JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – The Mississippi Department of Transportation says it’s time to modernize the way the agency is funded.

MDOT started beating that drum in 2024 and said they need a dedicated revenue stream in order to keep up with the needs.

“Receiving it in the recurring fashion is as important as the amount of money we get,” explained Executive Director Brad White.

The legislature decides year to year how much money they’ll give MDOT. While that works, it complicates planning.

“We run about a $480 million deficit a year and the funds we need in order to adequately address the rehabilitation of our existing system,” noted White.

Without proper maintenance, the state puts its federal funding in jeopardy.

This discussion comes at the same time that House leadership and the Governor are pushing for the elimination of the income tax.

“They know they are in the policymakers of our state, they cannot eliminate that much of our revenue streams without making sure that they’ve taken care of this core function of government,” White said.

Governor Tate Reeves believes both can be accomplished but made this note when asked about MDOT funding.

“I’ll just tell you I got elected in 2003 and in 2003 they need about $350 or $400 million more a year,” said Reeves. And in 2018 when we increased funding by about 200 million a year through the lottery and others. Avenues the ERBR, for instance. They needed about 350 to $400 million more a year.”

“My response has been this state, not since 1987, have we really dealt with the funding model for our state infrastructure system and so of course year after year, we continue to run a deficit because nobody’s made any moves that in a recurring fashion would substantially address those,” countered White.

The House of Representatives has said it anticipates MDOT funding being part of a larger tax reform package that may be introduced in the early weeks of the legislative session.

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