DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Drivers in Decatur will see a tax increase at the pump, as the city's motor fuel tax on diesel is going up, all in an effort to fund road improvement projects.
"I think they should find other sources of revenue to come up with the money to fix the roads, other than increase the fuel tax," resident Stephanie Kee said.
In 2016, Decatur implemented a five-cent per gallon tax on non-diesel fuel and a one-cent tax on diesel fuel. This year, the city has approved a four-cent increase on diesel fuel, bringing it up to five cents.
"In fact, diesel vehicles tend to be larger. Therefore, they tend to be more likely to cause disrepair in the roads. And so, this will allow the city to recover some funds that will allow us to keep our roads maintained," Councilman David Horn said.
Some residents feel taxing diesel fuel may not be the best way to fund road construction
"I think we need to explore other ways to relieve them. And instead of always going to people's property, taxes are always increasing. The fuel costs. I mean, what have we done as a city to help generate new, new sources of revenue versus continuing to tax the people," Kee said.
Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe says residents can track how the fuel tax fund is spent. The city's website shows every road that is set to be paved with that money over the next five years.
"It is not being swept into the general fund. It is going primarily towards our local roads, which we weren't getting enough money from the state to pave neighborhood roads, which is why this was enacted in the first place," Wolfe said.
The council did not give a definitive date for when the tax will take effect.
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