Starting Monday, Ohioans will be spending a little more change to fill up their vehicle’s gas tanks. The first wave in tax increases on Ohio fuel purchases is set to start on July 1st. Unleaded and premium fuels will see a 10.5 cent increase per gallon while diesel vehicles will see an added 19 cents per gallon on their receipt.

Drivers will see some improvements on Allen County roads as the 2019 Road Program has been finalized. County, township, and municipal officials meeting to hear how many and which roads will be seeing construction. There will be a total of just over 14 miles of roadway being paved and nearly 90 miles of roads being chipped and sealed. This is up from last year by a couple of miles.

Get ready to feel some new pain at the pump, thanks to Ohio lawmakers. A committee of the Ohio House and Senate has approved a proposal to increase the state tax on gas by 10.5 cents a gallon and the tax on diesel fuel by 19 cents to maintain what Governor DeWine claims are deteriorating roads and bridges. 

A joint Senate-House committee working on a compromise over a new state gas tax has once again delayed a scheduled meeting. The committee is trying to iron out differences between an 11-cent increase proposed by Governor Mike DeWine and House Speaker Larry Householder and a 6-cent increase proposed by Senate President Larry Obhof. All three are Republicans. The committee announced three starting times Friday and then postponed them, indicating a stalemate continues. The tax is needed to fix deteriorating roads and bridges, but lawmakers disagree on how much funding is necessary.

The debate over proposed increases in Ohio's gas tax is headed to a joint House and Senate committee to resolve the two chambers' differences. The House has proposed increases of 10.7 cents a gallon for gas and 20 cents a gallon for diesel fuel to maintain the state's roads and bridges. The Senate wants to increase the current tax of 28 cents a gallon for gas and diesel by only six cents.

Some local truckers rolled into Columbus on Friday to protest numerous issues that the state has placed on them, including a proposed increased tax on diesel fuel. Local truckers met up in Beaverdam, to join others in London, Ohio to participate in a slow rolling protest to Columbus. The protest is to raise awareness of the issues within the trucking industry.

Governor Mike DeWine could have another fight ahead, as he continues to request a bigger increase in the gas tax to pay for Ohio’s infrastructure.

Members of the Van Wert community sat down for a cup of coffee and a conversation with their state representative. State Representative Craig Riedel, R-Defiance, met with some constituents at Truly Divine in downtown Van Wert. The meeting gave people a chance to talk about their concerns with state issues, with a major focus on the transportation budget, specifically about the gas tax.

Ohio's latest governor held his first state of the state this afternoon and also brought the event back to Columbus. Gov. Mike DeWine focused on many areas of concern to him, but his message was clear, that it's time to invest in the future. Specifically, he spoke on the proposed gas tax for Ohio's infrastructure, investing in children's education and the natural wonders Ohio has to offer. 

Governor Mike DeWine will announce later this week, his proposed recommendation for increasing the state's gas tax to deal with a chronic shortfall in spending on road construction. DeWine says there are no other solutions outside a gas tax increase while warning that any increase simply keeps Ohio from falling behind.