Last week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer urged lawmakers to “get back to the negotiating table … to find a long-term bipartisan solution so we can fix more of those damn roads.”

She followed up by setting up an invitation-only meeting on Thursday to discuss long-term road funding, and Republicans aren’t invited.

MIRS News reports House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Twp., has not been invited to attend on Thursday, though Whitmer press secretary Stacey LaRouche contends the governor has “has been in touch with Republican leadership on roads.”

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Despite the apparent snub, LaRouche told the Lansing-based subscription news service Whitmer “will continue to work with anyone who is serious about solving problems,” WKZO reports.

Whitmer last week insisted during her delayed State of the State address that lawmakers must act with urgency to address a $3.9 billion annual road funding shortfall, and that new taxes must be part of that effort.

The governor was elected six years ago on a promise to “fix the damn roads,” but was forced to borrow $3.5 billion when lawmakers rejected her plan to hike the state’s motor fuels tax by 45 cents to the highest rate in the nation.

That money is now gone, and “roads are deteriorating faster than the agencies can repair them,” according to an annual road and bridges report.

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Michigan taxpayers, meanwhile, are spending $340 million this year to pay off the $3.5 billion the governor borrowed for road repairs. Whitmer’s decision to borrow $3.5 billion cost taxpayers $2.5 billion in interest, according to Michigan Department of Transportation data cited by The Detroit News.

“There’s a lot left to do, and with Rebuilding Michigan (Whitmer’s borrowed $3.5 billion) phasing out soon, we’re facing a serious funding cliff,” the governor said last week. “I’m hearing from construction companies who are expecting layoffs because of the uncertainty.”

Republicans in December unveiled a $2.7 billion plan to fix the roads without new taxes that has since swelled to $3.1 billion with higher than expected tax returns.

“Ensuring value for taxpayer dollars is important to the people we represent, and our priorities reflect that by targeting inefficiencies and waste,” Hall said in January. “Roads and infrastructure are top priorities, and our budget choices should reflect that. We are committed to restoring trust in government through smart, transparent reforms that prioritize the well-being of every citizen.”

Hall’s road funding plan would maintain public safety and health funding, while shifting funds currently dedicated to corporate business incentives and legislative pork spending to local roads.

The plan would permanently dedicate $2.2 billion from the state’s corporate income tax to roads by stripping out $500 million each in legislative earmarks and Michigan Economic Growth Authority tax credits. Another $600 million would come from higher than expected tax returns outlined by the state’s revenue estimating conference last week, while about the same amount would be saved by reworking deposits into the state’s corporate attraction, placemaking, and development funds.

Other funding for Hall’s roads plan would come from permanently dedicating all motor fuels taxes to roads, which would provide $945 million.

Whitmer in early February unveiled her own road funding plan that aims to squeeze Michigan businesses for $1.6 billion, and impose $470 million in new taxes on wholesale marijuana, among other components.

The governor’s office has not divulged how much Whitmer wants to increase the state’s 6% corporate income tax to generate the $1.6 billion she’s hoping to realize, but the Detroit Regional Chamber suggests the rate would need to hit 8% to generate that revenue, putting the state among the highest in the nation.

“This increase penalizes the entire economy and creates a new challenge for doing business in Michigan,” Detroit Regional Chamber officials told MLive. “While the Detroit Regional Chamber thanks Whitmer and Speaker (Matt) Hall for seeking a long-term solution for road funding, that conversation needs to focus on user fees instead of giving more reasons to do business elsewhere.”

Data from the Tax Foundation, the world’s leading nonpartisan tax policy nonprofit, suggests an 8% corporate tax rate would make Michigan the 14^th most expensive state to do business.

“Make no mistake, infrastructure improvement is a critical priority for the state, and one the Chamber and MichAuto continues to champion,” Detroit Regional Chamber officials said. “However, if there are serious intentions to find sustainable solutions for road funding, the conversation needs to center on existing revenue sources for roads and spending cuts that can compensate for the budget shortfall.”

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce echoed that sentiment, pointing to the major negative impact Whitmer’s proposed tax hike could have on the Michigan’s ability to attract and maintain businesses.

“We want to make sure a tax is necessary,” Chamber President Jim Holcomb told MLive. “We think there has to be more money in roads, absolutely, but we want to make sure that we’re using current resources. When you have over an $80 billion budget, we just want to make sure that the current resources are being properly allocated and then have a conversation of how best to move forward.”

Whitmer’s road funding plan, which also included $250 million for public transit, swells the governor’s proposed spending plans for next fiscal year to a record $86 billion – a 43% increase that amounts to about $30 billion more than when she took office.

“The governor’s claim that Michigan doesn’t have enough existing revenue to fix our roads is simply false. … The House introduced a responsible, $3.1 billion plan that prioritizes road repairs using existing revenue, without raising taxes,” state Rep. Ann Bollin, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said in a statement.

“The problem isn’t revenue, it’s priorities,” Bollin said. “The money is there. We don’t need higher taxes to fix our roads. We need leadership that respects taxpayers, spends responsibly, and makes roads a priority.”