Wisconsin's Road System Road Cost Tax & Fee Revenue

Local Roads (2007) *

General Transportation Costs
Counties $468,752,365
Towns $325,613,530
Villages & Cities $1,096,623,525 Local property taxes, state sales & income $1,478,916,320
taxes, or other non-transportation revenue

State Transportation Fund payments:

Special Transportation Costs • State General Transportation Aid (2009 for 2007) $412,073,100
Connecting highways $12,900,000 • Connecting Highway Aid (2009) $12,900,000
Swing or lift bridges $2,189,990 • Lift Bridge Aid (paid in 2008 for 2007) $2,189,990

Local Total $1,906,079,410 $1,906,079,410

State Roads (2007-2008)**

Highway Programs
80% of Debt Service
80% of State Patrol
80% of General Admin.
$1,379,345,400 State Transportation Fund: Includes revenue
$149,996,240 from motor vehicle fuel tax, vehicle
$54,431,760 registration fees, drier license fees, and
$81,817,280 federal transportion funds (financed mostly
with federal motor vehicle fuel tax)

State Total $1,665,590,680 $1,665,590,680

Total Road System $3,571,670,090 $3,571,670,090

Subsidy from property taxes, sales taxes, income taxes & other non-user taxes and fees 41%
Financing from road user taxes and fees 58%

* Al Runde, Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Buream, "Transportation Aid (General Transportation and Connecting Highway Aid)",
Informational Paper 22, January 2009. Local road costs are from Table 2, "Distribution of 2009 Total General Transportation
Aid Payments," p. 4. State payment is from Table 1, "Total General Transportation Aid Payments," p. 1.
Local governments must levy property taxes, or use Shared Revenue payments received from the state (financed primarily with
state sales and income tax revenue), or other non-transportation revenue to make up for the $1.5 billion shortfall between their
$1.9 billion in local road costs and $388 million in General Transportation Aids received from the state.
"General transportation aid is paid to local governments (counties, cities, villages, and towns) to assist in the maintenance,
improvement,and construction of local roads. Aid payments are made from the state'ssegegated transportation fund, which
includes revenues from the motor taxes and fees." p. 1.

** Jon Dyck, Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau, "Transportation Finance," Informational Paper 40, January 2009. State road
costs are from Table 11, "Allocation of the Three Major Transportation Revenue Sources Among All Functions," p. 12. It is
assumed that 80% of the state's total debt service and only 80% of the state's cost for the State Patrol
are attributable to the state road system. The entire funding for the state road system comes from the State Transportation Fund.

NOTE: Several non-road programs, funded from the State Transportation Fund, are not discussed in this analysis, including
Mass Transit Aids ($158 million) and Railroads, Harbors, and Airports ($120 million).