SAC CITY - A plan to use road money to pay for the Iowa State Patrol would shortchange cities and counties by hundreds of thousands of dollars, a highway advocacy group announced Friday.

Webster County would lose $226,947 in the 2010-2011 fiscal year if Road Use Tax money is used to pay for troopers, according to information presented by the U.S. 20 Corridor Association.

Fort Dodge would be another big loser in north central Iowa, according to the figures. The city would lose $112,076.

Gov. Chet Culver's proposal to use $50 million of the road money for the patrol would also take away funds needed for the expansion of U.S. Highway 20 to four lanes all across the state, group leaders said.

''It's always been the position of this group that Road Use Tax funds are protected for roads and bridges,'' said Shirley Phillips, the association's president.

''Our Road Use Tax funds are short anyway,'' she added. ''We can't continue to rob from one to the other to balance the budget.''

During the group's meeting Friday morning at Iowa State Bank in Sac City, Phillips presented data obtained from the Iowa Department of Transportation regarding the transfer of the money.

Local governments use Road Use Tax money to pay road workers, finance repairs and snow removal, and buy equipment.

The money comes from gasoline taxes and vehicle registration fees.

Culver proposed taking some of that money to finance the Iowa State Patrol in an effort to ease the $1 billion deficit in the state's general fund, which pays for most government operations.

Phillips said the association will lobby against Culver's plan.

Webster County Supervisor Bob Singer, a member of the association, said if the fund transfer is approved by the Legislature, his county will have to postpone a road or bridge project.

Contact Bill Shea at (515) 573-2141 or bshea@messengernews.net