The city council is working on a plan for a 5-cent/gallon local gas tax that would have motorists pay an estimated million-plus dollars a year more at Albany stations than they otherwise would. The money would go for street repairs, and voters are to get their say in May.
Albany seems to be headed for an election on a local fuel tax of 5 cents a gallon this November, judging by the city council’s discussion Monday. The tax might raise about $1.25 million a year for street repairs.
The Albany City Council seems open to the idea of putting a local gas tax before the voters this fall. That’s the impression I got after catching the tail end of a council work session on Monday.
A local gas tax for Albany? You won’t have to worry about this for a while. The city council is making no move to put it on the ballot in the Nov. 8 general election. And whether it will try in 2017 is anybody’s guess.
It’s early yet, and no one knows how far this idea is going to go, but there’s been talk of Albany voters being asked what they think of a local gas tax to pay for repairing city streets. The subject came up most recently at the city council meeting Wednesday night.
The pavement on many of Albany’s older residential streets has been in pretty poor shape for years and isn’t getting any better. Mayor Sharon Konopa thinks that a local gas tax would enable the city to make progress on that front.
Albany gas tax: Two vote no
In the May 15 primary, Albany voters will be asked to approve a city gas tax of 5 cents per gallon. But two councilmen say the idea of a local tax on motor fuel is either wrong or premature.
Tags: Albany gas tax, Kellum, Mayor Konopa, Sykes