When it comes to transportation, county politicians from around the state find themselves on the same, pothole-filled highway.

It was that bond that brought two county commissioners from Hennepin and Carver counties to a meeting with Meeker County Board members Monday in Litchfield.

"Minnesota's economy and population are outgrowing our transportation system both in the metro area and greater Minnesota," said Peter McLaughlin, a Hennepin County commissioner and member of the Metro Transitways Development Board. "As a commissioner from the Twin Cities, I believe it's important to understand that transportation isn't just about rush hour traffic jams and expanding four-lane highways. Greater Minnesota has pressing needs for highway and bridge improvements and making outdated highways safer. This briefing by Meeker County is really helpful in understanding statewide concerns and developing an effective working relationship."

McLaughlin and fellow MTDB member Randy Maluchnik, a Carver County commissioner, met for about 90 minutes with Meeker County Board members and county staff members at the Meeker County Courthouse, where everyone seemed to agree that an increase in the state gas tax must be at least part of the solution to the state's declining transportation system.

Meeker County Highway Engineer Ron Mortensen spelled out a bleak future for county road repair if something is not done at the Legislature to increase funding. Since 2004, when the cost of petroleum began a dramatic rise, the county has been losing ground in its battle to maintain roads and bridges, Mortensen said.

Meeker County's seven-year highway construction program, which includes everything from new paved highways to bridge replacement, shows a total cost of $17.2 million through 2014. But the gap between cost and actual available funding grows wider each year, Mortensen said. Projects on the calendar for 2008 total $2.7 million, but funding from all sources — local, state, federal — still will leave an estimated $645,000 shortfall. That difference, Mortensen explained, is about equal to the estimated cost of five bituminous overlay projects on the schedule, which means that instead of overlays, those five projects are likely to receive only patching.

That's the kind of decision counties around the state are having to make, according to McLaughlin, who said he's met with commissioners in two other rural counties who have expressed frustration with trying to maintain roads while costs rise and funding stays flat. Counties are forced to patch roads because they can't afford the cost of a bituminous overlay. That only postpones the cost, which grows with each passing year, he said.

"We've been trying to get by with duct tape and baling wire for a little too long," McLaughlin said. "These are not the right decisions for the taxpayer."

For a complete story, see the Feb. 14 print edition of the Independent Review.