MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ A group of Republican legislators are circulating a bill that would impose sweeping reforms on the state Department of Transportation.
The measure would repeal prevailing wage laws; allow municipalities to impose wheel taxes and build roundabouts only through referendums; shift money for state highway repairs to local transportation assistance programs; and creates an inspector general position within DOT. The bill also lays out a number of alternative methods for delivering road projects, including having a single contractor handle all phases of a project.
The lawmakers who authored the bill said in a memo seeking co-sponsors Thursday that the agency needs reform after an audit earlier this year found it had been under-estimating the cost of highway projects by millions of dollars.