dollars, coming into the state.” Rozenboom said that possibly re-prioritizing the spending could take care of fundamental government responsibility, like roads and infrastructure, “without sending a bill to the taxpayers.”
“Having said that, I mentioned earlier the divided legislature. While we disagree on how much money to spend, and how to spend it, our roads continue to deteriorate.”
Rozenboom said he is bothered by government “kicking the can down the road” in regard to “sending the bill to our children and grandchildren.”
“In two respects that’s what we’re doing with roads right now, in my view,” Rozenboom added. “We’re refusing, for whatever reason, to deal with it and if we continue to push back maintenance and necessary activity on roads, we’re in effect pushing it onto the people that follow us. That’s one way I think we’re passing the problem on to other people.”
“The second way is, counties have begun bonding because they have to do something to fix roads and bridges,” Rozenboom said. He says that 30 counties, so far, have bonded to the tune of 208 million dollars. “Bonds will be paid off over time, another way of passing the problem on to somebody who follows us.”
“I’m not comfortable with doing that,” said Rozenboom. “I’m listening very closely to what options we have to do something.”
Rozenboom says there are two important factors needed for him to support a measure that would index the tax versus the current flat tax revenue method.
But the recent drop in gas prices, we are currently experiencing, would also mean less revenue for the state for those road projects.
“But the other thing that is huge to me is the Time-21 formula that showed up when we raised registration fees a few years ago. Rozenboom explained that the fees are now split with the road use funding dollars. Instead of 32.5 cents going to the county, only 20 cents goes to the counties now. “The state took the extra,” says Rozenboom.
According to the Iowa DOT website, Time-21 breaks down like this;
“In 2008, an additional source of state revenue was established through legislation creating a separate “TIME-21” funding stream. This revenue is dedicated primarily to maintenance and construction of certain primary highways in the state (60 percent), but also of secondary roads (20 percent) and municipal streets (20 percent).”
“Most of us in rural counties realize that the problem is primarily farm-to-market roads and bridges, gravel roads. It’s not hard finding someone complaining about nice roads and blue pedestrian bridges over 235 in Des Moines, while they’ve got a bridge a quarter mile away that needs attention.”
Energy production and transport has been one of those topics that gained a lot of attention in Mahaska County during the past year. A proposed wind farm in the northwest portion of the county and a possible oil transport pipeline have all been extensively discussed, and currently are moving forward in their respective areas.
Rozenboom said he is listening to the conversations that are taking place from parties that are concerned about the use of eminent domain “for what ends up being a private company,” in regard to the possible oil pipeline.
Rozenboom said, “that’s a concern for some people.”
Another energy conversation that may be taking place is called the Clean Line. It’s being proposed to move the thousands of mega-watts of electricity generated in Iowa wind farms to the Chicago area. This particular infrastructure won’t impact any areas within District 40, but instead northern Iowa. These types of projects show the importance Iowa is starting to play in the production of alternative energy.
Eggs & Issues will kick off the legislative portion on January 24th inside Smokey Row in Oskaloosa. The conversation begins at 8:30 am.
