Franklin County commission to consider gas tax increase

Franklin County’s gas tax could increase by another penny a gallon beginning in 2017.

Franklin County commissioners agreed last year to consider the pros and cons of increasing the local gas tax from 5 cents a gallon to 6 cents.

Franklin County is the only county in the state that does not impose a minimum of 6 cents local gas tax and that is impacting how much state money the county can get to pave local roads.

The county is doing some local road paving this year, but it’s been 6 years since the last paving project.

Levying an additional penny in the gas tax will only raise about 50 thousand dollars a year, which isn’t that much, but it makes the county eligible for more state road paving funds.

Because Franklin County does not levy at least 6 cents of local gas tax, the county is not eligible to apply for a 100% funded Department of Transportation paving program called SCRAP

The county does apply for funding through a program called SCOP, but SCOP provides only 75% of paving costs.

County attorney Michael Shuler said the county commission should hold a public hearing on the gas tax increase this year, so if the increase is approved it can take effect on January the 1st.


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