ST. LOUIS (AP) - A Missouri group that wants the public to vote on a transportation sales and use tax in November is not gathering petition signatures while waiting to see if the Legislature will put the tax on the ballot.
Bill McKenna, treasurer of the Missourians for Safe Transportation and New Jobs, says it would cost less and save time if the legislature would act on the proposal. He says his group is ready to resume working if transportation funding bogs down in the Legislature.
The group needs at least 170,000 signatures by May 4 to get the measure on the ballot.
Missouri Department of Transportation chief Dave Nichols warned the agency's construction budget could drop to $585 million for the next budget year.