Republicans and Democrats should start transportation talks now, former Gov. Tommy Thompson says

MADISON - If Republicans and Democrats are going to reach a transportation deal, they need to start talking now, former Gov. Tommy Thompson said ahead of a conference on road funding.

“Communication is foremost. It’s not Einstein logic. It’s just basically common sense,” Thompson said in an interview Friday.

And those talks should start now — not in June when the state budget is due, he said.

“I don’t see how the heat of summer is going to make it any easier,” he said. “I think the sooner they start talking, the sooner they’re going to be able to find that path forward.”

Thompson is optimistic, but so far Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republicans who control the Legislature are talking very little.

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Complicating the issue, Republicans are split on how to fund roads. A dispute on the issue held up the last state budget for three months even though at the time Republicans controlled all of state government.

“I think they should have been able to work it out last time,” Thompson said. “And I think they should be able to work it out this time.”

In part to help prod talks this time, a University of Wisconsin center named for Thompson is hosting a conference on the issue Friday  at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee.

The Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership event will feature panel discussions on transportation funding, public transit and the movement of freight.

The event will include a presentation by Evers’ transportation secretary, Craig Thompson, as well as appearances by Republican state Sen. Jerry Petrowski of Marathon and one of former Gov. Scott Walker’s transportation secretaries, Mark Gottlieb.

To pay for roads, Evers has proposed increasing heavy truck fees by 27% and raising the gas tax by 8 cents a gallon, from 32.9 cents to 40.9 cents. In addition, the gas tax would automatically increase annually by an inflationary amount — about 1 cent a year under current inflation rates.

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Republicans have not said what they will do on the issue as they work on the state budget over the coming months.

Tommy Thompson said he believes the state needs more money for roads but said it would be unfair to current officials for him to say whether it should get the funds by raising the gas tax or some other means.

A Marquette University Law School poll this month found 57% wanted to keep gas taxes and vehicle fees at current rates. Just 39% supported raising them.

Policymakers need to keep those findings in mind, Thompson said.

“I think it’s going to be difficult to persuade the vast majority of people that a gasoline tax increase is in their best interest,” he said. “It may be if you get better roads, but the poll was pretty emphatic that the people were saying no, so you’ve got to take that into consideration.”

Some Republicans have raised the possibility of tolling highways as a way to fund roads and that option will be discussed at Thursday’s event.

“I think it should be considered,” Thompson said of tolling. “I don’t know if Wisconsin is ready for it — that’s a different question.”

Contact Patrick Marley at patrick.marley@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @patrickdmarley.