Transportation aid paid to area municipalities
Local governments are seeing the first of the additional local road funding provided by the 2019-21 budget. Governor Tony Evers announced that local governments received quarterly payments totaling $132,198,446 for General Transportation Aids, Connecting Highway Aids and Expressway Policing Aids from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).
“We’re taking the first steps in providing municipalities with the additional resources they need to prioritize and complete badly needed improvements to local roadways,” Evers said in a release issued by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
For calendar year 2020, local governments will receive an estimated $521 million to offset transportation related projects. This is a 10 percent increase over the last budget.
January general transportation payments to Wisconsin’s 1,922 local units of government include:
• $126,426,597 in General Transportation Aids (GTA);
• $3,015,875 to 117 municipalities entitled to receive Connecting Highway Aids;
• $255,975 to Milwaukee County for Expressway Policing Aids.
Locally, Trempealeau County received $239,718.81 in general transportation aid.
The municipalities within the county to receive the most aid were the town and city of Arcadia. The town of Arcadia received $85,226.04, while the city received $76,998.71.
After Arcadia, the city that received the most general transportation aid was Osseo at $36,945.10, followed by Whitehall, $25,412.23; Galesville, $25,096.94; Independence, $22,374.71 and Blair, $14,299.62.
Ettrick received the second most amongst townships at $57,342.96 followed by Gale, $50,004.27; Hale, $49,518.09; Preston, $45,871.74; Trempealeau, $38,197.98; Unity, $25,044.84; Pigeon, $22,669.21; Lincoln, $21,970.08; Chimney Rock, $20,899.17; Sumner, $20,636.37; Albion, $19,624.59; Burnside, $18,507.69; Caledonia, $17,561.61 and Dodge, $11,781.
Trempealeau received by far the most amongst village in Trempealeau County at $25,665.02. Strum was second, receiving $13,022.56 followed by Eleva, $10,285.31; Ettrick, $3,318.97 and Pigeon Falls, $3,306.35.
In addition to general transportation aid, the town of Pigeon received $16,001.80 and the town of Dodge was awarded $7,235.11 in supplemental transportation aid.
January payments also includes $2.5 million in Supplemental Transportation Aid to 137 eligible towns, a technical fix to address a town funding formula issue.
“The increase in these payments, combined with the pending $75 million in Multimodal Local Supplement grants, better positions locals,” secretary-designee Craig Thompson said. “With 90 percent of our highways under local jurisdiction, it’s imperative that we provide necessary support for these critical roads.”
Quarterly payments for cities, towns and villages are sent the first Monday in January, April, July and October. County payments are made in three installments, with 25 percent of the total annual payment on the first Monday in January; 50 percent on the first Monday in July; and 25 percent on the first Monday in October.
GTA help defray the costs of constructing, maintaining, and operating roads and streets under local jurisdiction. Connecting Highway Aids reimburse municipalities for maintenance and traffic control of local roads that connect segments of the state highway system.
Communities also receive state transportation fund revenues for public transit, elderly and disabled transportation, and airport and harbor development. Local communities may also receive state and federal funds for specific highway and bridge construction projects.
