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EDITORIAL: On the road again

The bigwigs on Grand Central Parkway are getting edgy about their chances of convincing voters to raise taxes to cover up to $3 billion in local transportation improvements.

Question 5 on the November ballot seeks to increase the county gasoline tax in yearly increments based on inflation to provide a steady revenue stream for road projects. Clark County residents currently pay 62 cents a gallon in local, state and federal levies and fees. If the referendum succeeds, that number would increase by an estimated 37 cents a gallon over the next decade — and even more if federal or state rates also go up.

The proposal would extend by 10 years a three-year annual jump in the gasoline tax passed by county commissioners in 2013.

On Friday, commissioners announced they will vote in the next few weeks on limiting the annual increases to a maximum of 4 cents a gallon. This clearly reflects concerns that the measure may not have broad electoral support.

The move should give residents “a higher level of confidence that we … will raise only enough money that we need,” said Commissioner Larry Brown.

Whether this works as intended remains to be seen. It certainly can’t hurt. But proponents must do more if they hope to successfully make their case.

For instance, many voters are no doubt confused about the mechanism that sets the yearly fuel tax hikes.

Instead of using the Consumer Price Index, which measures increases in the prices of consumer goods and services, the county ties the increases to the Producer Price Index, a U.S. Bureau of Labor statistic intended to gauge rising costs in various industries and commodity markets. It typically runs much higher than the CPI, meaning the county recovers significantly more money than it would by using the more traditional gauge of “inflation.”

In addition, voters deserve a detailed accounting of how the money will be spent. “For us to take on this,” Commissioner Lawrence Weekly said recently, “we have to make sure we do what we say we’re going to do.” He’s right.

Officials with the Regional Transportation Commission have said potential projects include improvements on the north end of the Strip, work on the development of Interstate 11 and various beltway and highway interchange additions. That’s great, but it hardly accounts for the bulk of the cash.

Thankfully, the measure prohibits diverting money to mass transit systems “that are supported by other programs unrelated to fuel revenue indexing.” But how many millions will be spent on bicycle lanes or to create more empty HOV routes? Yes, priorities will evolve, but more specifics might go a long way toward satisfying voters.

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