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County board candidate Bill Feehan criticizes La Crosse County for not spending more money on improving roads
La Crosse County could be investing more money on fixing and maintaining roads, but it’s spending the cash it has in other areas instead, according to county board candidate Bill Feehan.
Joining La Crosse Talk host Mike Hayes on WIZM for two different segments, Feehan said Monday that reports are showing almost every other Wisconsin county spends more per person on highway needs than La Crosse.
Feehan, who is up against Kelly Leibold for the District 1 County Board seat, says $22 million in federal ARPA relief money for the county could have been used in part to fund road projects.
Next year, the county will be spending a record $14.6 million on road funding.
La Crosse Talk airs weekdays 6-9 a.m. Listen on the WIZM app, online here, or on 92.3 FM / 1410 AM / 106.7 FM (north of Onalaska). Find all the podcasts here.
Feehan said that much of the ARPA funding was allocated to a redevelopment of the Hillview Healthcare Center, which will transform the nursing home into a child care-senior care center, bridge housing, Community Based Residential Facilities (CBRF) — which is another form of senior care and added crisis stabilization beds.
Feehan, who is the 3rd US House District Republican Party chair, said county leaders are “pretending” that they have increased money for road work.
“Even with the increase in spending that did pass, we’re basically half of what the median county in Wisconsin spends per capita on roads,” Feehan said.
He cited reports ranking La Crosse County in the bottom 10 among Wisconsin counties on financing for road projects, per person, and added that the county board recently voted to reduce road spending by roughly a million dollars.
Feehan also cited studies showing that less than half of the county’s roads are considered “good.”
“Forty-four percent of our roads are rated good, that’s 124 miles,” Feehan said. “Thirty-seven percent are rated ‘fair,’ that’s 104 miles, and 19 per cent, that’s 53 miles, are rated ‘poor.'”
Feehan is a former county supervisor who has declared as a candidate in the April election for the District 1 seat held by Andrea Richmond, who will not be running.
