While we chat about Barry Road, did you see the article about roads in yesterday's KC Star? The economy, fuel efficient cars and just plain lower use have begun to take a toll on tax revenue, beginning at the federal level. Cars like the Chevy Volt, which use little or no gasoline, pose a serious threat to road tax revenue. My company car is a Camry Hybrid, nice vehicle, which runs on battery quite a bit on short trips. Battery operation means fewer trips to Quick Trip, less taxes paid to the various taxing entities. (Don't forget Gene's idea of going all-electric for boats on the lake as well). Solution?
The University of Iowa has received an extension of a grant to continue the investigation of pay by the mile. High tech approach= GPS devices account for miles driven which then could used to calculate a road tax (should have bought Garmin stock a long time ago). Alternate methods include the low tech method which would be a speedometer check from one point in time to another and calculate mileage...and taxes.
So the times they are a changing. Pay by the bag garbage service, Pay by the flush sewer service and Pay by the mile car/truck taxes. What's the adage about death and taxes? Me, I'm taking a bike ride around the lake.
Apparently WLIC jumped the gun on festivities...court rooom fireworks are scheduled for September regarding the Costello issue:
