The Pennington County Commissioners decided last week to hold off on the wheel tax discussion until 2009, putting their faith in the state Legislature to provide a plan for necessary funding for the county's roads and bridges.

The county commissioners were considering the wheel tax to replace lost state and federal revenue and offset rising material costs facing the county highway department.

Hoping the state holds the key to the county funding crisis is a mistake. The state transportation department is in a fiscal quandary of its own and the state won't likely have the means to supply county governments with revenue for comprehensive road and bridge maintenance.

The state Legislature doesn't have a silver bullet to solve the county's needs. The Legislature's Transportation Committee met the day after the Pennington County Commission announced it would hold off on the wheel tax and the picture painted there was bleak.

State Transportation Secretary Darin Bergquist told committee members the state is focusing on simply maintaining its roadways.

"We are in preservation mode," he was quoted as saying.

And that's the problem the Pennington County Commissioners will have to face: Being in preservation mode rather than following a constructive, planned growth and maintenance plan.

Implementing a $2 wheel tax would have raised $1 million strictly for county roads and bridges. The maximum tax levied would have been $16 per vehicle.

County governments have limited revenue sources and as Pennington County continues to lose federal and state funds, bridges and roads still need to be replaced and repaired. If the county has legitimate needs, a wheel tax should be considered.

Motorists have been saddled with many burdens lately as energy prices soar and the ripple effects of that hit hard at the grocery store and retail outlets.

But in light of skyrocketing material and maintenance costs on the South Dakota roadways, if the residents of Pennington County are going to suffer the consequences of no wheel tax revenue (meaning less adequate roads, inadequate repairs) it would be better to be safe than sorry and implement the wheel tax.

We do hope the Pennington County commissioner's faith in state government isn't misplaced. But considering the state of the state and the challenges it faces, we're not sure the county will find what it needs in Pierre.