The Janesville City Council passes a 20 dollar increase to the city’s wheel tax.

Before approving the change, it held a public hearing and dispelled many of the misconceptions about the road funding issue.

Council Vice President Paul Benson said many citizens don’t realize that the wheel tax increase will save taxpayers money in the long run because the city won’t have to pay as much in interest on loans it takes out to pay for fixing streets.

Council president Doug Marklein said it was the fiscally responsible thing to do, in order to keep repairing roads at a sustainable rate without shifting the cost burden onto future generations through increased debt service.

The Janesville council held multiple public forums on road funding over the last few months to reach this temporary solution, which will also be paired with assessing curb and gutter repairs on stormwater utility bills.