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State funding for local roads would nearly double under a state constitutional amendment being pushed by an environmental group.

If lawmakers and voters agree with the idea from 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin, the amendment would send half of all state gas tax and vehicle fee revenue to local governments for building and maintaining local roads.

Based on current funding levels, that would boost local road aid by $901 million over two years - from $928 million in the 2011-'13 state budget to almost $1.83 billion - while chopping the same amount from highways and other transportation programs.

At the same time, a blue-ribbon study panel is considering a wide variety of possible changes in how to pay for transportation, from standard options such as raising the gas tax or imposing tolls to more exotic concepts such as charging drivers by how many miles they drive or boosting registration fees for hybrids and electric vehicles.

The Transportation Finance & Policy Commission, an advisory body created by the Legislature, is trying to find a way to pay for growing transportation needs at a time when state residents are driving less and turning to more fuel-efficient vehicles, cutting into the gas tax revenue that now pays much of the cost of roads and buses.

One option would be to tax drivers by miles driven instead of gas purchased, either through installing tracking devices in everyone's cars or through asking drivers to report their odometer readings, said Beth Nachreiner, the panel's staff director. That likely would raise privacy concerns, although it eventually may replace gas taxes nationwide, said Kevin Traas, director of transportation policy and finance for the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association.

Another option would be to add $75 to the annual registration fee for hybrid and electric vehicles, to recoup some of the $125 a year that their owners save on gas taxes, Nachreiner said.

All of those ideas could face significant hurdles to becoming reality, however. The commission is undertaking at least the third major review of Wisconsin's transportation finance system, and previous efforts did not result in sweeping changes.

For that matter, previous efforts to boost funding for local roads and public transit systems haven't gone very far, either, and the current state budget actually reduced local road and transit aid. That frustrated local officials, environmentalists and transit advocates, leading to the proposed amendment.

Local roads constitute 90% of roads in Wisconsin and account for 40% of miles driven, but they only get 30% of money collected from gas taxes, vehicle registration fees and driver's license fees, said Steve Hiniker, executive director of 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin. Contrary to claims that user fees pay for roads, property taxes cover 80% of local road costs, Hiniker said.

By contrast, only 10% of Wisconsin roads are state highways, but they account for 60% of miles driven and receive 62% of the revenue from gas taxes and other fees, Hiniker said. The remaining 8% of state transportation revenue is split among transit aid, the Division of Motor Vehicles and other programs.

Hiniker argued that local roads are vital to the economy and deserve a larger share of state revenue.

Road builders agree local roads deserve more money but don't think that funding should come at the expense of state highways, which also play a crucial economic role, Traas said. For their part, local officials agree state highways are important, but almost everyone who drives on those highways needs local roads to reach their final destinations, countered Dan Thompson, executive director of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities.

Neither organization has taken a stand yet on the proposed constitutional amendment. But they were on opposite sides of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's " Fix Local Roads First" plan, which by comparison would require a more modest funding shift than the amendment.

The Barrett plan would cut $112 million from the major state highways budget and increase the local roads budget by the same amount over a four-year period, while changing the current funding formula to give proportionately more aid to cities and villages than to counties and towns. That latter provision divided local officials and even drew opposition from Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, usually a Barrett ally.

Barrett presented his plan to the state commission in March. Madison Ald. Mark Clear presented the 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin amendment to the panel in July. Both plans, and other local road funding ideas, are under discussion by a subcommittee, said Transportation Secretary Mark Gottlieb, the commission chairman.

Meanwhile, 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin has started seeking endorsements from local governments, Hiniker said. To become part of the constitution, the amendment must be approved by both houses of the Legislature in two consecutive sessions and then pass in a statewide referendum.

Neither the amendment nor the Barrett plan would deal with transit funding. Transit systems could benefit indirectly, however, if more state aid flows to local roads, freeing property tax dollars for buses, Hiniker said.

In addition to charging drivers by mileage and boosting hybrid registration fees, financing options being considered by the state commission include:

Raising the gas tax, vehicle registration fees and driver's license fees.

Returning to automatic gas tax increases linked to inflation, possibly with a "catch-up" boost to make up for the past six years without such increases.

Extending the state sales tax to gas purchases.

Restructuring vehicle registration fees, by linking them to vehicles' age, weight or value or to inflation.

Charging tolls on state highways, to the extent allowed by federal law.

The commission started talking about possible recommendations Thursday, after 10 months of gathering information and ideas. Final recommendations could come this fall, Gottlieb said.