Programs for Local Government > Highways and bridges > 

General Transportation Aids

Program overview

General Transportation Aids (GTA) is the second largest program in WisDOT’s budget and returns to local governments a portion of all state-collected transportation revenues (fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees) - helping offset the cost of county and municipal road construction, maintenance, traffic and other transportation-related costs. 

Funds are provided to town, cities and villages through quarterly payments made on the first Monday of January, April, July and October. Pursuant to §86.30(2)(e), Wis. Stats., county GTA payments have been made in three installments, with 25% of the total calendar year amount being paid in January, 50% in July, and 25% in October. Communities select payment options including paper check, automated clearinghouse (ACH), or state investment pool (ACH-INV). Please contact Carol Doran at the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, (608) 266-2569 or fax (608) 264-6887, to modify your payment option.

WisDOT provides local governments with background information to identify how their annual GTA payment levels are calculated. The following document identifies the specific calculation process and data inputs used to develop the CY 2012 payment estimates.

You can navigate through the PDF document below by:

1. Clicking on the file to open the file.
2. Selecting "Ctrl" and "F"
3. Entering the CVT code (i.e. community reference number) in the Search or Find box in Adobe Reader.
4. Select "Enter" or "Search" and the data page for the community will be displayed.

Calendar Year 2012 payment levels - FINAL

• Calendar Year 2012 Final Payment Level Calculations and Data - MUNICIPALITY FINAL (8.5 MB) [This is a large file and may take several minutes to download]
• Calendar Year 2012 Final Payment Level Calculations and Data - COUNTY FINAL

• Cost Information Used to Calculate CY 2012 GTA Payments (by CVT) (2.1 MB)

Late filers

The following is a list of communities (by CVT) that filed their Financial Report Form after the appropriate due date or filing extension deadline. Pursuant to s. 86.303, Wis. Stats., a penalty will be assessed on GTA payments to these communities in CY 2012.

• GTA CY 2012 Late Filers and Penalties - FINAL

CVT Index

The spreadsheet below provides a listing of the unique, five-digit CVT code for each town, village, city and county in Wisconsin.

• CVT Index

GTA Calculation 

The document below provides a general description of the calculation process along with defining the data inputs used in the calculation.

• Description of the calculation process and data definitions for GTA  

Previous calendar year payments

The following documents list the final GTA payments for each town, village, city, and county from 2006-2011:

• Calendar Year 2011 GTA Payments
• Calendar Year 2010 GTA Payments   
• Calendar Year 2009 GTA Payments 
• Calendar Year 2008 GTA Payments 
• Calendar Year 2007 GTA Payments 
• Calendar Year 2006 GTA Payments   

Transportation cost data

GTA funds are distributed to all Wisconsin counties, cities, villages and towns based on a six-year spending average or a statutorily set rate-per-mile. Transportation cost data is annually provided to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue in a Financial Report Form.

The Cost Reporting Manual defines the eligible expenses and revenues used to calculate GTA payments. A fact sheet is included at the end of the manual identifying formulas and calculations for administration of GTA. 

General Transportation Aids Brochure

The General Transportation Aids (GTA) brochure (584 KB) is available electronically, with limited quantities available in hard copy. The brochure discusses the importance of the program to local governments, how funds are distributed and describes the local role in transportation investments. To request a hardcopy color brochure, please contact your local governmental association or contact the GTA program manager.

Program manager: Lori Richter, lori.richter@dot.wi.gov, or (608) 266-0254 

You will need the Adobe Reader (provided free of charge) to view PDF files. For more information about getting your free copy of the Adobe Reader, visit WisDOT's Software information page.

Questions about the content of this page:
Lori Richter, lori.richter@dot.wi.gov
Last modified: December 14, 2011