Governor Snyder speaks to Jandernoa Entrepreneurial Mentoring participants at City Flats Hotel in Grand Rapids on Thursday, August 22, 2013.

(Lauren Petracca | MLive.com)

LANSING, MI -- Gov. Rick Snyder is asking residents to speak up if they're willing to invest more in Michigan roads.

Snyder, whose push to increase long-term road funding by more than $1 billion a year has been stuck in the slow lane, made his pitch Thursday night during a televised town hall meeting at WOOD-TV studios in Grand Rapids.

"We need to get more public involvement and the public speaking up to the Legislature and to me to get feedback that people are willing to make that investment," he said. "It's not something that's readily apparent. People are glad to complain about roads, but very few people raise their hand to say they're willing to make an investment."

The Republican governor began talking about increased road funding during his state of the state address in January, and he included a plan to increase registration fees and fuel taxes in his March budget proposal.

The higher fees and taxes would have cost Michigan families $10 per month per vehicle in order to maintain roads at a "good" level, he said, while creating new construction jobs and safer roads.

His proposal went nowhere in Lansing, and Snyder has been meeting with legislative leaders this summer in hopes of finding an alternative solution. They have been debating a plan that would devote all existing taxes paid at the pump to roads while increasing the state's 6 percent sales tax by one or two cents on the dollar to make up for lost revenue for schools and cities.

The possibility of a tax increase of any kind will become increasingly unlikely as the 2014 election season approaches if lawmakers do not feel there is public support. The sales tax solution would require a 2/3 majority in the state Legislature in order to put the question before voters in a statewide election, most likely next year.

Republican state Rep. Matt Lori of Constantine, who joined Snyder at Friday's town hall, said he believes the sales tax idea "has some legs" and should be looked at more closely. But Republican state Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons of Alto has already called it a non-starter for her.

"I am willing to seek solutions, but this proposal misses the mark," Lyons said last week, "and I will lead the charge to ensure it does not get the 2/3 votes in the House to put it on the ballot."

Snyder does not have an official position on the sales tax proposal and said Thursday that he is willing to consider any viable source for long-term road funding.

"I'm going to keep on suggesting that we keep on putting some resources towards roads until we solve it," he said. "We need the support of the public, and right now, I'm not sure the public is excited enough or concerned enough to do it."

Jonathan Oosting is a Capitol reporter for MLive Media Group. Email him, find him on Google+ or follow him on Twitter.