City gets double the gas tax. Again.

Apr 28, 2021 | 12:49 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Municipalities submitted the idea of a three-year commitment to double the gas tax to the federal government, but they didn’t get it. Instead, they did get one year.

The last time the gas tax was doubled was 2019, adding another $3.1 million to the City’s coffers, and it was spent on a number of projects, like upgrades to the Cottonwood Island Park and Masich Place Stadium.

And now the City will have another $3.1 million dollars on top of the $3.1 million they normally get to play with.

“What we’re hoping for is that we’ll get the go-ahead and get the funding right away. That will mean we go back to our capital list and find $3.1 million dollars worth of projects. And we can get moving on them because construction season is right around the corner.”

Mayor Lyn Hall says he is overjoyed at the additional dollars and has some areas he’d like to see the additional money go toward. “For me, it’s road and sidewalk rehabilitation. But I want to focus on sidewalks. We hear loud and clear from our Accessibility Committee about the need for improvements to curb cuts for motorized wheelchairs or wheelchairs.”

In the 2020 budget discussions, Council approved putting $29 million dollars worth of capital projects on hold as it sought to curb spending in light of COVID.