Kansas to raise tolls to pay for college profs' digs
Kansas tolls for college profs digs still not dead
Toll Road News
Wed, 2007-04-11
Kansas legislators still see the need for the government to bail out a bunch of state colleges because the professors' digs are in need of rehab, and the state's governor Kathleen Sibelius hasn't abandoned her January proposal to raise tolls on the Turnpike. The higher tolls would support $300m in loans to the colleges for repairs and deferred maintenance.
Legislators haven't acted on the governor's proposal. Most agree with the Turnpike that any profits should be plowed back into the road. Kansas house majority leader Ray Merrick thought the colleges should raise more money themselves by increasing tuition fees. Students hopefully benefit from college education in better jobs and higher incomes so higher 'user fees' made sense.
However Merrick's view isn't flying. Other legislators, and the governor want to keep the profs on the state's gravy train. Trouble is they can't agree what gravy train!
So the possibility remains of the Turnpike tolls being used to fix the college digs.
Tolls up 5% Jul 1
Meanwhile preplanned toll increases on the Turnpike have been confirmed for July 1.
Toll increases will average 5%. The last toll increase was in 2004, also 5%.
Tolls will rise:
- for cars from the present 3.78c/mile (2.3c/km) will rise to 4c/mi (2.4c/km)
- for tractor trailers from 11.1c/mi (6.8c/km) go up to 11.7c/mile (7.1c/km)
- for long triples with 9 axles from 27c/mi (16.6c/m) to 28c/mi (17c/km)
CEO Michael Johnson says the Turnpike plans to make these kind of modest increases in tolls on a regular basis every year or two rather than allow the buying power of toll revenue to deteriorate over long periods requiring "huge" increases.