Much to consider as both city and county of La Crosse consider a wheel tax

There is much to consider as both the city and county of La Crosse float the idea of adopting some form of a wheel tax. La Crosse County voters will be asked in November their thoughts about generating more money to pay for road repairs in an advisory referendum, while the city is considering legislation to adopt a wheel tax of its own. That will likely lead to some confusion for people in both the city and the county. Is a city wheel tax better, or is a new county tax the way to go? Or are neither a good idea? The questions on the ballot for La Crosse county voters in November will ask whether the county should impose an annual wheel tax of $56 per registered vehicle. Other ideas to be floated by voters include raising the property tax as a way to pay for road repairs, or adopting a new tax, called PRAT, that would be imposed on a number of tourism related businesses. The city’s wheel tax, if adopted by the council, would be $25 per vehicle. If I live in the city of La Crosse, that sounds like a better deal. It is less money, and that money would be used to pay for road repairs in the city. The county wheel tax would cost me more, and the money would pay for repairing roads in the county, but mostly outside La Crosse city limits. There are many questions to consider. That is why it is important for those interested to attend upcoming public hearings on the idea of a city wheel tax. Two meetings are scheduled, the first of which is August 27. Before deciding whether a city or county-wide wheel tax is the way to go, or neither option, we will need to have a lot more information.