Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s plan to fix the state’s roads in a single budget is getting pushback. The head of the Republicans in the Senate has his own ideas for how to handle a new roads policy.
Senator Mike Shirkey says he wants more money for roads in the state budget. But he also says that long-term plans for a “roads solution” should be handled independent of the state budget.
“Our plan for budget will for certain include additional funding for roads that’ll be historical. But there’s no guarantee that it’ll be a roads solution. Maybe they’ll come together, but it’s not a requirement.”
Meanwhile, Governor Gretchen Whitmer says she won’t sign a budget that only has a temporary plan for the roads or that doesn’t raise more than $2 billion. That promise could be tested in early June when Shirkey says he hopes the Legislature will have its budget ready for Whitmer to sign or veto.
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—Cheyna Roth is a reporter for the Michigan Public Radio network. Contact WEMU News at 734.487.3363 or email us at studio@wemu.org
